What is pink prosecco? Find out more about Prosecco DOC Rosé as National Prosecco Day takes place on August 13

The first vintage of the new pink prosecco style was released towards the end of 2020.

When the world had kind of stopped.

Prosecco DOC Rosé has been available in retailers as we hit lockdown after lockdown.

But we weren’t exactly getting out and mixing much were we?

This style of sparkling wine, several years in the planning, is absolutely ready to get set and go.

I’m sure that this month, Friday the 13th won’t bring any bad luck. As August 13 is National Prosecco Day.

The last time I looked I didn’t need an excuse to have a sip of pink fizz, and it would be rude not to do so on National Prosecco Day.

I bet many of you are thinking... “ but I’ve been sipping pink prosecco for years”.

Well you may have had pink Italian sparkling wine.

Every bottle of prosecco must have a government label. If it doesn’t, it’s not prosecco.

It’s only in recent months that prosecco wine producers have been allowed to create a rosé version of the wine style which is a winner on these shores.

Producers have developed a style which will have a point of difference, which will carry the much-loved and crafted flag of prosecco wines.

In 2017, producers explored the combination of the grapes (glera and pinot nero) and the following year, 2018, they experimented with the second fermentation.

This is the part of the production which creates the all-important bubbles.

In May 2019 the legal definition of Prosecco DOC Rosé quality was agreed and in 2020 the “powers that be” gave the formal go-ahead.

In October last year, sales of Prosecco DOC Rosé launched in Italy. Then it arrived with us.

And so if you thought you’d sipped pink prosecco two or three years ago, then nope, it wasn’t the case.

Prosecco DOC Rosé wines must carry the name “Millesimato” on the label and the year the grapes were grown; 85 per cent of the grapes must be from the stated year.

Glera – the key white grape of Prosecco DOC – must be a minumum of 85 per cent, with pinot nero between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of the blend.

I hope you can see where I’m going on this.

Much thought and care has created this wine style.

I spoke to Prosecco DOC’s UK ambassador, Neil Phillips (aka online as The Wine Tipster).

He told me: “If you love the softness of the easy drinking style of white Prosecco, you get that with the rosé.

“There’s a difference of rosé styles depending on the producers and the dryness of the style.

"But there’s ones to drink at home; others with cocktails; and most styles are great with food too.

“We’ve really come up trumps with this new style.

"The wines have a soft red fruit character and great balance.

"The quality is great and the flavours linger.”

Alas and alack, space is short for some recommendations, but know this. Seek and you will find. Here’s some thoughts.

Valdo Marca Ora Brut Millesimato 2019 (£9.50, Sainsbury) A delicious red-fruited joy; La Gioiosa Rosé Millesimato Prosecco (£11.99, Waitrose) Lovely raspberry notes; Cielo Extra Dry Prosecco DOC Millesimato 2020 (£12.99, online via Hayward Brothers) Vegan, gentle bubbles, red cherries; Perlage Afra Extra Dry Prosecco DOC Rose Millesimato 2020 (£12.49, www.vinceremos.co.uk) A hush of flowers and red fruits.

For an e-book on cocktails and pairing ideas, email [email protected]

To find out more on National Prosecco Day, follow these hashtags or go online to Prosecco.DOC

#ItalianGenio

#NationalProseccoDay

#NationalProseccoDay2021

Make this Margarita

Well, this isn’t a normal Margarita, but a Prosecco DOC Rosé Margarita (created by Agostino Schiavo & Danilo Cortellini ).

What to do:

Cut a lime wedge and use it to moisten the rim of a large prosecco glass.

Evenly dip the rim into a bowl containing salt flakes and lemon zest.

Add 15ml lime juice to the glass and dissolve 1tsp brown sugar.

Add 25ml tequila and 20ml of orange juice and fill the glass with ice cubes.

Now add 30ml of Prosecco DOC Rosé and stir.

Top up with about 35ml of Prosecco DOC Rosé and garnish with lime wedges and orange zest.

If you’d like a less alcoholic drink, then reduce the tequila and increase the orange juice.

Jane Clare, via One Foot in the Grapes, is a programme provider for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and can help you learn about wine from the basics up.

Go to www.onefootinthegrapes.co.uk for details.