THE NOBLE TRADITION OF PROSECCO

by HELEN GREGORY

It’s a good time to be in the prosecco business. Over the past 15 years, Prosecco sales have shot sky-high to reach 700 million bottles each year. Easy drinking and a great value, Prosecco has become synonymous with sparkling wine and good times. And yet, the people behind the wines would respectfully like to remind us that Prosecco is not just another name for bubbly. It’s a special place with a noble tradition: Prosecco is a historic sparkling wine region in the Veneto and Friuli area of northeastern Italy.

After centuries of history, Prosecco waited a long time to claim its winemaking legacy. Post-millennium, just about everyone producing cheap bubbly—anywhere in the world—was calling it Prosecco. In 2008, Paris Hilton became the cover girl for an upstart “Prosecco” from Austria, appearing in high heels and tabloid glory to help sell it in 27 countries. Her gold-painted body was depicted on cans available in various fruit varieties, a far cry from what Italian producers envisioned for their wine reputation. It was too much to ignore. “Paris Hilton is sensationalism. It’s not good. It’s not adequate for Prosecco,” declared an infuriated Fulvio Brunetta, president of the Prosecco winegrowers’ association. One year later, Prosecco formed an official regional organization to establish three strictly controlled winemaking areas: Prosecco DOC, the largest production zone, which extends across the regions of Veneto and Friuli; Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, the steep hills and historic center just north of Venice; and Prosecco Asolo Superiore DOCG, near the town of Asolo. Thanks in part to Paris Hilton, nothing produced outside these areas can legally be called Prosecco.