Glera

VIVC records Glera as variety number 9741 under the prime name Glera, with a white (blanc) berry skin. According to VIVC, Glera's country or region of origin is Italy. VIVC's passport field 'Pedigree confirmed by markers' reads 'VULPEA X ?': according to VIVC, one parent of Glera is Vulpea and the second parent is unknown. VIVC also records that Glera has offspring. In the VIVC-derived lineage data used by WineWiki, Vitovska is recorded as a child of Glera, and Schioppettino as 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 according to VIVC: Vulpea x unknown second parent (pedigree confirmed by markers: 'VULPEA X ?')
• In VIVC-derived lineage data: child Vitovska; half-sibling Schioppettino (shared parent Vulpea)

The Prosecco DOC production rules (disciplinare) date the first documents citing a Prosecco wine to the late 1600s, and say they describe a delicate white wine originating on the Trieste karst, in particular in the territory of Prosecco. The same rules say that in the 1700s and 1800s production of this wine moved and developed mainly in the hill country of Veneto and Friuli. The Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG rules credit the Conegliano nobleman Francesco Maria Malvolti with the first written mention of Prosecco cultivation in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills, in the Giornale d'Italia of 1772, and say that 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: Decanter reports that its name was officially recognised as Glera in 2009, when the current Prosecco DOC and DOCG zones came into being, and that 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 (Prosecco DOC rules)
• 1772: Francesco Maria Malvolti's first written mention of Prosecco cultivation in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills (Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG rules)
• The DOCG rules name Count Balbi Valier as the selector of 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 (DOCG rules)
• 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, according to Decanter; 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

According to WSET, 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 in Decanter's account sit two DOCGs, Asolo and Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore, divided by the Piave river. The Conegliano Valdobbiadene rules describe Glera as a vigorous variety that over the centuries has found in the denomination's hills the most suitable environmental conditions for good sugar accumulation while keeping malic acidity and aromatic substances. Decanter places the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG in the Treviso province between Conegliano to the east and Valdobbiadene to the west, describes its steep hillsides covered in 'ciglione', grass-covered terraces, and reports that 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, according to Decanter
• Rive: Decanter reports that 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 (DOCG rules); Decanter notes that 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, per its production rules
• King Valley, Victoria, Australia: Wine Australia says Prosecco is being developed as the region's new flagship sparkling wine and that Otto Dal Zotto was the first to source and plant Prosecco in the King Valley; Wine Australia also notes that 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

The Prosecco DOC rules describe Glera as semi-aromatic, and say that 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, the same rules describe Prosecco in its spumante and frizzante versions as marked by pronounced floral notes (white flowers) and fruity notes (apple, pear, exotic fruit and citrus). According to Decanter, most Prosecco is more about the fruit flavour profile of the Glera grape, which is associated with pear, apple, honeysuckle and floral notes. WSET describes Prosecco DOC as typically dry or off-dry with pear, melon and floral (blossom) aromas. For Conegliano Valdobbiadene, the DOCG rules describe 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, per the Prosecco DOC rules: moderate sugar accumulation with a good presence of acidity and aromatic substances
• Prosecco DOC nose in the spumante and frizzante versions, per its rules: pronounced floral notes (white flowers) and fruity notes (apple, pear, exotic fruit, citrus)
• Conegliano Valdobbiadene, per the DOCG rules: slightly aromatic, with white fruit, wildflowers and acacia; soft on the palate, with greater fullness in versions with higher sugar
• Cartizze: Decanter says the wines tend to have peachy, floral notes, occasionally tropical fruits

WSET lists Glera among the common grape varieties used for tank method sparkling wine and calls Prosecco 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 WSET notes that the focus is on preserving primary fruit and aromatic freshness. The Prosecco DOC rules say that, to bring out the character of this particular wine in its spumante version, the Martinotti method is adopted, in which the base wine undergoes natural refermentation in large vessels or autoclaves. Decanter credits Federico Martinotti, from the province of Asti, with inventing the tank method in 1895, and says Eugène Charmat developed the autoclave design fifteen years later. The Conegliano Valdobbiadene rules add that 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 that more than 90% of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco is made as spumante. Refermentation can also happen in bottle: Decanter notes that such wines are often a bit cloudy because the remaining dead yeasts are still in suspension, and that the increasingly popular Prosecco Col Fondo is produced this way.

• Tank method: second fermentation in a sealed stainless-steel tank; WSET says 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, according to Decanter
• 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, per the DOC rules
• Hand harvesting is compulsory for Conegliano Valdobbiadene spumante labelled Superiore di Cartizze, Rive or sui lieviti (DOCG rules)
• Col Fondo: Prosecco refermented in bottle, often a bit cloudy because the remaining dead yeasts stay in suspension (Decanter)

Decanter's travel guide to Conegliano Valdobbiadene points visitors to several houses. It says Villa Sandi is one of the first producers of Cartizze Brut, a drier style of Cartizze; that at Bisol visitors can appreciate the 'grand crus' of Prosecco, and that its Bisol1542 Edizione I Gondolieri bottling is the official Prosecco of the Venice Gondolier Association; and that Bortolomiol's Grande Cuvée del Fondatore Motus Vitae is dedicated to Giulio Bortolomiol, the creator of the first Prosecco Brut in 1960. Nino Franco's own site describes its Rustico, a Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG made from Glera grown on middle-elevation hills, as one of 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 (Decanter)
• Bisol: Bisol1542 Edizione I Gondolieri is the official Prosecco of the Venice Gondolier Association (Decanter)
• Bortolomiol: Grande Cuvée del Fondatore Motus Vitae, dedicated to Giulio Bortolomiol, creator of the first Prosecco Brut in 1960 (Decanter)
• Nino Franco: Rustico, from Glera on middle-elevation hills, became a Charmat method sparkling wine in 1979 (producer's own site)

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 2026-09-29