Prosecco business Flashcards
(15 cards)
Prosecco volumes per denomination:
Prosecco yields + min of Glera?
minimum of 85% Glera
High yields permitted with lower limits for the higher quality denominations:
Prosecco DOC – maximum yield is 125 hL/ha
Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG – maximum yield is 94.5 hL/ha;
‘Rive’, 90 hL/ha
Superiore di Cartizze DOCG or Cartizze – maximum yield is 85 hL/ha
Asolo Prosecco DOCG – maximum yield is 94.5 hL/ha, the same as Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG
Prosecco: Rive definition
“Rive” local word for slope of a steep hill
followed by a place name (e.g. Rive di Soligo)
name being a single commune or vineyard
grapes for a Rive must be grown in one of 43 Rive
picked by hand
lower maximum yields
vintage must be shown on the label
Superiore di Cartizze DOCG or Cartizze DOCG: area, style labelling
historic, delimited single-vineyard of 108 hectares located in Valdobbiadene
requirement for a lower yield and only made in the spumante style
steep hillsides and vineyards on slopes with very good drainage
traditionally regarded as the highest quality area
fuller body
normally, RS above Brut
word Prosecco not normally used in conjunction with Cartizze = bottles are labelled either Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG or Valdobbiadene Cartizze DOCG
vintage on label only required on Rive wines and sui lieviti.
Prosecco overall: growth?
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Commercial Success & Regulation (2009):
- Major success led to DOC/Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG rule changes
- Main variety renamed Glera (formerly Prosecco)
- Change allowed “Prosecco” to designate specific regions & prevent misuse elsewhere
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Growth:
- DOC & DOCG: strong export-driven growth
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Asolo DOCG:
- Rapid expansion
- Small production vs DOC & Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG
- Output ↑ from 1M to 18.7M bottles (2013–2020)
Prosecco DOC: volumes, % of total IT production, increase, production split
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Production Share:
- \~50% of Italy’s sparkling wine production
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Global Impact:
- Made Italy #1 in sparkling wine exports by volume
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Growth:
- Production >2× from 2011–2016
- 2020 volume: 500M bottles
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Breakdown (2020):
- 80% spumante white
- 17% frizzante
- 3% rosé sparkling
Prosecco DOC: players, vineyard size
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Vineyard Size:
- Avg \~2.5 ha (rising)
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Growers & Producers:
- \~11,600 growers
- \~1,200 base wine producers
- \~350 sparkling wine makers (incl. big names like Zonin)
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Production Structure:
- Many growers sell to merchants/co-ops
- Co-ops: \~50% of fruit
- Private companies: bottle ¾ of total wine
- Co-ops mainly make base wine → sold to private companies for finishing
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Treviso:
- Key area for production volume & base wine sales
- “Treviso” may appear on Prosecco DOC labels if fruit grown & wine produced entirely in Treviso province
Prosecco DOC: domestic vs exports
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Domestic Market:
- 22% of volume
- Steady growth
- \~70% sold in supermarkets (Italy)
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Exports:
- 78% of volume
- Tripled in decade to 2014
- Main markets: UK, USA, Germany (\~⅔ of export volume)
- In some markets: seen as alt. to cheap Champagne or to still, inexpensive/mid-priced rosé
Prosecco DOC: reasons behind growth
popularity of Prosecco cocktail contributed to growth
After the substantial growth of recent times, the aim is now to stabilise and maintain the current levels of sales in the face of increasing competition.
Recent developments in Prosecco DOC:
2019: Prosecco DOC added the Brut Nature and Extra Brut categories
aimed at those who are looking for a drier style
now range from Brut Nature to Demi-Sec
2020: Prosecco DOC spumante rosé introduced:
made from Glera with up to 15 per cent of Pinot Noir, made as a red wine
only spumante
range of sweetness is limited from brut nature to extra dry.
Challenges for Prosecco DOC:
protect the name
some Australian growers (for example in the King Valley) continuing to use name Prosecco for their Glera-based sparkling wines
All the Prosecco denominations require the wines to be sold in bottle only + vigilant to stop other sparkling wines being sold on tap as Prosecco
CV DOCG and Asolo DOCG: most common style
Extra Dry most common style (around 60%) followed by Brut (around 30%
In 2019, an Extra Brut category (0–6 g/L) was introduced.
CV DOCG and Asolo DOCG: players
32 large companies, each producing more than 1 million bottles/year = nearly 90% production
around 60% of Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG sold in Italy (largest sales in northern Italy)
40% exported
top three markets sales and value:
UK
Germany
Switzerland
Significant producers: Nino Franco and Bisol
Challenges for Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG:
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Goals:
- Improve consumer recognition of Prosecco’s potential for higher quality
- Overcome perception of Prosecco as a generic brand
- Achieve higher prices
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Context:
- Region fully planted → future growth depends on ↑ prices
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Progress:
- So far: strong growth in both volume and price
Challenges for Asolo DOCG
make its name better known by those who wish to buy a DOCG level wine
