Prosecco heads hit out at imitators

The president and director of the Prosecco DOC Consortium have hit out at a growing number of imitation Proseccos flooding the market, calling them “imposters”.

A vineyard in the Prosecco DOC area

Speaking to the drinks business, Stefano Zanette president of the Prosecco DOC Consortium, said: “Many imitators are jumping on the Prosecco bandwagon. Imposters marketing themselves as Prosecco are being produced all around the world, from Australia to Brazil.

“We would like to set the record straight: like Champagne, Prosecco is a wine of place with protected production zones in the Veneto and Friuli.

Ad Hot Carte Blanc “Prosecco” from Australia

“Any bottle that says Prosecco on the label must be produced in approved designated growing regions according to the strict standards of the Prosecco DOC and Prosecco DOCG Consortia.

“It is critical that we protect Prosecco’s centuries-old heritage. If we don’t expose imitators, consumers won’t be able to trust that the Prosecco they purchase is of a guaranteed quality.

Admitting that Prosecco is in danger of becoming a “victim of its own success”, Zanette called on wine writes and educators to advocate for truthful labelling “so that when consumers buy a bottle of Prosecco, they are getting the real thing and not an imitation”.

The reaction comes after db reported on the launch of an Australian “Prosecco” from Pemberton in Western Australia that was made with the intention of going head-to-head with the Italian original.

Made by Larry Cherubino, 1,000 cases of Ad Hoc Carte Blanc Prosecco have been bottled, with all of the fizz already allocated to on- and off-trade accounts within Australia – there are no plans to export the wine.

“It has never been my intention to mislead our Australian customers with Carte Blanc. It is something we’ve made in response to a large demand for this style of wine in Australia, and I have always ensured we adhere to the legislation allowing for the production of Prosecco,” Cherubino said.

Addressing the launch, Luca Giavi, director of the Prosecco DOC Consortium, told db: “Australian legislation permits Prosecco production in the country as Australian regulations consider Prosecco a grape and not a geographical indication.

“Some Australian producers are attempting to mislead consumers about the origin and the characteristics of their product.

“Why isn’t Australian Prosecco sold with other Australian wines? Why is it put on the shelf with Italian wines? Why is it that very often, in the labelling of the product, reference is made to Italy or to the ‘Italianness’ of the producers?”