Not everything can be Champagne. Not every recording can be Voodoo or Kind of Blue, or every painting The Milkmaid. Not every view can be of the Grand Canyon, or every bite of every morsel the be-all and end-all of every damn dish in the whole damn world. Sometimes you’re not in the mood. Sometimes you just want something delicious that you don’t have to think about. That is how I used to think about Prosecco. Then I started to really think about it.

It’s the holidays, of course, the time of year for such thoughts, when corks get popped and the world’s appetite for bubbles experiences exponential growth. And why not? Bubbles are practically synonymous with festive occasions—for toasting, washing down dinner or hors d’oeuvres, and priming the pump for a good time.

To be clear, I love Champagne, I have nothing against Champagne. I drink it like it’s going out of style whenever I get the chance. And we’ve made mention of several domestic sparkling wines over the past year to consider. Both categories, though, have become pricey; stocking up for a large gathering will set you back more than a few bucks. Last week my colleague Gina Pace recommended several fine Spanish Cavas that are a fraction of the cost of most Champagne, and are brisk and delicious too. Today I want to circle back to Prosecco, another versatile alternative. But I want to focus on the D.O.C.G.s, a set of unique historic regions where the quality is, as they say, “garantita.”

Italian Prosecco is currently the largest sparkling wine category in the world, a feat that has taken less than 30 years to achieve. In 2008, well into the boom, roughly 100,000,000 bottles of Prosecco were consumed; last year, that figure was nearly 700,000,000. Owing to its popularity, the region wherein Prosecco could be produced was greatly expanded—the Prosecco D.O.C. now extends to nearly 28,000 hectares, well beyond its historic borders. These are lesser parcels, where the vines are planted on the flats, cropped abundantly, and mostly machine-harvested. For this reason, the best terroirs in the spectacular sub-Alpine hills of Valdobiaddene and Conegliano, as well as the steep ridgelines of Cartizze (considered the region’s Grand Cru), are all designated Superiore D.O.C.G. And if you want to drink the good stuff, you need to look for D.O.C.G.

Italy has a lot of beautiful wine regions, but Conegliano-Valdobbiadene might surpass them all (it’s certainly in the top five). Vineyards are pounded into the sides of steep, hilly hogbacks, with vines spilling down hills of almost dizzying gradients, clinging to rows of narrow, softly-contoured terraces called ciglione. The landscape, definitively manmade, is even more remarkable when you learn that in the 19th century the region’s inhabitants, en masse, carved out terraces and planted vines to create the region we know today.

In doing so, they transformed their region in one go, a feat of cultural fortitude that seems staggering in this day and age. This makeover earned it status as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2019. Needless to say, the grapes in Valdobbiadene-Conegliano are hand harvested. Any tractor would end up tumbling to the bottom of the hill.

Eighty-five percent of every bottling must contain a variety known as Glera. Prosecco was the accepted name for the variety for centuries. But by the early 2000s, when the variety known as “Prosecco” could be grown and bottled as “Prosecco” even when it was made in Australia or California’s Central Valley, the powers that be started having second thoughts.

Since 2009, the word was shelved as a varietal name and re-deployed to describe the region, much like Champagne. The name of the grape reverted to Glera over the objections of some, including “Wine Grapes” authors Jancis Robinson, Jose Vouillamoz, and Julia Harding. They insist on calling it Prosecco, asserting the variety is “misleadingly renamed Glera for commercially protective reasons.”

Glera will never match the grandeur of Champagne varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. As a variety, it’s simple and thin-skinned, a relative monotone, though not without charm. It is mildly floral with soft citrusy scents, a firm palate, a hint of phenolic bitterness, and an elegant astringency that lends itself well to bubbles.

That effervescence is conveyed to the wine via the Martinotti method, a second fermentation not in bottle but in large tanks, virtually indistinguishable from the Charmat method in France. Glera performs nicely in these circumstances, with the mousse giving the flavors a little edge and bite.

Perhaps the best thing about the Martinotti method is that it allows wines to be made to order with astonishing consistency, ensuring a fresh product whenever and wherever the demand arises. (The wines are hugely popular in Britain and the E.U.) There are a small number of variations, rosés, methode ancestrales. Some Proseccos are bottled “Col Fondo,” where residual yeast remains in the bottle. Not surprisingly, in the age of Pet Nats, these are in vogue.

Recommendations are below, but remember that consistency in this category is exceptional… if you find what you like, even commercial bottlings are good for a good drink. Your main concern might be dosage. As in other parts of the world, Prosecco D.O.C.Gs are bottled with varying degrees of sweetness, from Zero Dosage and Brut, to Extra Dry and Demi-Sec. To my palate the Brut has the cut to keep the wines lively and balanced. Sometimes, though, the richness and body of an Extra Brut is deeply satisfying, especially with a light meal. Go find out for yourself. And whatever you do, don’t overthink it.

Adami 2022 Col Fondo Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G. Prosecco Superiore “Sul Lieviti” Brut Nature ($25)

Col Fondo bottlings retain a touch of the lees leftover from the secondary fermentation. This is a bit cloudy, with scents of pollen and lemon, honeycomb and walnut. The texture is delightful, crisp at first with a nutty overlay and a sneaky expansive richness before the phenolic cut.

Bisol 2024 Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. Brut “Crede” ($30)

The current regime represents the 21st generation of this agricultural family; director Gianluca Bisol says that during his tenure he’s placed new emphasis on the soils of the 50 hectares under his management. All of the Bisol wines are worth trying, but I was intrigued by Crede bottling (a word for clay in the local dialect), that included 15% Chardonnay, which lent body and elegance to a very firm, almost pithy expression of Glera.

Fagher Valdobbiadene NV D.O.C.G. Prosecco Superiore Le Colture ($20)

This is a delightful drink, with a generous scent of fruit blossom and a hint of citrus. The flavors are rich, the entry generous, with a golden, juicy peachskin freshness throughout, framed by a crystalline, saline edge.

L’Antica Quercia 2022 Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. Brut Rive de Scomigo “Matiù” ($28)

The name is a mouthful, but so is the wine. Farmed biodynamically, winemaker Claudio Francavilla makes this wine from a single hillside vineyard (Rive). Foot-trod and fermented with indigenous yeasts, made without a dosage addition. A small amount of yeast solids stay in the juice over winter. It’s splendid and wild in the glass, with scents and flavors of crisp apple; the hint of lees lends depth and elegance.

Malibrann 5 Grammi Extra Brut Rive di Santa Maria de Feletto ($30)

From an estate rich in special vineyard properties (Rive) this one, in the hills overlooking Conegliano, boasts a modest richness that’s enhanced by the addition of five grams dosage. The white peach notes give way to richer flavors, like pear with a hint of orange oil.

Sommariva NV Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore Brut ($20)

Kermit Lynch has worked with two generations of the Sommariva family, whose wines are now being made by the founder Caterino’s daughter Cinzia. Lively and soft, this pretty Glera based sparkling wine has a scent of peach blossom and citrus, lean and tangy on the palate, with flavors marked by a crisp minerally finish.