It's not just a fizzy drink that makes Aperol Spritz go further: Prosecco is in fact a grape that produces a sparkling wine from northern Italy.

Originating in north-east Italy in Veneto, Prosecco is fermented so that it is quite fruity a bit like the taste of crisp apples. It is suited for drinking now rather than keeping it in a cellar for a long time.

Given the amount of Italian wine dynasties there are in Australia it was just a matter of time before our own production of this wine would start to challenge the Italian versions.

In Australia, Prosecco has grown in popularity around the nation with sales within Australia growing by 53 per cent in the past 12 months.

This bubbly is made by fermenting the grape juice in a tank with a second fermentation in large closed pressure tanks. Prosecco is not aged on lees (dead yeast cells) which makes it less complex than other traditional sparkling wines. The fizz of Prosecco is categorised as spumante, full of lively fizz or as a moderate frizzante, with comparatively less fizz. It is a crisp, fruity yet dry style of wine.

A couple of years back, Prosecco made from grapes in Italy was given DOCG status in Italy (Denominazione Origine Controllata Garantita), meaning that it can be labelled Prosecco Superiore exclusively and its production is strictly controlled.

Due to the DOCG labelling, Prosecco grown outside this area in Europe must be called Glera, not Prosecco. This however does not apply in Australia (even though the Prosecco producers in Italy would like it to), meaning that in Australia, we can find Prosecco grown locally and labelled such, though clearly without DOCG status on the label.