New Zealand to make its first Prosecco

23rd February, 2016 by Patrick Schmitt

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New Zealand winemakers are about to plant the country’s first Glera vines that will go on to produce Prosecco in three years’ time.

Steve Voysey is a consultant winemaker with a range of clients from Indevin to Ashwood Estate, and has his own business called Spade Oak Vineyard. He founded Prosecco NZ at the start of this year.

The Prosecco variety, otherwise known as Glera (to differentiate the grape from the protected Prosecco source in Italy’s Veneto), will be planted this spring in Gisborne, New Zealand, following the release of Prosecco vines from quarantine earlier this month.

According to Steve Voysey, who consults for New Zealand’s largest wine business, Indevin, the vines were imported from Australia, where Prosecco is grown in the King Valley….

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10 Responses to “New Zealand to make its first Prosecco”

1. Wijnimport Saffredi says:

   February 23, 2016 at 1:22 pm

   I am very disappointed in the inaccurate headline of this article … a serious magazine like you should know that the name Prosecco is protected by law … there can be no Prosecco from new Zealand.

   Reply
   • Neal Baker says:

     February 23, 2016 at 1:52 pm

     The World Trade Organisation ruled that Australia and New Zealand can produce ‘Prosecco’ as long as they do not export it to the EU. If they wanted to export it to the EU, it would need to be called ‘Glera’. The headline is therefore perfectly accurate.

     Reply
     • Markus Blaser says:

       February 23, 2016 at 3:42 pm

       Dear Neal Baker,
       as a wine journalist living in Italy I have followed the Prosecco-Glera-issue very closely – and until now I have never heard about the nominated WTO-rule of 2013.I know that talks about the general register of wine & spirits as following TRIPS are stuck since years and that Australia has refused to protect Prosecco as GI, regarding it as generic name for the grape, by the end of 2013. Both can’t be seen as a specific WTO-rule though and I do not even find a dispute-record on he WTO-website. So I ask you courteously to indicate the source of the WTO-decision.
       Thank you and best regards!

       Reply
2. Juha Sompinmaeki says:

   February 23, 2016 at 3:25 pm

   Congratulations and the best of luck with your business.

   Reply
3. Christian Callec says:

   February 23, 2016 at 4:55 pm

   No judgement, just an addition, as seen from the Californian side: https://www.wineinstitute.org/international_trade_policy

   Reply
4. Steve Abramowitz says:

   February 24, 2016 at 3:07 am

   Congratulations! All the luck in the world.

   Reply
5. Richard says:

   February 24, 2016 at 11:57 am

   It was actually a decision by the Australian Government Geographical Indications Committee that ignored the request from the European Commission to protect Prosecco as a GI, upholding an objection from the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia.

   https://www.wineaustralia.com/en/~/media/0000Industry%20Site/Documents/News%20and%20Media/News/Notice%20of%20decision%20by%20TM%20registrar%20-%20PROSECCO%20-%205%20Feb%202014.ashx

   Reply
   • Markus Blaser says:

     February 25, 2016 at 2:19 pm

     Thank you Richard, thats also my level of information and the details of the australian decision are very useful!

     Reply
6. Kent Benson says:

   March 4, 2016 at 2:59 pm

   Patrick/Neal, was there a WTO ruling or not?

   Reply
7. Markus Hungerbühler says:

   March 16, 2016 at 6:58 pm

   Thank you, Markus, for your appreciated comment, and I agree with you. I also follow the discussion about Prosecco as a GI or/and a grape variety but I haven’t heard from such a decision by the WTO. There is also no mentionning at all in an Annual Report of the WTO. I just wonder where the drinks business got this information from, and as a lawyer I would be very curious to study the reasoning of this decision. The decision mentioned by Richard is something different: the EU tried to register “Prosecco” locally, as a GI in Australia, but failed since it is not mentioned in the Agreement between the European Community and Australia on trade in wine. The Australian Registrar was not obliged by superior law to register Prosecco as a GI, hence Prosecco can remain a grape variety. By the way, how does Australian Prosecco taste? Cheers and Regards!

   Reply