Wine
The Best In Australian Prosecco 2024 - State Of Play
Shining ever brighter on the Australian wine stage, Prosecco's booming popularity is a by-product of its easy-going nature and value for money.
While traditional Australian sparkling - notably Tasmanian sparkling - continues to wow wine lovers the world over for its quality and purity, Prosecco has not-so-quietly asserted itself as the bubbly of choice for many after something simple and satisfying that won't break the bank.
The numbers say it all: Australian Grape and Wine puts the total sale value of Prosecco in Australia at well over $200M in 2023, with the annual crush across its 20 locally producing regions increasing by over 600 per cent since 2015. Indeed, such is the rise of this sparkling style that Italy has appealed to the EU for the Prosecco designator be granted protected status as a Geographical Indicator (GI), rather than the accepted name of the grape variety.
It's a potential outcome that Otto Dal Zotto - one of the pioneers of the style here in Australia, first planting Prosecco in his adopted King Valley home in order to have something that reminded him Italy - rails against. "My stomach rebels at the thought," he told SBS Italian. "Prosecco is a migrant product, like me."
These "Prosecco Wars" might seem like inside baseball between wine nations trading shots at one another, but the stakes are very real. Should Italy's motion carry the day, we may all soon be popping open the "Glera", which, most would agree, doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Whatever the outcome, Prosecco by any name is here to stay, and for good reason: it is extraordinarily food-friendly thanks to its typically refreshing, dry acidity and subtle peach, pear and citrus flavours, is perfectly suited to Australia's love of outdoor entertaining, and represents fantastic value for money.
WHAT DEFINES A GOOD PROSECCO?
Dal Zotto's inspiration paid off handsomely - his first Prosecco proved extremely popular, setting in motion a movement among his neighbouring winemakers. Brown Brothers and Pizzini, Chrismont and the Miranda family soon followed suit, in large part due to just how amenable King Valley's soils and climate proved for the Prosecco grape. "It's a wine that appeals to a broad audience," says his son Michael Dal Zotto. "It's approachable, delicate, and can be enjoyed anytime."
While other, warmer regions like the Murray Darling-Swan Hill have emerged, the lion's share of the best Prosecco fruit in Australia is grown in and sourced from King Valley along the famed "Prosecco Road". "It loves being grown in the high altitude, alpine climate of the King Valley," says winemaker Jen Pfeiffer. "The cooler growing conditions help retain the delicacy of the fruit and preserve the natural acidity which is so important to the style."
For Nat Pizzini of Pizzini King Valley Winemakers, the afternoon and evening breezes of the valley, which sweep down from its upper reaches, are everything. "One of our Proseccos is named Il Soffio, which loosely translates to 'The Breath'," says Pizzini. "The breeze is instrumental. During ripening season, it helps push all the hot air sitting on the valley floor up to the hill slopes, slowing the pace of fruit maturation so the sugars and acid can develop at the same time." To assess the present state of Australian Prosecco, members of the Wine Selectors Tasting Panel undertook a comprehensive breakdown of some 60 representative samples. Present were Senior Buyer, winemaker and international Wine Show Judge Dave Mavor, Wine Selectors Head of Wine Matt White, and Buyer and Wine Show Judge Will Figueira.
Figueira describes the platonic ideal of Prosecco as requiring "freshness, vibrancy, cleanliness and energy - it's really got to be a lively sparkling, well-fruited but not overly rich." White concurs. "It's got to appeal to the audience. They want freshness, brightness." Much of that emerges from the grape itself. "It's a clean, crisp, high-acid style of variety that works well as a sparkling," says Figueira. The result, especially in the right hands, is a visceral, rather than cerebral wine. Of the wines tasted, the majority reflected the classic Prosecco style and appeal. Its almost populist nature, in many ways, can make it difficult for any one entrant to stand out, though there were clear points of agreement among the Panel as to what captured their interest.
Read the full list of Prosecco tasted in the November/December 2024 edition of Selector, available via Subscription, or digitally at PressReader and Magzter.
SELECTOR PROSECCO STATE OF PLAY 2024 - TOP 5 PROSECCO TASTED
DAL ZOTTO PUCINO PROSECCO NV
RRP $22
A pure wine at the top of the pile with fresh and energetic apple, pear and lemon aromas seasoned with almond meal and candied peel. The palate is very approachable with soft bubbles and fruit lines combining nicely with a dry and clean, slate-licked finish.
PFEIFFER PROSECCO 2024
RRP $30
A top wine of the tasting. Energetic and vibrant, with a soft and creamy mouthfeel with layers of limes, lemon sherbet and Granny Smith. Aromas are fresh, positive and enticing with Granny Smith apples, juicy pears and fine cooking spice.
TULLOCH CELLAR DOOR RELEASE PROSECCO
2024 RRP $28
Vibrant and refreshing, the Panel enjoyed the complex aromas of spiced lemons, stonefruits and almonds flowing to a fresh, dry and clean palate of Granny Smith, tinned pears and juicy white peaches. A Top 5 Prosecco.
LA PROVA PROSECCO 2024
RRP $28
Another Panel favourite showing a lovely balance of fine yet juicy fruit lines of lemon, limes and peach, with a slatey, minerally finish. The aromas are creamy and fresh with lemon blossom, limes and apples.
PIZZINI PROSECCO NV
RRP $23
Another King Valley standout. Impressively long with nicely balanced lemon, lemon sorbet, white flowers and biscuit aromatics leaping out of the glass. Across the palate creamy, pink-lady apples flow through to pears, lemons and nectarines finishing dry and clean.