However, in my experience from this year’s competition, and previous ones, the DOCG sparkling wines tend to have a purer, more defined fruit expression than the DOC Proseccos at similar prices. The former also tend to have a bit less sugar too, requiring the fruit in DOCG wines to be faultless and fully ripe, while allowing the taste of such fine grapes to shine, without the masking effect that can arise from perceptible sweetness. Moving marginally up the price ladder is this lively Prosecco from top producer Villa Sandi with its flavours of elderflower, pear and zesty grapefruit, and a mouth-filling richness from its 14g/l of residual sugar, even though it’s labelled as Brut (which is traditionally used for fizz with 12g/l or lower). So you work in marketing, and you’re considering how to create a new category of drinks? What’s the best approach? And where should one draw inspiration? Prosecco is the ideal place to look for ideas. That’s because it has managed, in a relatively short space of time, to become a 500 million bottle a year business, taking sparkling wine mainstream, well beyond it traditional association with celebratory times. As a result, almost any occasion is ripe for sipping this light, aromatic Italian fizz, which is now by far the largest sparkling wine type in the world in terms of volumes sold. A benchmark example of a crowd-pleasing Prosecco style, with ripe yellow fruit, a hint of sweetness (13g/l), and then a crisp apple finish with a touch of chalk, making for lovely creamy-textured refreshment. Although niche, there is a growth area in Prosecco: organic variants. But are they any good? Well, this sample called P.Lex was one of the highest-scoring Proseccos of the day, and employs organically-grown Glera – which is the grape of Prosecco. It has a lovely array of flavours, with honey and mango dominating, a touch of orange blossom, and then a lingering pear and apple fresh fruit finish.

Prosecco has taken the world by storm, thanks to its easy-drinking qualities. And now, with rosé expressions having been given the green light, there is more choice than ever for the world’s fizz lovers. We reveal the stylistic trends and best wines from The Prosecco Masters 2021. Made by adding 10-15% wine from Pinot Noir to the white wine base for making Prosecco, the character of the wine is similar to its long-standing blanco variant: the Prosecco Rosés I tasted combined plenty of the usual peach and pear fruit you find in blanco Prosecco, but with a hint of crushed strawberry, and sometimes a touch of bubblegum. But, as noted, lower levels, including Extra Brut (sub-6g/l), can be palatable if the fruit is fully ripe. Nevertheless, such a style can surprise your average Prosecco drinker, who is used to Prosecco’s gentle, pleasing sweetness. It’s a pristine drinking experience. And, combine that with its aromatic, distinctive nature, and you have something pleasing and easy to identify. Such traits have also been key to the remarkable performance of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in this century.In other words, if you like combination of ripe peach and crisp apple, then good DOCG Prosecco will provide it. And if you are content with a simpler sweet pear sensation, then DOC will deliver it.

But that’s not to suggest there aren’t differences in Prosecco. One reason for variation relates to sourcing, in particular, whether the grapes were grown in the hillier historic areas of the region, the DOCGs of Valdobbiadene, Conegliano and Asolo, as opposed to the generally flatter plains of this part of Italy, which are used for the much larger Prosecco DOC. Generally, the DOCG offerings are a touch more expensive, and are deemed to be better quality, but is this always the case?The selection below represents some of the most exciting finds from the competition, which comprised around 200 Proseccos, all of which were assessed without any knowledge of the producer behind them. New to the Prosecco Masters this year was this drop from Col Vetoraz, which impressed us for its generosity and intensity. At the sweeter end of the spectrum with 16g/l residual sugar, there is some noticeable mouth-filling richness, along with ripe peach and pear flavours. But if that sounds a bit heavy, fear not, this is a balanced glass of fizz, with the sweet fruit more than offset by a fresh lemon zest acidity. The subject of sweetness levels is important for Prosecco. That’s because some of the drink’s appeal lies in the fact that it’s not too dry, or firm, but soft and creamy-textured. And for that, a fairly high level of sugar is required, around 13g/l-15g/l being a level that provides richness without tasting saccharine. Read on for the list of all the medal-winning wines in this year’s Prosecco Masters, as well as further information about the competition.