Positive Results in 2023 for Prosecco DOC

Overall, the results recorded by the Consortium for the Protection of Prosecco DOC in 2023 are encouraging, despite a rather complicated scenario. The milestone of 612 million bottles has already been surpassed, with production expected to settle just below the previous year’s volume by the end of the year but with a significant increase in value, benefiting the entire production chain and the region.

The evolution of the year has been influenced by the macroeconomic framework, international tensions, climatic changes, and the intensity of some plant diseases that have posed challenges for producers. However, the Consortium has worked in productive collaboration with the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions to identify solutions to safeguard volumes and, more importantly, the quality of production.

“Constant attention to the quality of our wines and the sustainability of our activities has rewarded our work even in this particularly complex global period,” comments Consortium President Stefano Zanette. “Research and analysis, protection of the appellation, and its promotion constitute the pillars guiding our action in defense and enhancement of our productions. However, it is quality and sustainability that primarily guide our commitment and that of our members, aiming to offer an ever-improving wine to the many worldwide who choose Prosecco DOC.”

Consortium Director Luca Giavi adds, “With this spirit, we have been continuously carrying out, in collaboration with the relevant authorities – to whom we owe our gratitude – monitoring activities throughout the production chain to ensure consumers’ compliance with the rules contained in our specifications and total transparency on the content and origin of our wines. In this regard, we would like to highlight how the Consortium is considering some changes to the specifications that will allow the appellation to express the characteristics of the territory and operators better on each bottle label, ensuring greater awareness for consumers.”

RESEARCH, VITICULTURE, AND SUSTAINABILITY

The area of research, viticulture, and sustainability has initiated the Prosecco Sustainable project – a community of businesses for a sustainable product, aimed at supporting the entire production system in implementing Corporate Social Responsibility in every aspect: environmental, social, economic.

The Prosecco Viticulture Protocol, in line with sector sustainability standards, has been developed to lay the foundations for continuous improvement in viticultural management. This protocol has been tested, in collaboration with some cooperative wineries involving their social base, in pilot areas of the Designation of Origin. Simultaneously, a digital system, developed in collaboration with some software houses, suitable for the needs and peculiarities of the Denomination, has interconnected farms, wineries, and the Consortium, allowing the linking of field records to carbon and water footprint calculators.

Besides ongoing research, various studies have been conducted, including one titled: ‘Development Potential of Prosecco DOC in the Horeca Channel in Italy’, carried out by Nomisma, highlighting Prosecco as the preferred wine for sector operators and consumers, especially Generation Z.

Ongoing projects include zoning the Designation with a view to climate change and validating vine defense strategies for increasing environmental and health respect. Moreover, as a financial partner in the LENs Italy project, the Consortium has contributed to the implementation of various regenerative agriculture and innovation measures by farms located in the provinces of Venice and Pordenone, covering an area of almost 400 hectares.

PROTECTION

Regarding the appellation protection activity, 2023 has seen numerous successes for the Consortium in all areas of intervention in the Protection Area: from international protection to the implementation of control systems and measures to counteract imitations, evocations, and exploitation of the notoriety of our Prosecco.

Among the significant international challenges, the recent victory in Singapore stands out, where, after a long legal process pitting the Consortium against the Australian Grape and Wine Inc., an association representing Australian wine producers, the Court of Appeal, the highest level of justice in this territory, unequivocally established Prosecco as a GI in Singapore, rejecting the Australians’ attempt to prevent this recognition.

The Consortium has also acted with determination to counter the use of our DOC for identifying products other than wine: from soaps, candles, and electronic cigarette refills to candies and chocolates, all strictly labeled as ‘Prosecco’. The Consortium has issued over 200 warnings to counter these increasingly prevalent phenomena, recording good success due to the long-standing notoriety of our wine, recognized by trademark offices as one of the most famous sparkling wines in the European panorama. All this has been possible thanks to a meticulous monitoring activity that has seen the Consortium carry out over 50,000 checks both in retail outlets and online.

PROMOTION

Regarding the promotion area, the Consortium’s extensive range of investments is confirmed, including the renewal of numerous historical partnerships in support of sports and the signing of a new agreement with the Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation. Thanks to this agreement, Prosecco DOC has assumed the role of Official Sparkling Wine Sponsor of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Partnerships in support of culture and the food and wine world have been developed at the local, national, and/or international levels, in addition to territorial and solidarity-based partnerships.

Significant attention has also been given to the tourism and wine tourism sector throughout the appellation territory, which includes 10 UNESCO sites and is rich with history, art, and nature to be discovered and appreciated. Numerous collaborations have brought about 160 media, influencers, and industry operators to the area, as well as tourists following agreements mediated with foreign travel agencies. The communication campaign with the Irish partner Ryanair, promoting Treviso as a destination of the Prosecco Lands with viral TikTok videos, was innovative.

A total of 415 promotional events were organized during the year in 36 different target countries. Among the new intervention markets in 2023 are Vietnam, South Korea, and New Zealand, which have seen a significant increase in Prosecco’s import share in recent years. One hundred ten companies in the Prosecco DOC production system actively participated in the initiatives promoted by the Consortium.

Comprehensive communication campaigns across various media (TV, radio, cinema, concerts, web, social media, print, billboards, LED walls, murals) generated over 1 billion global impressions throughout the year.