Prosecco is more about the fruit flavour profile of the Glera grape — associated with pear, apple, plus honeysuckle and floral notes. Home Learn Advice. Ask Decanter. A bottle being disgorged. Port producer proposes new classification for 'young harvest' releases.
This second fermentation is fueled by additional sugar called dosage and characterized by extended contact with the lees yeast cells. This process requires hundreds of hours of manual labor and years of aging before bottles can be released. This is why Prosecco is often described as light and fruity.
The Charmat method is quicker and more affordable than the traditional method, resulting in a much more affordable bottle of bubbly. Think all bubbles are created equal? Think again. The most common kind of Prosecco is spumante, which has over 3 bars of atmospheric pressure. Frizzante is a lighter version of Prosecco, with less persistent bubbles that measure between 1 and 2.
Champagne has the highest atmospheric pressure measuring at 5 or 6 bars. Both Prosecco and Champagne follow the same scale when measuring sweetness although with slightly different terminologies. Generally, the light and fruity character of Prosecco makes it seem sweeter than it is. For the most part, the gradient goes from brut the most popular to extra dry and Dry which is, paradoxically, the sweetest.
The most common level of sweetness for Champagne is also brut. After this process is complete, the Champagne is aged using either lees or riddling. Lees are dead yeast cells that remain in the bottle or tank of fermented wine. Wines aged with lees will taste richer. Riddling is the process of rotating sparkling wine upside down over time. The next part of the process is disgorgement and dosage. During disgorgement, the neck of the bottle goes into liquid nitrogen or frozen brine to freeze the lees.
Finally, one last mixture of wine and sugar, known as dosage, goes into the bottle to fill it back to capacity and add extra flavor. Prosecco is processed using the more affordable tank method.
This process follows many of the same steps as the traditional method, but the tank method stores the wine in tanks during the second fermentation. The large tank makes the process quicker and more efficient, making it more affordable to produce and therefore more affordable for the consumer to purchase. Champagne and Prosecco have very different taste profiles. The primary flavors in Champagne are citrus, white peach and cherry, almond and toast. Because Champagne ages longer on the lees, the flavor often resembles cheese rinds.
In finer bottles, it will seem like toast or biscuits. The high-pressure aging process creates fine and persistent bubbles. Vintage Champagnes typically have flavors of almond, orange-zest and white cherry.
The aging process takes place in large tanks, creating less pressure that results in lighter, spritzy bubbles that are not as persistent as the ones in Champagne. Fine bottles of Prosecco usually have notes of tropical fruit, hazelnut, vanilla, or banana cream.
The differences in tastes between Champagne and Prosecco mean the food pairings are quite different as well. Champagne is dry and has a high acidity that works best when paired with shellfish, fried appetizers, pickled vegetables and raw bar items. Some people even swear by drinking Champagne with their favorite potato chips. On the other end of the spectrum is the sweeter Prosecco.
The sweet element makes it the perfect pairing for fruity appetizers such as prosciutto-wrapped melons or for cured meats. Many people enjoy pairing Prosecco with Asian dishes such as sushi or Thai noodles.
For those who are new to Champagne and Prosecco, it might help to compare two specific bottles.
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