Head to the wine aisle of most major supermarkets in Europe and you\u2019ll find multiple bottles of fizzy white wine labeled \u2018prosecco\u2019. It might be as cheap as \u20ac5 or it might set you back over \u20ac15.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the early 2000s, good marketing, a push by British importers and a relatively low price meant that prosecco exploded onto the international wine scene.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to 2022, and 81.2% of prosecco bottles were exported internationally, according to the Prosecco DOC Consortium.<\/p>\n
During prosecco\u2019s initial boom, the Italian government expanded the \u2018denomination of controlled origin\u2019 (DOC) to cover the far-away village of Prosecco (after which the wine was named) to establish geographical exclusivity.<\/p>\n
While this cemented the area\u2019s claim to the wine, it meant a major production expansion and ambiguity when it came to quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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underworld111 via Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Marketing campaigns still strive to paint prosecco production as a bucolic, low-yield, high-quality affair in the rolling hills of the Veneto region. But in reality, much is made at an industrial scale from vines even 100 km away from the \u2018prosecco hills\u2019 of Valdobbiadene.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Producers have tried to make consumers aware of the variety in quality. But with mouthful location names like Conegliano Valdobbiadene and obscure EU grades DOC and DOCG (the more strict \u2018controlled and guaranteed designation of origin\u2019), it is hard to communicate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c[Prosecco] is made at an industrial scale from vines even 100 km away from the \u2018prosecco hills\u2019 of Valdobbiadene.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Instead, consumers have understandably caught onto the easily-pronounceable umbrella term \u2018prosecco\u2019, now synonymous with an affordable and often low-quality product.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s why now, some winemakers have made the radical decision to ditch the term \u2018prosecco\u2019 from labels altogether. Instead of focusing on the wine type, they want to emphasize the terroir and production method.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2019, 450 million bottles of prosecco were produced in the DOC area, which is mainly flat, while 90 million were produced in the hilly DOCG zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n Winemakers want to highlight the effect of the steeply sloping UNESCO-designated hillsides of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene on the product.<\/p>\n Col Vetoraz winery, which produces Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superior DOCG, eliminated the identifier \u2018prosecco\u2019 from labels several years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that the current situation of the Prosecco system is oppressing the denomination of Conegliano Valdobbiadene,\u201d enologist and CEO Loris Dall\u2019Acqua told WineNews.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs Col Vetoraz, we made this choice allowed by the regulations to make it clear to consumers, and to focus exclusively on Valdobbiadene, which, in our opinion, is the only true territorial expression.\u201d<\/p>\n The Confraternity of Valdobbiadene, a collective of enologists and leaders in the wine industry that promotes the DOCG product, is also considering a proposal to drop the term \u2018prosecco\u2019 from the DOCG denomination completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are verifying the loss of perception, by consumers, of the distinctions between the various origins,\u201d Dall\u2019Acqua, who is part of the confraternity, added.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The Consortium of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG seems to be seeking a similar outcome.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking earlier this year to DrinksRetailing, director Diego Tomasi said the body wants to come up with a shorter name for the product.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur name is long and not easy to remember,\u201d he said. \u201cSo now we are discussing one name \u2013 maybe Conegliano Valdobbiadene, maybe CV \u2013 we will find a solution before the end of 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n Tomasi also referred to the debate over including the term \u2018prosecco\u2019 as a \u201cbig, big challenge for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot forget prosecco because it opens the way,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have another necessity now \u2013 to separate Conegliano Valdobbiadene from the normal prosecco.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then to put prosecco on the back label, maybe not so big,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n