Tasting the wines of Prosecco, Italy

These notes accompany our in-depth feature on Prosecco. For profiles of all of these estates please see Regional report: Prosecco, icing sugar and lemons.


Prosecco Blind Tasting

Brut (up to 15g/l)

Borgoluce Prosecco Brut
Very pale green. Subtle apple nose. A little waxy note, but all very subtle. On the palate a nice, lively mousse and sour lemon and pear fruit. Good acidity, with a slightly chalky finish that’s a touch metallic. 85/100

Conte Collato Prosecco Brut
Pale green. Crisp lemony nose, very clean. The palate has a little touch of sweetness, with a fresh, pithy lemon acidity that leaves it dry and moreish. 86

La Farra Prosecco Brut
Slightly yeastier nose, with a touch a spring flowers and applke skin fruit. The palate has a more nectarine ripeness and a touch of green herbal quality. The palate has some real zest and a touch of weight and peach downy. 88

La Tordera Prosecco Brut
A touch of yeastiness, a clean, underripe apple crunch. The palate has plenty of lemon-rind and dry, pithy lemon and apple acidity. Balanced and savoury. 87

Spagnol Azienda Agricola Prosecco Brut
A touch of ripeness, a touch of yeastiness, a very gently nutty background. Fresh palate, with a big sour lemon fruitiness backed up by very good, fresh acidity that hints at minerality. 87/88

Valdo Prosecco Brut Cuvée D Fondatore
A touch of herbs and of pear. A gentle, toffee character on the palate, with a hint of soft, sweet fruit and a slightly fading, indistinct finish. 85

Extra Dry (12 – 20 g/l)

Borgoluce Prosecco Extra Dry
Slightly unclear nose, with a little diffusion of lightly waxy notes but lacking a bit of fruit precision? The palate has nicer fruit – a riper, more peachy fruit quality and a softly mineral acidity – fairly low acid as well as the inhernet sweetness. Easy drinking. 85

Progetti Prosecco Extra Dry Divini
Slightly nettley, with not much fruit clarity or precision. THE palate has a fairly bland character and not quite pushing through convincingly. 84

Perlage Prosecco Extra Dry Quorum
A touch of caramel and some apple and green fruit. The palate has some pleasant fruit, but this is slightly woolly and lacks a bit of verve. IS it the Extra Dry style lacking clarlity? 84

Dry (17-35 g/l)

Zardetto Prosecco Dry Rinassendo
Slightly subdued, with a bland palate where the sweetness is OK, but has a very bland finish. 83

Ca’Vittoria Prosecco Dry Millesimato 2008
Dull, slightly metallic nose. More acidity, but the sweet .n. sour character is obvious. Slightly Alka Seltzer. 83

Col Vetoraz Prosecco Dry Millesimato 2008
Has a little more fruit sweetness, with hints of peach and plum. The sweetness is slightly more mouthfilling, with more length too. 86

Cartizze (always Dry at 17-35 g/l)

Bisol Prosecco Cartizze
Instantly defined and distinctive, with bold orchard fruits, and lots of tang and lemony zip. But there is subtle minerality here too, playing against the sweetness of the wine and the fruit. Lovely length and definition. 89

Bortolomiol Prosecco Cartizze
Some chalky minerality, and again a lovely fresh, almost orangy character. Juicy and vital on the palate, this has lovely zip and rapier-like acidity. Pear and lemon dazzle on the finish. 90

Valdo Prosecco Cartizze Cuvee Viviana
A little yeastier, with sherbet lemon and lots of minerality. There’s a cushion of sweetness that is plush and soft, very easy to frink. Good length again, finishing quite sweet and easy to drink. 88

Bortolin Filli Prosecco Cartizze
Subtle, steely, almost ozone-like salty minerality. Quite distinctive, with a little toffee quality coming through. The palate has good sweetness, and a ripe, almost buttery note, but a really fresh finish. A complex Prosecco this. 90

Ruggeri Prosecco Cartizze
A touch of orange and of yellow plum, backed up by a gentle vanilla. The sweetness on the palate is

Villa Sandi Prosecco Cartizze
A touch of herbs and vegetal aromatics. The palate has good fruit and a nice brightness and freshness. This has sweetness and is a real crowd-pleaser, and also very good quality. 89

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SORELLE BRONCA

Sorelle Bronca Prosecco Brut
Quite a deep, rounded, full aroma with some lightly nutty notes to peach-down fruit. The palate too has weight and texture: there’s an apparent touch of sweetness, but also a full, broad mid-palate than many wines lack, with good acidity in the finish. 89/100

Sorelle Bronca Prosecco Extra Dry
The nose of the Extra Dry is slightly brighter with more of a pear and lemon sherbet note, but invitingly fresh. The palate is not apparently sweeter, but has a freshness and a really racy acidity that pushes through. Delightful too, with a more floral and precocious character. 89/100

