Champagne vs Prosecco

Side by side

Where the bubbles form

In Champagne the cuvée is bottled with liqueur de tirage, ferments a second time in that bottle, ages on its lees, and the deposit is removed by riddling and disgorgement.⁷ Champagne must be sold in the bottle in which the second fermentation took place, except for bottles under 75 cl or over 150 cl.¹¹ Prosecco spumante ferments a second time in an autoclave, the pressure tank of the Martinotti or Charmat process, and is then bottled.² The steps are on traditional method and tank method.

Grapes and place

Champagne blends are built mainly from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier; all other varieties together cover 0.3% of the vineyard.⁵ Prosecco DOC is built on Glera; the remaining 15% may include Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, Chardonnay and the Pinots.²

Time and scale

Champagne cannot be released before 15 months after tirage.¹ The Prosecco texts set a time only for the Rosé: at least 60 days of fermentation in autoclave.^2,12 By volume Prosecco DOC is the larger of the two: 667 million bottles against 266 million in 2025.^4,9

Questions and answers

Is Prosecco champagne?

No. Champagne is the French AOC for wine from the delimited Champagne area made sparkling in the bottle; Prosecco is a separate Italian PDO with its own rules.^1,13

Is any Prosecco fermented in the bottle?

Prosecco DOC frizzante may be refermented in the bottle or in an autoclave.² In the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG the "sui lieviti" wine is refermented in the bottle and sold without disgorgement.¹⁴

Which is sweeter, Champagne or Prosecco?

Neither by rule: both use the EU sugar terms, and the term on the label sets the range, for example under 12 g/L for Brut and 12-17 g/L for Extra dry.⁸

Is there rosé Prosecco?

Yes. Prosecco DOC Rosé is Glera 85-90% with 10-15% Pinot Noir vinified red, at least 60 days in autoclave, and must carry "Millesimato" and the vintage.^2,12