A Passion for Prosecco

The story of JAYA Prosecco is above all, one of passion, tradition and a family’s heritage. The company was founded in 2017 by the young Swiss-Italian entrepreneur Tancredi Pascale. Alongside his partner, Nathalie L’Eplattenier, Mr. Tancredi has an ambitious aim: to restore the prestige of Prosecco and provide consumers with information to help them rediscover it. The pair want to do this because, while it is most associated with time spent with friends and family, this famous sparkling white wine is much more than just an ingredient in an Aperol Spritz.

Prosecco is currently the most commonly sold sparkling wine worldwide, far exceeding Champagne. In the last 10 years, annual Prosecco production has increased from 200 million bottles to almost 550 million, all types taken together. Prosecco owes much of its international success to the popularity of cocktails in which it is included as an ingredient, in particular the Aperol Spritz or more recently the Hugo. It is protected by a ‘Denominazione di origine controllata’ (DOC), or ‘controlled designation of origin’, and is as such produced exclusively in North-eastern Italy, in nine provinces extending from Veneto to Friuli Venezia Giulia. This sparkling wine is also more complex than you might think! It is made using Glera grapes, a strong traditional variety that is native to the region, and which requires very specific handling. To meet rising demand, the Italian authorities relaxed regulations and allowed Glera grapes to be mixed with other varieties, with these other grapes comprising up to 15% of the wine. This favours quantity over quality.

PROSECCO, WITHOUT CONCESSIONS
For Tancredi Pascale, following this siren call would be out of the question. His Prosecco, called JAYA, which means ‘victory’ in Sanskrit, is made of 100% Glera grapes. Having inherited a small production site nestled in the province of Treviso, in the craggy hills of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, a UNESCO world heritage site, he intends to defend his family’s values which have been passed down over four generations of passionate grape growers. Tancredi brought to bear his passionate, demanding and uncompromising work ethic to create JAYA in 2017. He strives to produce an artisan Prosecco, made from 100% hand-harvested Glera grapes and produced following traditional methods, with full transparency. Alongside his partner, he has invested heavily to restore Prosecco’s reputation, as it is currently (and incorrectly) seen as a low, quality, overly sweet wine, which has been spoiled by an industry in search of increased quantity. Tancredi and Nathalie are tirelessly pursuing their goals: to offer very high quality and unique Prosecco while also giving consumers more information about Prosecco and helping them create precious memories with family and friends. To do this, they have set up a programme offering tours to their vineyard, group tasting sessions, workshops for companies and individuals, and more.

SUSTAINABLE, TRACEABLE PROSECCO
As an independent company that both produces and distributes Prosecco, since 2020 JAYA has been able to offer three vintages: JAYA Extra Dry DOCG, JAYA Brut DOC and JAYA Spumante. These products are made using sustainable, eco-friendly methods, in order to minimise the carbon footprint of the production and distribution processes. They are not available in retail outlets, but can be found in the hospitality sector and via private channels. Another issue that is important to Tancredi and Nathalie is transparency throughout the production process. As a result, they are implemented a traceability programme in partnership with Product DNA, an independent company based in Switzerland. All their bottles include a unique number and QR code which makes them traceable. Each vintage sold includes detailed product information (reference number, image, quantity, batch), the raw materials used (type of material, suppliers and certificates), as well as the product line stages (suppliers, certificates and audits).