Prosecco to be protected by new DOCG & DOC zones

The announcement of the new DOCG & DOC zones for Prosecco has the wine world talking. EU Common Market Organisation reforms take effect on August 1, 2009, and the inter-regional Prosecco DOC and the Prosecco DOCG will be folded into the new PDO Protected Designation of Origin appellation system.


DOCG status has passed for Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene and Prosecco di Montello e Colli Asolani. In addition a new DOC will encompass at least eight provinces (Belluno, Gorizia, Padova, Pordenone, Treviso, Trieste, Udine, Venezia, and Vicenza), which used to be marketed as IGT Prosecco. Also the Consorzio for Prosecco Conegliano-Valdobbiadene has started a campaign to obtain recognition for Conegliano-Valdobbiadene as an official Unesco World Heritage site.

Many producers of Prosecco inside the new DOCG & DOC zones for Prosecco are happy. They fought hard to protect their turf but not all the producers are happy. Some think that the new requirements to produce less hectoliters per hectare (180hl/ha to 126hl/ha in DOC zones & 95hl/ha to 90hl/ha in DOCG zones) will create "vino corposo" (a concentrated, elegant but wine higher in alcohol). One would think that "vino corposo" would be a good thing but some producers feel that elitist wines do not reflect the tradition of the region.

The Prosecco producers outside of the new protected zones will be hardest hit because they will no longer be able to use the Prosecco name. Non DOC/DOCG areas in Italy and other EU countries must change the name of their Prosecco to "Glera" [glare-ahh] (another name for Prosecco) after August 1st 2009.

This may sound harsh but it will hopefully benefit the wine world in the long run. Over the past 20 to 30 years, IGT Prosecco has been exploited, churned out in industrial quantities and even cut with enough non-prosecco grapes to constitute wine fraud. A decent amount of these massed produced IGT Prosecco wines are lacking in character. Many of the large and small wineries in the Prosecco IGT are designated as "Extra Dry", meaning the wines often have a bit of sweetness. Adding a modest amount of sweetness adds some character to light or shallow wines.

With the new DOC regulations we should hopefully be getting a better quality wine that is made in the traditional (Charmat) method of Prosecco. The current Charmat method, induces a second fermentation in tank, replicating the traditional bottle fermentation method of the past. Many Prosecco producers in the IGT zones have not been required to follow traditional methods and there has not been anything to prevent their wines from being shipped to another country to be bottled, or canned, like "Rich Prosecco" (which Paris Hilton promotes).

It's not to say that good Prosecco can only come from within the borders of these new protected zones. Aurora Espumante Prosecco, from Brazil, has received high marks at Vinitaly and other wine festivals around the world. Most likely, Prosecco from areas outside of the EU will not have to change their name for now (unless they've made agreements with the EU).

According to winemaker Gianluca Bisol, of the Bisol Estate (est 1542), Prosecco prices may go up in the next year or two, due to DOC regulations requiring less yields. IGT Prosecco yields currently average about 240 hectoliters (24 tons) per hectacre. The new DOC regulations permits a production of 120 quintals (12 tons) per hectare. These amounts are normal in the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOC and often are less (90 quintals (9 tons) per hectacre).

Giancarlo Vettorello, director of the Consorzio Tutela Vino Prosecco DOC Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, says that the difference in quality is not only a matter of soil, climate and identity, but also yields. While DOC crops seldom reach 120 quintals (12 tons) per hectare, similar to those in Champagne.

Giancarlo also added that innovation and cutting down on yields is fine but one needs to keep a careful check on the balance, between yield and aromatic complexity. “Most of the aromas lie in the skins, therefore, fewer grapes per bunch make for larger grapes, which can result in less aromatic complexity” explains Vettorello.

Prices will hopefully even out as the new DOC & DOCG areas get up to speed with the new regulations. The objective for Prosecco producers, in the new protected zones, is to eventually reach the production levels of champagne (about 339 million bottles).