When did prosecco become ubiquitous in the UK? 

Champagne has always had the name for the drink of celebration. Clever marketing and a strict use of the name has lead to its exclusivity. But as a less expensive alternative, Italian prosecco within the last 15 years or so has shown up more and more as an alternative to Spanish cava. Now prosecco outsells both cava and champagne.

According to the website Forbes.com, there is an interesting story behind this. With the growth in sales of sparkling wine from the millennium onwards, possibly helped a little by Paris Hilton launching her ‘rich prosecco’ in 2006, many wine producers in various countries started to produce ‘prosecco’.

The Italians saw what was happening and wanted to protect the name, but, unlike champagne, prosecco was the name of the grape used to make the wine, not the region where it was produced, and while wine regions can be protected, grapes can not.

The solution? Firstly, change the name of the grape (to glera). Secondly, there happened to be a small village named Prosecco. No matter that the village has nothing to do with the sparkling wine – or any other wine – it was conveniently located in the Veneto region. The area around it became a geographic region called Prosecco, and a DOC Prosecco was created (the equivalent of the French appellation status). 

So now the name ‘Prosecco’ is protected (although the Australians continue to make their version under that name).

Who knew there would be a tale of ingenuity and protectionism in this post!

The glass was fun to draw –  but enough drawing, research and writing – it’s time to sample. Cheers!