Glera

Glera's VIVC variety number is 9741, its prime name is Glera, and its berry skin is white (blanc). Its country or region of origin is Italy. Its pedigree, confirmed by markers, is 'VULPEA X ?': one parent of Glera is Vulpea and the second parent is unknown. Glera has offspring: Vitovska is a child of Glera, and Schioppettino is a half-sibling of Glera through their shared parent Vulpea.

• VIVC variety number 9741; prime name Glera; berry skin colour white (blanc); country or region of origin Italy
• Parentage: Vulpea x unknown second parent (pedigree confirmed by markers: 'VULPEA X ?')
• Offspring: child Vitovska; half-sibling Schioppettino (shared parent Vulpea)

The first documents citing a Prosecco wine date to the late 1600s and describe a delicate white wine originating on the Trieste karst, in particular in the territory of Prosecco. In the 1700s and 1800s production of this wine moved and developed mainly in the hill country of Veneto and Friuli. The first written mention of Prosecco cultivation in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills came from the Conegliano nobleman Francesco Maria Malvolti, in the Giornale d'Italia of 1772, and by around the middle of the 1800s Prosecco began to be grown as a single variety. Prosecco dei Colli di Conegliano Valdobbiadene received DOC recognition in 1969, and in 2009 the Conegliano Valdobbiadene denomination was recognised as a DOCG; the Prosecco DOC was also recognised in 2009. The grape itself used to be called Prosecco: its name was officially recognised as Glera in 2009, when the current Prosecco DOC and DOCG zones came into being, and the move caused a certain amount of controversy in other parts of the world.

• Late 1600s: first documents citing a Prosecco wine, describing a delicate white wine from the Trieste karst
• 1772: Francesco Maria Malvolti's first written mention of Prosecco cultivation in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills
• Count Balbi Valier selected the biotype called Prosecco Balbi, with round berries and a fine taste tending to the aromatic, still appreciated and widely grown in the area
• 1876: Italy's first School of Viticulture and Oenology founded in Conegliano
• 1969: DOC recognition for Prosecco dei Colli di Conegliano Valdobbiadene; 2009: Conegliano Valdobbiadene becomes a DOCG and the Prosecco DOC is recognised
• Prosecco Rosé was only approved in May 2020; the DOC rules require 85% to 90% Glera and 10% to 15% Pinot Nero vinified as a red wine, within the same holding (in ambito aziendale), for Prosecco spumante rosé

Glera is the grape variety used to produce the base wine for Prosecco DOC, a sparkling wine from north-east Italy. The Prosecco DOC production zone covers the provinces of Belluno, Gorizia, Padova, Pordenone, Treviso, Trieste, Udine, Venezia and Vicenza, in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, and its rules allow up to 18 tonnes of grapes per hectare for Prosecco. Above the DOC sit two DOCGs, Asolo and Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore, divided by the Piave river. Glera is a vigorous variety that over the centuries has found in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills the most suitable environmental conditions for good sugar accumulation while keeping malic acidity and aromatic substances. The Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG lies in the Treviso province between Conegliano to the east and Valdobbiadene to the west, on steep hillsides covered in 'ciglione', grass-covered terraces, and the hills have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.

• Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG: Glera with up to 15%, within the same holding (in ambito aziendale), of Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera and Glera Lunga; maximum 13.5 tonnes of grapes per hectare (13 for Rive, 12 for Superiore di Cartizze); 15 communes
• Rive: wines must come from any one of 43 designated communes or hamlets, be fully sparkling, hand-harvested and from a single vintage; the DOCG rules cap Rive yields at 13 tonnes per hectare
• Superiore di Cartizze: reserved for spumante from grapes harvested in the area called Cartizze in the frazione of San Pietro di Barbozza, Valdobbiadene, with yields capped at 12 tonnes per hectare under the DOCG rules; the wines produced here are traditionally Dry
• Asolo Prosecco DOCG: Glera with up to 15% within the same holding (in ambito aziendale) of Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera and Glera Lunga, under its production rules
• King Valley, Victoria, Australia: Prosecco is being developed as the region's new flagship sparkling wine, and Otto Dal Zotto was the first to source and plant Prosecco in the King Valley; in Australia Prosecco is recognised as a grape variety, although its use as a varietal name may be restricted in some markets because it is legally protected as a GI

Glera is semi-aromatic, and Glera grapes in particular are characterised by moderate sugar accumulation and a good presence of acidity and aromatic substances, giving a base wine for Prosecco that is low in alcohol and pleasantly aromatic. On the nose, Prosecco in its spumante and frizzante versions is marked by pronounced floral notes (white flowers) and fruity notes (apple, pear, exotic fruit and citrus). Most Prosecco is more about the fruit flavour profile of the Glera grape, which is associated with pear, apple, honeysuckle and floral notes. Prosecco DOC is typically dry or off-dry with pear, melon and floral (blossom) aromas. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco has a slightly aromatic scent with fruity and floral hints of white fruit, wildflowers and acacia, and a balanced, mineral taste with lively acidity.

