Prosecco DOC Adds 3000 Hectares of New Vineyards
Treviso, Italy (PRWEB) July 14, 2016 -- An increase in demand for Prosecco has led the Prosecco DOC Consortium to invest in 3000 additional hectares for the production of the Glera grape, the main variety used to produce Prosecco. In 2015, the Prosecco DOC growing zone, which includes 9 provinces between the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions in northern Italy, produced 2.6 million hectoliters. In 2016, in Veneto alone, the production of Prosecco DOC is predicted to reach 3 million hectoliters.
According to the municipal councilors of agriculture in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, Giuseppe Pan and Cristiano Shaurli, “the rising trend of commercialization of the most sold wine in the Veneto (+24.2% in 2013, +26.9% in 2014, +15.8% in 2015) and its advantageous price point have encouraged the Consortium to ask for an adjustment of the production potential, further expanding the acreage of Glera grape plantation destined for Prosecco DOC wines.”
Stefano Zanette, president of the Consortium, predicts that production in 2019/2020, at full potential, will have a yield of 3.78 million hectoliters, inclusive of complementary grapes. “Considering an average increase of 15% in the consumption of sparkling wine during the next three years, experts from the Interdepartmental Center for Viticulture of the Universities of Padova and the wine monitoring agency Nomisma have evaluated that, in order to meet the demand, there needs to be an investment in 3000 additional hectares. In regards to the distribution of the land, the Consortium has decided to prioritize organic wineries in order to reaffirm our intentions to move towards sustainability,” says Zanette.
The two regions involved, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, have granted the request to add 3000 hectares: 2444 in Veneto and 556 in Friuli Venezia Giulia, which will raise cultivation capacity to 23.250 hectares.
Vasco Boatto, director of the Interdepartmental Center of the University of Padova, says that “with this increase in space, we can estimate that the 2019 harvest will allow us to witness a 20% increase in production compared to 2016.”
The new land must be ready for production by July 31, 2017, in lots of sizes between 3000 square meters and 3 hectares.
******************************************
About The Prosecco DOC Consortium:
Prosecco was granted the Controlled Designation of Origin status on July 17th, 2009, and the Consortium was created on November 19th of the same year to coordinate and manage the Prosecco DOC. The organization unites the different groups of manufacturers—wineries, individual and associated vine-growers, still wine and sparkling wine producers—to ensure the designation continues to grow and that the production regulations are complied with.
About Prosecco DOC:
Prosecco DOC wines come in Spumante (sparkling), Frizzante (semi-sparkling) and Tranquillo (still) varieties. The wines are made from mainly the Glera grape, native to North East Italy for thousands of years, and can be combined with a maximum of 15% of the following grapes: Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, Glera lunga, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Nero. Prosecco Frizzante and Spumante varieties get their famous bubbles using the Secondary Fermentation production method, bottled under high pressure after fermentation in bulk tanks called autoclaves, as opposed to the traditional method, which bypasses the autoclaves and is used for other sparkling wine varieties. The end result is a brilliant straw yellow wine with fine, persistent perlage and aromas of white flowers, apple and pear. It is fresh and elegant on the palate with moderate alcoholic strength. For a full list of Prosecco DOC producers, visit http://www.prosecco.wine.
Claire Hennessy, Colangelo & Partners, http://www.colangelopr.com, +1 646.624.2885 Ext: 174, [email protected]
Share this article