Last Updated on August 4, 2024 by Jo
Italy’s sparkling wine production region is concentrated in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia Regions in the Northwest of Italy. In this guide, I’ll share everything you need to know to understand the region and how to visit.
Prosecco D.O.C
It’s helpful to understand that different qualities of wine are made in different parts of the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia Regions. Prosecco D.O.C is the most abundant type of Prosecco and covers most of the region. It’s a good quality sparkling wine that complies with high production standards. D.O.C. is also the type of wine most commonly found in supermarkets at home.
Want to know the quality difference between DOC and DOCG Prosecco? Check out our guide to What is Prosecco? Everything You Ever Wanted To Know
Prosecco D.O.C.G from Conegliano and Valdbiadenne
Within the Veneto region of Italy, there is a small geographic area located between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobiadenne. Best identified for its steep, rolling hills, which is almost wall-like in parts, this is where you will find the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superior D.O.C.G. It’s such a beautiful and unique area, it’s been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco D.O.C.Ghas a smaller production area and higher production standards. Officially, D.O.C.G. has a long name: Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G.
What is Italy’s Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG region? Italy’s sparkling wine is classified based on its production area and method. The Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG region is a small part of the wider wine growing area and is famous for its premium or ‘superiore‘ quality wine.
Cartizze – A rare type of Prosecco
Narrow your search even further and within the Veneto region, located between Conegliano and Valdobiadenne, you will find Cartizze. Around 1,000 feet above sea level, located across only 107 hectares of land, the sparkling wine produced in Cartizze is considered the best Prosecco D.O.C.G you can find. This Rolls Royce or Grand Cru of Italian sparkling wine is so exquisite, just one hectare of vineyards within Cartizze has been estimated to be worth up to 2 million euros, making it the highest values wine land in Italy.
The town of Prosecco near Trieste
To add to the confusion about the region, type Prosecco into Google maps and you’ll find there is a town called Prosecco. It’s located in the northeast of Italy, near the city of Trieste, close to the border of Slovenia. This former town, now suburb of Trieste, is what you might call the birthplace of Prosecco because this is where the Glera grape and Prosecco wine is originally from.
However, the town of Prosecco is no longer where most Prosecco is produced and is not the best place for tasting Italy’s Sparkling wine. To taste Prosecco in the main production region of Italy, you have to turn west and head to the two regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Planning A Trip To The Region
The simplest way to visit the region is to book a tour. Although we focus on the smaller Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco D.O.C.G. region, we can take you tasting throughout the whole Prosecco production area. Our tours start at €250 for your group. If you’d like to do more research or want to plan your own trip, these resources will help:
- Map of Hotels, Vineyards and Restaurants in the Region
- The Best Vineyards to Visit
- How to Get to the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Region of Italy
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I read that the Veneto region has lately been destroying long established forests in order to plant more vines for Prosecco production. I can’t support this and would not want to buy Prosecco from this region. What are my choices?
Hi Christine, look for smaller producers and family-run vineyards. Many of the wineries we work with do not engage in this practice. If you’re not sure, email the wineries before you buy. I hope that helps.
Hiya Indiana Jo, I love this introduction to the Prosecco Region. My husband and I driving through here in June and we will definitely pop in and sample some Prosecco. We are from Australia and Prosecco is certainly on rise here and a number of my friends enjoy it compared to Sparkling. I have loved your funny and informative post. I am going to go deeper now and check out your blog. Of course now I realise we don’t have enough time set aside for our visit. We are actually coming to the region to eat at Osteria Dai Mazzeri in Follina. This has been recommended to us from an Italian/Australian chef. Grazie Mille.
I’m glad you like the site. Enjoy your trip – you can always come back if you don’t have enough time during this visit!