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Prosecco: new rules
July 2009

This analytical material (unlike the previous one, Prosecco DOCG: celebration without euphoria, with my personal reaction to recent changes for Prosecco wines), was commissioned by a new Russian wine business magazine.

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Prosecco, the most popular Italian sparkler, is now protected by stricter rules regarding its origin and production.

In August this year, new production and labelling rules came in force for Prosecco wines. The main change is about new names of production zones. Before the introduction of the new law sparkling wines were produced in two categories — IGT or DOC. The Veneto region which account of the major part of production used to have four IGTs and three DOCs, including the most recognised DOC Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene. Prosecco in Conegliano Valdobbiadene is planted to 4,900 out of 11,000 hectares of this variety in Italy.

Starting from 2009 vintage, four IGT areas are transformed into a unified Prosecco DOC. Nine provinces lie within the borders of the a new wine region: Treviso, Vicenza, Venezia, Padova, Belluno in Veneto and Pordenone, Udine, Gorizia and Trieste in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The status of former DOC areas is upgraded to DOCG, the highest in the Italian wine hierarchy level. New names highlight geographic origin, as common for many European vineyards. Prosecco from Conegliano Valdobbiadene will now be presented on labels as DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore. The name “Rive” with the mention of a commune is reserved for wines from best vineyards. Labels from the famous Cartizze vineyard remain unchanged — Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze, while their rank is promoted to DOCG. Former DOC Montello Colli Asolani is renamed as DOCG Colli Asolani Prosecco. New classification comes into force from 2009 vintage and is valid both for spumante and frizzante. Wine of previous vintages are sold under old labels without limitations.

– The change will help international markets to understand that the best quality Prosecco is “Prosecco Superiore” Conegliano Valdobbiadene. We will also introduce a logo that must be used by every producer, so the consumer can find it as a guarantee of quality. It is easier to understand it than many messages on a label, — states Franco Adami, President of the Consortium of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco wines. He adds that the quality will also rise due to introduction of a new category, “Rive”, meant for wines from single, lower yielding vineyards.

In the meanwhile, the Prosecco name is now protected both in Italy and beyond its borders. Producers who make wine outside DOC and DOCG can’t use the word Prosecco on the labels. Instead, the grape variety should be indicated as Glera (a synonym of Prosecco).

– In 1969, when we obtained the DOC, the grape variety was grown exclusively in the 15 communes lying between the small towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. However in the last few decades, due to the quality of the wine and the winemaking skill of the producers its cultivation has gradually spread. Given this situation, we had to take action to protect the name Prosecco and to preserve the value created by this area and implement clear regulations that could guarantee a minimum level of quality, — comments Franco Adami.

Production norms for Conegliano Valdobbiadene remain unchanged, with the maximum yield of 13,5 tonnes per hectare, but tougher standards are set in DOC Prosecco. Wine growers can pick no more than 18 tonnes of grapes per hectare, instead of previously allowed twenty five.

– Thanks to the new DOC rules, one will no longer be able to find a product with a very low price, at very low quality or labelled as “Prosecco rosè”. Due to stricter production norms, the prices for DOC Prosecco will increase. On the contrary, pricing for DOCG wines will not change as our technical norms remain the same, — notes Franco Adami. Thus, total production in Conegliano Valdobbiadene will not decrease, and the prices will not go up.

Last year sales of sparkling wines from Conegliano Valdobbiadene exceeded 48 mln. bottles, of which over 17,2 mln. were exported.