Rosé Prosecco launch boosts overall Prosecco growth

By Lisa Riley

Published: 19 January, 2021

The Prosecco DOC Consortium has reported 2.8% volume growth for 2020 compared to the certified volumes recorded the previous year.

The growth, which represents an increase of around 14 million bottles, was boosted by the introduction of the rosé style Prosecco launched last year at what had turned out to be “a very opportune moment”, said the Consortium.

It also confirmed it had recorded, as anticipated, a production of 16.8 million bottles of the pink fizz.

However, Consortium President Stefano Zanette, said that the growth wasn’t solely dependent on the introduction of the rosé style.

“The figures demonstrate that the increase has also come from greater consumer awareness of our wines overall that has led to them choosing Prosecco DOC-certified wines from across all the styles,” he said.

“In fact, where consumers have the chance to see the label when they buy a wine, if they want a Prosecco, they buy a Prosecco. However, when served at a restaurant, they often ask for a Prosecco but end up being served another wine."

With the hope that restaurants would soon be able to reopen, Zanette added that he would like to see the public administrations committing to “communicating what defines quality agri-food, Prosecco in particular”.

The Consortium also said it had reached a “historic milestone”, with more than 500 million bottles of Prosecco certified with DOC status in 2020.

But, said Zaneette, “we must certainly not rest on our laurels”, pointing to issues facing the Consortium going forward.

“There are many challenges that still await us, starting with better clarification of the segmentation of our wine to provide a higher characterisation of production standards,” he said.

“We must also continue the actions, which have been underway for some time, aimed at improving the perception of the denomination from an organoleptic and sensory perspective, with particular regard to the environmental and social sustainability of the entire Prosecco DOC territory.

“These actions are aimed at leading to a consolidation of our main markets and an increase in sales volumes."

The Consortium was given the green light by the EU to export rosé in November last year, following the authorisation of Prosecco rosé production by the Italian government in May.