Prosecco must be protected in order for the democratic wine to thrive, the Prosecco Consortium told Imbibe.
As prosecco sales in the UK skyrocket and are projected to grow year on year, the body has said more must be done to protect ‘true prosecco’ and expose ‘fake prosecco’.
‘We want a true prosecco, not a fake prosecco,’ Andrea Battistella, economic and technical manager, said. ‘Prosecco is only prosecco if it is in the bottle and it has the authentication seal. If you sell it in a tap then it is not prosecco. We need respect for the product.’
One way of doing this, Battistella said is to introduce Casa Prosecco, a communication body to provide information for the consumer and the trade.
‘For us, the UK market is very, very important and we invest a lot,’ he said. ‘Four years ago Germany was the number one market, now it is third. It is changing so quickly; the consumer is changing and the way people are consuming prosecco is changing.’
Pricing
Pricing is crucial to the ensure change for the better, Battistella said.
‘Price is very important for the product. Prosecco is a democratic wine. It is a drink for any time and all occasions. It is a very immediate wine and everyone can afford to buy it. Between champagne and prosecco, it is a very different world.'
In terms of a potential shortage, Battistella said: ‘We estimate continued global and UK market growth. It is possible to keep that growth. If the market increases, then we increase the vineyards and if it decreases, then we will decrease.’
