Prosecco DOCG refers to two approved wines named Prosecco; those from the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene area, and those form the Asolo area; both zones are located in the Italian region of Veneto.

As Prosecco became an enormously popular sparkling wine in the 1980s and 1990s, officials in Italy wanted to separate the traditional zones in Veneto from other areas where Prosecco was being produced (the neighboring region of Friuli, for example). Thus the DOCG stamp of approval was granted to the examples of Prosecco from Conegliano-Valdobbiadene in the northern Venetian province of Treviso. This is the heart and soul of Prosecco, and most of the finest examples are from this hilly area.

A second DOCG was granted to the Prosecco of the Asolo area, also in Veneto, but farther south and west. Known as Asolo Prosecco DOCG (or Colli Asolani Prosecco DOCG), this is an area near the Venetian Alps; plantings here reach as high as 1500 feet above sea level.

The thinking was that by creating separate DOCG zones, consumers would know that the finest examples of Prosecco are DOCG and not DOC. This is generally true; however, having two DOCG areas has certainly created some confusion.

Both examples of Prosecco DOCG are primarily produced with the Glera grape variety; ironically, this grape was referred to as Prosecco for decades. The focus on protecting the Prosecco name no doubt caused the change to the historical term Glera. There are other varieties allowed in Prosecco in small percentages (such as Chardonnay and Trebbiano), but rest assured that most examples of Prosecco are indeed 100% Glera.

These DOCG Prosecco are delightful sparking wines, with perfumes of white peaches and white flowers. They are medium-bodied with pleasing, but not too high acidity and are more pleasing to a greater number of consumers who do not favor high acid sparkling wines. The overwhelming majority of these Proseccos are made according to the Charmat (or Martinotti) method, where the second fermentation takes place in a tank, and not in the bottle (as with Champagne). (Wine/Appellations)