Sorelle Bronca Prosecco Particella 68 Extra Dry
Made from 100% must with one fermentation (expensive method, keeping must chilled). Tint apricotty, almost figgy note, backed up by apple-fresh aromas. Quite a decisive palate, with a huge attack of fresh, crisp, sparky mousse that fills the mouth with clean top notes, but backed up a by a sour lemon fruit and acidity. 20g/l dry extract from yields of 50hl/ha. A very particular – and very good – rethinking of Prosecco. 92/100

Sorelle Bronca ‘Ser Belle’ 2005
Sorelle Bronca’s red wine, a Cabernet-Merlot blend. Quite a wild, gamy, herbal and garrigue character under a layer of coffee and cedary oak, with all sorts of meaty and exotic, incense-like and spice notes. Very smooth, ripe, mouth-filling black fruit with a hint of wild cherry and herbs, and lovely life and balance. Long, spicy finish with super-smooth tannins. Very impressive. 92/100.

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ADAMI

Adami Prosecco Brut Bosco di Gica
Plenty of fine bubbles, in a very pale wine. Very clean, fresh, fruity nose with a touch of banana and fresh, ripe pear. 2-5% Chardonnay in the blend each year. The palate is very crisp: lots of fine fruit salad and lemon character, and racy, lemon sherbet acidity. Fine, and the finish is elegant and crisp, but gentle. 88/100

Adami Prosecco Extra Dry Dei Castel
Slightly neutral, with very clean, crisp character. A touch of nettle. The palate is cool and fairly lean – it is well made, with a cool apple fruit and nice acidity playing against a hint of sweetness, but seems to lack a little of the complexity of the Bosco di Gica. 86/100

Adami Prosecco Dry Vigneto Giardino
From the single vineyard monopole Giardino this has 20g/l of sugar, and a fresh fruit salad nose with melon and pear and just a a hint of more exotic peach and mango. The palate is basically dry and fresh, the cool, quite mineral acidity slices through a peach down fruitiness and ripeness. 89/100

Adami Prosecco Dry Cartizze
From the superiore denomination of Cartizze, this has 25g/l of residual sugar. Another Prosecco that is about lemon and star fruit freshness, with a touch of cool saltiness. Lovely mouth-filling fruit – there’s a softly enveloping peach and nectarine ripeness and sweetness, with a tugging, dry, pithy acidity that gives this both a pillowing softness and a nice bit of structure. 90/100

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VILLA SANDI

Villa Sandi Prosecco Cuvee Oris
Fabulously attractive pear-drop and floral nose with little peach down notes and touches of herbs. Very fresh on the palate, with lots of lemony bite and cool apple fruit. Very attractive, fairly dances on the tongue. 88/100

Villa Sandi Cartizze
Lovely clean pear nose. Plenty of fresh, brightly focused and sparky fruit with a touch of preserved lemon. A touch of phenolic character, and good balance into a long, distinctiver finish with 33g/l residual sugar givng some sweetness. 90/100

Villa Sandi Vigna la Rivetta Cartizze 2008
Lovely mineral precision, from Villa Sandi’s own one hectare of Cartizze. 6000 bottles. Gentle waxiness, lots of fresh lemon rind bite. The palate has real concentration, with pear and downy peach skin notes as well as a grippy character. Great acids her and very long. 91/100

Villa Sandi Opere Riserva 2001
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, 30% fermented in new barrels, then a minimum of five years before release. Big, vanilla and cappuccino nose, with a clean, rounded fruitiness beneath. The palate is also quite full, rich and full in a convincing, Champagne-like sytle. 89/100

Villa Sandi Filio 2006
Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc with Merlot. Aged six months in French oak. Massively oaky and green nose: heavy charry character, emphasised by being served a touch warm. Dark berry fruit is rather buried, but does come through with a cassis depth, the slightly resinous oak still slightly problematic for me, but lots of coffeeish warmth. 88/100

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BISOL

Bisol Prosseco Jeio
Very fine mousse and persistant bubbles. Gently herbal notes, tiny note of bready, yeasty character and crunchy apple fruit. The palate has a peachy note too, with a lovely sour lemon bite playing against a little residual sugar. Quite long and fine this, with a softly persistent mousse. 87/100

Bisol Prosecco Crede
Around 7 – 8% Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco in the blend. Quite a Champagne-like nose with gentle nettle and herbal notes and a touch of yeawtiness. The palate has a cool, mineral character, with a little salty note. Lovely fruit here; lots of crisp orchard fruits and a long fiinsih with a bit of structure. 89/100

Bisol Prosecco Vina del Fol 2007
Peachy, waxy notes, and a tiny note of oxidation. Could it be the damp cellar we are tasting in? The palate has ripeness and weight, with a full, quite decisive grapefuity acidity. Not tasted in ideal conditions this, but has style. 88/100

