Prosecco sparkles by the Martinotti method, patented in 1895: the second fermentation happens not in each bottle but in a sealed steel tank, quickly and cheaply, keeping glera's pear and white-flower fruit front and centre rather than trading it for years on the lees.
The heartland is the steep hill country between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, inscribed by UNESCO in 2019, with its named rive and the small hill of Cartizze at the summit of the hierarchy. Around 2013 prosecco overtook champagne in bottles sold, and the spritz carried it into every café in Europe: the world's aperitif, gentle of mousse and easy of price.