• Semi-aromatic variety: moderate sugar accumulation with a good presence of acidity and aromatic substances
• Prosecco DOC nose in the spumante and frizzante versions: pronounced floral notes (white flowers) and fruity notes (apple, pear, exotic fruit, citrus)
• Conegliano Valdobbiadene: slightly aromatic, with white fruit, wildflowers and acacia; soft on the palate, with greater fullness in versions with higher sugar
• Cartizze: the wines tend to have peachy, floral notes, occasionally tropical fruits

Glera is among the common grape varieties used for tank method sparkling wine, and Prosecco is the most widely recognised tank method sparkling wine. In the tank method, also known as the Charmat method, the second fermentation takes place in a sealed stainless-steel tank rather than in bottle, and the focus is on preserving primary fruit and aromatic freshness. To bring out the character of this particular wine in its spumante version, Prosecco DOC adopts the Martinotti method, in which the base wine undergoes natural refermentation in large vessels or autoclaves. Federico Martinotti, from the province of Asti, invented the tank method in 1895, and Eugène Charmat developed the autoclave design fifteen years later. Sparkling production in autoclave by the Martinotti method was perfected and codified in Conegliano in the second half of the 1900s by Prof. De Rosa, and more than 90% of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco is made as spumante. Refermentation can also happen in bottle: such wines are often a bit cloudy because the remaining dead yeasts are still in suspension, and the increasingly popular Prosecco Col Fondo is produced this way.

• Tank method: second fermentation in a sealed stainless-steel tank; tank method wines spend little or no time ageing on lees
• Martinotti invented the tank method in 1895, and Charmat developed the autoclave design fifteen years later
• Under the DOC rules, Prosecco DOC spumante must be sold as brut nature, extra brut, brut, extra dry, dry or demi-sec, and Prosecco DOC spumante rosé only as brut nature, extra brut, brut or extra dry
• Under the DOCG rules, hand harvesting is compulsory for Conegliano Valdobbiadene spumante labelled Superiore di Cartizze, Rive or sui lieviti
• Col Fondo: Prosecco refermented in bottle, often a bit cloudy because the remaining dead yeasts stay in suspension

The Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills are home to Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Villa Sandi is one of the first producers of Cartizze Brut, a drier style of Cartizze; at Bisol visitors can appreciate what one guide calls the 'grand crus' of Prosecco, and its Bisol1542 Edizione I Gondolieri bottling is the official Prosecco of the Venice Gondolier Association; and Bortolomiol's Grande Cuvée del Fondatore Motus Vitae is dedicated to Giulio Bortolomiol, the creator of the first Prosecco Brut in 1960. Nino Franco counts its Rustico, a Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG made from Glera grown on middle-elevation hills, among its historic wines, produced since the 1970s and first made as a Prosecco aged on its lees before becoming a Charmat method sparkling wine in 1979.

• Villa Sandi: one of the first producers of Cartizze Brut, the drier style of Cartizze
• Bisol: Bisol1542 Edizione I Gondolieri is the official Prosecco of the Venice Gondolier Association
• Bortolomiol: Grande Cuvée del Fondatore Motus Vitae, dedicated to Giulio Bortolomiol, creator of the first Prosecco Brut in 1960
• Nino Franco: Rustico, from Glera on middle-elevation hills, became a Charmat method sparkling wine in 1979

Primary sources: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=9741 ; https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252F1%252F2%252FD.e6818b2795e7a32f7456/P/BLOB%3AID%3D23481/E/pdf?mode=download ; https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/5%252F1%252F5%252FD.5dd710bff9aac98b5833/P/BLOB%3AID%3D14207/E/pdf?mode=download ; https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252F4%252Fa%252FD.3d141a071e8f57601dc9/P/BLOB%3AID%3D14600/E/pdf?mode=download ; https://www.oiv.int/public/medias/5888/en-distribution-of-the-worlds-grapevine-varieties.pdf ; https://www.wsetglobal.com/media/13022/wset_l2wines_sessionplans_en_may2023_issue2.pdf ; https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2026/a-guide-to-sparkling-wine-production-methods-and-regional-styles ; https://www.wineaustralia.com/labelling/additional-labelling-terms ; https://www.wineaustralia.com/market-insights/regions-and-varieties/victoria-wines/king-valley ; https://www.ninofranco.it/en/wines/rustico Reference sources: https://www.decanter.com/learn/advice/whats-difference-between-champagne-and-prosecco-372451/ ; https://www.decanter.com/premium/understanding-prosecco-conegliano-valdobbiadene-superiore-445550/ ; https://www.decanter.com/wine-travel/italy/decanter-travel-guide-conegliano-valdobbiadene-prosecco-venice-italy-269468/ ; https://www.decanter.com/learn/frizzante-it-44392/ ; https://www.decanter.com/premium/asti-and-moscato-dasti-experts-choice-462890/ Last verified 2026-10-04