Italy's sparkling star

Sparkling wine isn't just about Champagne. Prosecco's also perfect for popping on New Year's Eve. And, unlike other bubblies, it's difficult to find in supermarkets, so has some exclusivity as well as offering good margins, says Rosie Davenport

A New Year's Eve party without bubbly is like a tree without baubles, especially now that a glut of cheap own-label brands means pubgoers can often afford to indulge in Champagne year-round. Punch Taverns' sales figures for the night of 31 December back this up when it reports selling 12 times the amount of sparkling wines they would on a normal day.

Gary Keller, senior category manager for wine, spirits and minerals at Punch Taverns, says New Year's Eve is the biggest day for sparkling wine in the on-trade, so having the right fizz in the fridge is vital.

France might have had the market cornered in the past, but thanks to the arrival of Cava from Spain and reports of award-winning bubbly being produced on our own shores, consumers are just as willing to look beyond the usual when toasting a special occasion.

As drinkers become more accustomed to buying a bottle of Champagne for about £12 in the supermarket, when they come to pubs they expect to find something of similar quality for not much more money.

Cava certainly ticks the boxes when it comes to the pocket, but, like so many drinks, has lost some of its sparkle due to the bargain-basement £2.99 supermarket price tags that have made it cheap enough to consume all year round.

But Bibendum, one of the largest wine suppliers to the on-trade, has found a solution, "a shining beacon" that gives customers a sense of drinking something special as well as value for money, while at the same time rewarding licensees with decent margins.

The star of its list this year was a fruity sparkling wine made in Italy from the Prosecco grape, called Bisol. The brand achieved the highest growth of any sparkling wine, suggesting that it could be the future of fizz as we know it.

The capital is catching on

It's already taken the US by storm along with bars in Brazil and Switzerland, and, accord-ing to Bibendum director for sales in London, Diarmid O'Hara, the capital is already catching on.

"Of all the sparkling wine categories, Prosecco is the one just below Champagne. We represent Cava and Cremants, (sparkling wines made in France outside the Champagne region) which are OK, but not as premium in quality.

"People embrace Prosecco in London. Cava has been tarnished since it went into supermarkets five years ago but Prosecco brands have not. Cava is not accepted in the same way by brand-savvy, trendsetting consumers. While people don't really understand cheap French fizz, everything Italian is seen as stylish. Prosecco has the added advantage that it is easy to pronounce, and has an air of sophistication."

He adds that it has its own distinct style - light, fruity and easy-drinking which again makes it more appealing than other sparkling wines. "People will pay £20 for a good quality sparkling wine, especially when it is more elegant than a New World wine. Very few people dislike it.

"Some outlets still prefer Cava, but if the consumers are more savvy, they go for Prosecco because it is seen as a more stylish, softer wine. Cava can be too acidic, just too much."

As well as being a good party wine, O'Hara says Prosecco could be a perennial success, especially in pubs, because it is less acidic than some sparkling wines, easier to drink on an empty stomach and lower in alcohol.

He recommends putting it on a list in addition to Champagne, in the same way you would have a Sauvignon and a Chardonnay.

"It is already big in hotels, and there would be a place in pub groups, especially gastropubs. But it also works well in the free trade because it gives a point of difference and the story behind it is great."

While Prosecco producers want their wines to be seen as fun, without the stuffiness of Champagne, there is a long history of tradition behind the way they are made.

Rich in tradition

High up in the hills of Veneto in northeast Italy, Giovanni Oliva, export manager of Bisol, the area's oldest winery dating back to 1875, already has an international success story on his hands.

As exports of Prosecco to the US surged by over 40% this year and wine critics around the world continue to sing its praises, Oliva knows it is only a matter of time before the UK catches onto the trend in a big way.

"The market for Prosecco started about 10 years ago, so it's quite mature in some cities. Now consumers are seeking out more unusual Proseccos and experimenting with it."

While Bisol is one of 151 producers, the family-run business is one of the largest land owners in the area that has been awarded the special DOC status to grow Prosecco. This gives producers there the right to call their wines Prosecco DOC as a mark of quality. It also has an enviable slice of the Cartizze region, where production is limited and some of the oldest and best vineyards are located. The land is valued at a staggering $1m a hectare, if anyone was willing to sell it.

Bisol has become synonymous with top-quality Prosecco and has an impressive portfolio to reward drinkers who choose to explore it. But, in the UK, it's early days and Bisol's focus is on two products. Bisol Jeio Prosecco delivers far more than its entry-level positioning suggests. Produced from a blend of grapes sourced from across Bisol's vineyards, it accounts for 40% to 45% of Bisol's production.

In the UK, a bottle would cost about £10 and retail for nearly double that. By the glass, a suitable price-point would be £4.25.

Bisol Crede Prosecco is the next step up, and costs a few pounds more, but for that you get a wine with slightly more finesse, which is just as classy as many Champagnes at a similar price.

Murray Harris is one of the co-owners of the Bridge in Barnes, which has become one of Bisol's key accounts in London. "Even before they have tried it, customers are drawn to the shape and the bottle," he says. "When they are used to buying a sparkling wine for less than £20, they don't expect it to look so good.

"With a look like that, Bisol exceeds their expectation of quality. The price is also good. Everything is priced to a margin and I don't need to rip people off. I don't have to sell Jeio at £25 a bottle because if I sell it at £19, I'm making enough of a margin."

Food is a big draw at the The Bridge and Harris says Prosecco has become part of customers' nights out.

"We have lots of people coming in for a meal and saying they would like six bottles to share between their party because it's what they want to celebrate with."

As the new year approaches, and hedonists head out for one final party looking for a little indulgence, point them in the direction of Bisol's Prosecco, by no means a poor man's Champagne, and, quite possibly, the next big thing.

What makes Prosecco different?

Most Prosecco is made using the same

process as non-vintage Champagne, where a selections of wines made from grapes picked in the same year are blended together to give a complex wine made to "house style".

Bisol says it is the only producer in the DOC region that combines four different wines to produce the finished product.

The secondary fermentation of Champagne takes place in the bottle, known as the

"classic" method, which is also used for Cava and New World fizz, while for Prosecco it

happens in stainless steel tanks - the

"charmat" method.

Although this process takes less time than the classic method, it makes a wine that has complexity, body and an aroma, as fresh and fruity as the delicate grape that produced it.

Giovanni Oliva, export manager at Bisol, says: "The main thing in the production is that we don't lose the natural fruitiness of the grape and that it keeps its aromatics."

The quality of grapes will differ

depending on whether they were grown in the area marked out as