2018 was a busy year for Prosecco DOC! Here are some key facts about 2018 production, as well as Consortium activities and initiatives that will continue to impact the 2019 landscape:

PRODUCTION

 Numbers are more than positive*. The 2018 harvest brought very satisfying results: 3,600,000 hectoliters – as forecasted – which correspond to a 10.8% increase in relation to the 2017 harvest, more than sufficient to reach the upcoming 2019 harvest with enough supplies. The 2018 vintage showed an increase of 6%, reaching more than 460 million bottles, 75% of which will be allocated for export, while the rest will be consumed internally.  The British market, despite a slight decline in volume, has seen an increase in value of 1.3%. An interesting data arrives from France, which with an increase of 14%, has proven itself to be the fourth market for Prosecco DOC in the world.

 “Today, we are living an ideal situation and we expect that it will carry on in the near future as we’re putting all our efforts towards that direction. A fact that makes us particulary proud is the growth in both volume and value”, states Zanette “which isn’t an easy challenge and it proves we took the right decisions.”

SUSTAINABILITY

Last year the Consortium launched rewarding systems for organic viticulture: 1,124 hectares guarantee at least 5% of shrubs, creating an area of almost 60 hectares of hedgerow. This is the reason that brought the Consortium to enter the project “Campagna Mosaico Verde”, created by AzzeraCO2 and Legambiente, with the goal of redeveloping the territory and adapting it to climate changes. The campaign has an ambitious objective: to plant 300,000 new trees and protect 30,000 hectares of existing forest.

The Veneto and Friuli Venezia regions, following a proposal by the Consortium, will assign the eligibility to the new Prosecco DOC vineyards through a competition, aiming to rewarding the most virtuous growers. Among the selection criteria there’s the requirement of allocating and maintaining at least 5% of the vineyard to grow a hedgerow. Keeping the current growth trend, the initiative will bring the formation of an arboreal, shrub-like area of at least 180 hectares between 2018 and 2020, allowing the Consortium to be part of the project with full rights.

According to President Zanette, sustainability is crucial: “We’re strongly commited and we asked the Parliament in Rome to modify our disciplinary rules in order to ban the most unpopular active ingredients. However, we need political support and representation for the entire production chain or regulations that involve all the members of the sector.”

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PROMOTION

The keyword for 2018 has been “promotion” and it will still be for 2019”, continues Zanette. “The activities carried out during the last 12 months focused on eight target markets, in the EU and Italy. Starting from Vinitaly 2018, during which the Consortium doubled its presence for the first time adding the “Universo Prosecco” area, because “we’re strongly convinced that we have to work together and deliver an unambiguous promotion that allows us to be stronger and make sure we communicate values and differences within the local and international markets.

The cultural initiatives and activities carried out at the Italian Embassies, like London, New Delhi, and Canberra are worth mentioning, as well as the restoration of Lorenzo Lotto’s artpiece “I Coniugi”, which at the moment is being exhibited at the National Gallery; the promotional activities executed within Milan’s “Triennale”; and the participation of Prosecco DOC at Ermirage, where it has been “Vin d’Honneur” for five years. Last but not least, the exhibition dedicated to Piero della Francesca, where for the first time all of the Master of Perspective’s artpieces are showcased under the same roof.

Follow Prosecco DOC on Instagram and Facebook for upcoming events and blog updates, as well as the Casa Prosecco website for the latest news here.