Hailing from a UNESCO World Heritage site and named after its two key towns, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG is - both literally and metaphorically - an elevated form of Prosecco, an historic, terroir-focused wine from the foothills of the Dolomites, produced from lower yields than its DOC cousin, the grapes hand-harvested from vertiginous slopes too steep for tractors.
There’s a certain irony that the region which gave birth to Prosecco several hundred years ago has sometimes struggled to amplify the virtues of its seminal, more nuanced wines, versus those of its newer, noisier neighbour on the plains, but there are also clear signs of a shift in its direction, with an 8% rise in shipments of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG last year, defying the global decline in wine sales, outpacing DOC Prosecco's growth at around 1%.
The dramatic hills that dominate the area for Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG
Also showing growth, the UK is the second biggest export market for Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, narrowly following Germany, but, despite this success, it can still feel like a stranger to this country’s wine lists and retail shelves, which frequently skip straight from DOC Prosecco to Crémant, Champagne, or English sparkling, missing the opportunity to sell a well-priced, crowd-pleasing bubbly melding breezy sophistication with a story of provenance.
Judging wines - busting prejudice
First invited by the Consorzio di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG to bring a team of international judges to the region in 2022, the IWSC has now conducted three such trips, as part of its ‘Global Judging’ programme. So what’s changed in that time?
I was a judge for that first in situ assessment, which opened my mind to the elegance, subtle complexity and ethereal mountain charm of the best wines, and also the market potential that arguably remains untapped in the UK.
A fellow judge on that trip, Matteo Montone MS, group wine director at Maison Estelle and Gleneagles Hotel, outlines what he considers to be the USP of the wines:
“Conegliano Valdobbiadene is a very interesting option sitting between Prosecco DOC and traditional method sparkling wine for price point, complexity and depth of flavour. It works extremely well as an aperitif, but is also very versatile with food, especially dishes from the area it calls home. What’s more you can also play with the styles, with different levels of dosage and different vineyards to add versatility.”
Turning to his favourite pairing, the Master Sommelier adds: “I love to order an extra dry style with Prosciutto Di San Daniele and Parmigiano Reggiano, the acidity cuts through the richness, while sweetness counterbalances the salty character."
Having led all three judging sessions, head judge Sarah Abbott MW, believes the programme has been instrumental in giving the region momentum in the UK trade: “I think the perception of the category has really expanded and we have busted a lot of prejudice. The majority of Prosecco that we see in the UK is a product developed for export from very new vineyards and a young denomination created in 2009, while we’re judging wines from heritage vineyards established hundred of years ago.”
She adds: “I would also say that our judges understand that there’s complexity and delicacy to be found in sparkling wine that isn't purely predicated on autolytic character (from traditional method).”
Distinctiveness from diversity
The sheer diversity and quality of wines from Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG makes it one of the most important areas for premium sparkling wine production in the world
Abbott says the sheer scale of each assessment, the most recent featuring around 140 wines, has highlighted the diversity of styles to be found in the region: “The wines that impressed most tended to be on the dry side, the brut category in particular, but the historic single vineyard ‘Rive’ wines showed extremely well, exhibiting beautiful racy, yet expressive flavours, while ‘Sui Lieviti’ (also known as ‘Col Fondo’), a heritage style harking back to how Prosecco began, really impressed the judges, combining tradition with innovation to offer a lovely counterpoint to the more familiar charmat-method wines.”
The wines of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG are categorised by their sweetness, ranging from ‘dry’ (which, somewhat confusingly, has up to 32 grammes of residual sugar) at one end of the spectrum, down to ‘brut nature’ (nervily free of dosage) at the other end, with brut-and-below gaining traction in recent times, as global tastes have turned drier.
Judging for the second edition of the programme last year, Megan Clarke, head wine buyer at Ellis Wines, was a fan of such styles: “Brut nature and extra brut impressed the most, with a precision and elegance which gave a real sense of place and a level of quality head and shoulders above DOC Prosecco. Some of the styles would lend themselves better to a sommelier-led restaurant as that is a key way to explain the differences in quality, style and price point to the end consumer.”
Clarke believes there’s plenty of scope for further growth, if supported by education: “I still think there isn’t enough awareness and understanding of the quality levels and differences between DOC and DOCG. This is where the IWSC judging and medals are so important as it helps to highlight and differentiate the wines and bring attention to them, particularly in a retail setting.”
Breadth of quality
The judging panel for the 2026 IWSC judging in Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG included, from left to right, Federico Moccia (head of wine at 67 Pall Mall), Sarah Abbott MW, Melania Battiston (wine director at Cornus) and Helena Nicklin (columnist and broadcaster).
A member of the most recent 2026 judging team, which yielded a record-breaking 11 gold medals, award-winning writer and broadcaster, Helena Nicklin, was impressed by the breadth of quality: “With so much basic Prosecco wheeled out at (non-wine) events and social gatherings, it's very easy to lose sight of the fact that not all Prosecco is created equal, even for hardened wine pro’s like us. Having the chance to judge there has completely changed how I feel about it, and how I talk about it.”
Nicklin says she returned from the region buzzing with ideas to boost the category: “There should be ‘Cartizze' options in all fine dining establishments with light desserts and salty cheeses. I would love to see more ‘Sui Lieviti’ on the wine shelves and also served by the glass with paired food, so people can discover it more easily.”
She adds: “Full tasting menus featuring only the various styles of Prosecco with every course would be glorious and a great way to change peoples minds about it. I would love to see ‘Rive’ flights as an option in bars and enotecas - some were so ethereal, complex and elegant, I would choose them over Champagne any day.”
Discover the results
Read the full report from the 2026 IWSC Global Judging in Conegliano Valdobbiadene, including this year’s medal winners and highlights from the tasting, at iwsc.net.
Want to taste the wines for yourself?
Sarah Abbott MW will host an IWSC Global Judging masterclass in London on September 28, taking a deep dive into Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG through a selection of IWSC award-winning wines tasted immediately following the 2026 judging in the region.
The Re-thinking Charmat (Martinotti) masterclass will challenge some of the trade’s preconceptions around the method, exploring how terroir, viticulture and thoughtful winemaking can deliver precision, texture and complexity. Through wines from different villages, vineyard sites and producers, the tasting will demonstrate why the finest expressions of Conegliano Valdobbiadene deserve a place in serious sparkling wine conversations.
The masterclass takes place at the Institute of Masters of Wine in London on September 28, from 10.30am–12pm. Tickets are free and available to the wine trade. Book here.
