We’re calling it now: The official drink of brunches and bridal showers in 2021 won’t be rosé or prosecco. It’ll be both! For the first time ever, the Italian government has approved the production of rosé prosecco.
The new wine will feature the pretty blush color of rosé wine and the light bubbly fizz of prosecco, making it ideal for popping open on days of celebration or tucking into a picnic basket.
Prosecco production is subject to rather strict regulation, and historically, one of the basic rules has been that the sparkling wine must be white. In May 2019, however, a vast majority of the members of the Consorzio Prosecco DOC (Prosecco Denominazione di Origine Controllata Consortium) voted in favor of a proposal to officially allow a pink expression of Italy’s mega-popular sparkling wine.
Recently, this decision was approved by the Italian government, so all systems are go on rosé prosecco production. According to The Drinks Business, the new regulations will be made law in both Italy and Europe on the Italian government’s Official Gazette and the EU’s Official Gazette.
Now, of course, there are new regulations for the blush-hued prosecco: It must be made with a Glera base and blended with 10% to 15% Pinot Nero. There are also limitations on how much of the pink fizz can be produced, and styles of the prosecco can range from Brut Nature to Extra Dry. Finally, the wine also must spend at least 60 days in a pressurized tank during the second fermentation to stabilize the color.
Because of the care involved in making pink prosecco following the fall 2020 harvest, we likely won’t see bottles on wine shop shelves until January 2021. One of the first producers of pink prosecco will be Bosco Viticultori, and the company aims to create a rosé prosecco that is pale pink in color — and not too fruity.
“We have to do what the market is expecting and everyone loves pale rosés at the moment,” Bosco’s managing director, Paolo Lasagni, told The Drinks Business in 2019. “Sparkling rosé can often be really heavy and jammy, and something you’re tired of after a few glasses. We want to move away from that and make something super fresh, which has been the secret to the success of white prosecco.”
Production of the pink bubbly could mean big business for Italy, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. So, many members of the winemaking community were grateful to everyone involved in giving pink prosecco the green light. Some winemakers believe this could add $15 million in prosecco sales, or 75 million bottles.
“We’re thankful to all those who’ve contributed to gaining such a key result,” Stefano Zanette, president of the Consorzio told Imbibe recently. “Considering the current circumstances, this is particularly important.”
Now the hard part begins: waiting for 2021. In the meantime, we’ll just dedicate ourselves to finding the prettiest flutes for showcasing our new favorite pink bubbly.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