Bisol Prosecco Cartizze 2007
Instantly defined and distinctive, with bold orchard fruits, and lots of tang and lemony zip. But there is subtle minerality here too, playing against the sweetness of the wine, the fruit and a lemony twist. Lovely length and definition. 90/100

Bisol Prosecco NoSO2
Distinctively cheesy , peanutty nose. Not terribly attractive. The palate is bone dry, but that toasted cheesy note is still there. Lots of pithy, quite decisive lemony acidity. Not my cup of Prosecco. 79/100

Bisol Elysio 2001
Champagne method Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Noir. Some yeasty, softly peachy fruit, with a touch of caramel. The fruit on the palate is nicely mature and apricotty, with a big core of lemony, quite waxy character. Quite powerful and decisive. 91/100

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MIONETTO

Mionetto Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Frizzante
Frizzante is traditional sparkling prosecco DOC style, at around 2.5 atmospheres. Frizzante is not designated as dry, brut, extra dry etc. A charmat methosd wine, it goes through the autoclave quickly, stopping fermentation by chilling when at right gas and sugar levels. Fairly neutral, but clean and fresh pear fruit and a nicely balanced, easy drinking finish. 86/100

Mionetto Francesco Mionetto Prosecco Brut
An IGT wine, secondary fermentation is in bottle, fermented with natural yeasts. Again, pear drop, typical Prosecco nose. A little bit of herbal character, but all very gentle. The palate has a softness and a very dry lemon fruit and acidity. Very nice in a gentle style that is also taut and precise. 88/100

Mionetto Sergio Vino Spumante Extra Dry
30% of this IGT wine is not Prosecco, but variousother indigenous grapes and a little Chardonnay. Dominated by the pear fruit on the nose, with a tiny toasty note. Quite sweet on the palate, with a lovely mouth-filling mousse and a long, peachy finish that is clean and clear, but easy to drink. 87/100

Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosecco Extra Dry DOC
Elegant, quite subtle bubbles and aromas. Melon and a touch of apple fruit. The palate has a definite sweetness, with a crowd-pleasing peachiness and still quite a nice, fresh finish despite the lack of complexity. 87/100

Mionetto Sergio Rose Vino Spumante
70% Raboso, 30% Lagrein. Cherry pink colour. Strawberry Mivvi nose, with a touch of pomegranate. The palate has lovely fruit – more dry, pomegranate and raspberry and a pink grapefruit acidity. Lovely summery stuff. 87/100

Mionetto Prosecco Dry Cartizze
Very simple, very subtle on the nose, the palate has a big, almost orangy fruitiness, with plenty of tang but maybe just a slightly phenolic note detracting just slightly. 88/100

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MASOTTINA

Masottina Prosecco Spumante
Delicate pear aromas, with apple and small floral notes. In the mouth only gently frizzante, with a razor-edge of acidity and a nice bite of apple and lemon acidity playing against a dry, lovely fruitiness. 88/100

Masottina Incrocio Manzoni Bianco 2008
Incrocio Manzoni is a cross of Pinot Bianco and Riesling. There’s a great deal of minerality to this wine, with hard, white fruit flavours. The palate has a lovely straw like character and quite a powerfully fruity mid palate, with good length. Delicious with mixed seafood. 88/100

Masottina Rizzardo 2004
A table wine from the Collii di Conegliano Rizzardo vineyard, the first vintage of which was 1997. It is a blend of Chardonnay, Manzoni, Riesling, Pinot Bianco and Sauviognon Blanc, 50% was aged in barriques, 50% of which were new. Heavily marked by toasty and vanillin oak. Has a fumé Sauvignon character, with some piercing white fruit and great acidity, the nuttiness is subtle and this finishes with cool, Cox’s Pippin fruit acidity. 89/100

Masottina Vigneto Ai Palazzi Piavi Merlot 2004
100% Merlot. Combination of big Slavonian botti and French barrique, from 16-year-old vineyards on limestone and clay. Quite a lot of incense and smoky aromatics, with some rer berry fruits and savoury, briary notes. The palate has a slightly leathery quality. 87/100

Masottina Vigneto Ai Palazzi Piavi Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Touch of green, slightly stalky Cabernet , but deliciously so. The palate has firm, racy black fruit and plenty of style, balance and length. 88/100

Masottina Montesco Colli di Conegilano Rosso 1999
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Marzemino. Nice gamy nose, with wild garrique, aromatics and plenty of cedary, pencil shaving oak. The palate is mature and sweet, and has lovely coffee and dark berry fruit, in a resolved, harmonious palate. 91/100

Masottina Dolce IGT
A sparkling wine of Prosecco and Moscato. The Moscato aromatics are matched with softly leafy character. The palate is off-dry, with good fruit and a fine, racy acidity. 88/100

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