Nearly noble grape varieties: Glera
If you love Prosecco, you are a fan of Glera. You probably just didn’t know it! Like Champagne, and indeed Cava, Prosecco is not a grape name, but the name of a style of wine. Well, actually that is almost not true. The grape was renamed Glera, having originally been named Prosecco. So I suppose we could technically say it is both! To most prosecco will need no introduction – this light, refreshing, sparkling wine has become ubiquitous.
About the grape
This is a thin skinned green grape that tends to be late ripening. Like Chardonnay it tends to be a fairly blank canvas, but retains good levels of acidity. As a result it is an ideal sparkling wine grape. The grape tends to thrive on well drained soils in mild climates. The variety is generally resistant to disease and ripens into golden-yellow grapes in large bunches.
Why it deserves it nearly noble status
The pure success of the grape – Ok to bear with me. The Glera grape may not be renowned for making high quality classic wines, but Prosecco has become one of the most successful wines of the first quarter of the 21st century. More Prosecco is sold than Champagne.
It can produce quality wines – Because most wines made with Glera become relatively inexpensive easy drinking light wines, there is an assumption it cannot make quality wines. This is not the case. When grown on south facing slopes on the rights soils, it can actually produce complex and interesting wines. There are wineries which are producing traditional method wines using the Glera grape.
The most expensive vineyard in the world – In 2019, Cartizze in Northern Italy was the most expensive vineyard in the world, priced at €2.5 million per hectare. And bizarrely, it is actually owned by 140 different families.
It may have been drunk in Ancient Rome – It is rumoured that Livia, the emperor Augustus’ wife, revealed it was the secret to her longevity. In any case it has certainly been around a significant period of time.
Profile
The sparkling wine we know it usually simple, light and refreshing and tends to have:
- Medium to high acidity
- Is dry to medium dry in style
- Tends to be low to medium in alcohol
- Tends to be light bodied
- Has no tannin
Prosecco tends to be a light wine, with green apple, peach, honeydew melon and pear notes. A touch of blossom is not unusual on the nose, neither is some honeyed aroma. Usually crisp, but not piercing acidity is present, and in tank method styles no secondary or tertiary flavours are usually prominent. This wine actually has a huge range of food pairings from fish and seafood dishes, spicy dishes, through to sweet fruity desserts.
Production
The vast majority of Glera is grown and produced in Italy. There are small plantings elsewhere, especially in the new world, but none of significant scale.
You’ll like Glera if you like…
Crémant, Sekt, other tank method sparkling wines from the new world.
I suspect I probably haven’t had to persuade you to try Prosecco, most people have already done that. But have you tried moving up a price bracket or two and experimenting with some of the better quality Proseccos? You may be surprised just how interesting and different these wines can be. As always, whether you are drinking Prosecco to celebrate, as a patio wine or just because you love drinking it, I’d love to hear what it is you are enjoying about the bottle you are currently consuming. Drop me a line! In the meantime, keep exploring this beautiful planet we live on, one glass at a time!