BUBBLE BROTHERS – CORK WINE MERCHANTS

wine • champagne • more

BUBBLE BROTHERS – CORK WINE MERCHANTS random header image
← →

Prosecco: not so much a grape, more a piece of land

June 9th, 2009 · 7 Comments · marketing, wine

I’ve just read this rather startling announcement in one of the newsletters we’re subscribed to but struggle to find the time for:

Although by law it still has to be approved, expected for the end of June , producers are 99% sure that from the 2009 harvest onwards, the name Prosecco will become synonymous with a territory. The name of the grape will then change into Glera (an ancestor of the Prosecco grape).
The classic sites for Prosecco (Conegliano, Valdobbiadene and Colli Asolani) will become Prosecco DOCG (Spumante and Frizzante). Prosecco DOC (Spumante and Frizzante) will be reserved for wines produced and bottled in a restricted area: all of Friuli and the provinces Treviso, Vicenza, Venezia, Padova and Belluno in Veneto. Prosecco IGT will no longer exist. Allowed yields will be limited, production proportions will change drastically. The remainder of stocks of Prosecco 2008 IGT and DOC can be sold as such.

I’m not sure Glera is a winning change for the name of the grape, though, in as much as it matters one toyota what the jotting grape is called. As a brand, ‘Glera’ wouldn’t readily sell any goods that I can think of.

Meanwhile, the hunger for the suffusing, solar glow that comes from apricating; yea, even unto a golden tan, in the mere word Prosecco continues rapacious. To which end, Bubble Brothers have recently made available such a wine.

Get yer Bosca 5 star Prosecco here, bubble lovers, and all the sunshiny good feelings that come free with every bottle.

Tags: ·····

7 Comments so far ↓

  • Conor O'Neill // Jun 9, 2009 at 11:10 am

    My youngest sister has been a resolute Smirnoff Ice drinker since her teens. Nothing else would suff-ice.

    I was shocked that we recently convinced her to finally try a Prosecco and she loved it! Baby steps .

  • Julian // Jun 9, 2009 at 11:34 am

    Which makes me wonder if Babycham won’t be coming back staglike now that factory pear cider is being thrust upon us more and more.

    If we get another spell of hot weather, though, I think Prosecco in the fridge isn’t such a bad idea at all. I’ll have to give the Ice a trial before I make comparisons.

  • Laurent Richet // Jun 12, 2009 at 1:48 am

    Honestly! Is that true?
    If they are going to change the name Prosecco to Glera, they will need to do a big marketing to re-introduce the wine to the world as people have been drinking prosecco for ever now and they don’t like when things change.

  • Elke // Jun 13, 2009 at 10:52 am

    I always wonder, why fix something that ain’t broken. I agree with Laurent, they will have to come up with a big bang marketing event to make sure that Glera doesn’t sit on the shelf gathering dust.

    Been to see Austin and he showed me the new Prosecco – sounded yum but have to save a few bobs….quite a stiff price for a prosecco…..but he told me that it is an amazing one…so I might be back soon.

    Elke

  • Julian // Jun 13, 2009 at 10:52 am

    Hello Laurent,

    I was surprised too, and reported what I’d read without doing any further research. I was reasonably confident of my source and thought it would make a talking point either way.

    A quick search just now led me to Tom Cannavan’s helpful and authoritative article here.

    I don’t think anyone will be rushing to put ‘Glera’ on their bottles, though; wines entitled to be called ‘Prosecco’ by virtue of their provenance will continue to carry that very saleable badge, while growers of Glera elsewhere in Italy or the world will not be able to cash in on the Prosecco name.

    This doesn’t pose too many problems as long as consumers make their purchasing decisions purely on the merits of what’s in the bottle.

    Unfortunately, this hardly ever happens, for one reason because few of us ever have the chance to taste before we buy; for another, because we’re all strongly influenced by brands and their connotations in many and various unsuspected ways that prejudice us on the whole against, e.g., fortified red wines that resemble port; traditional method sparkling wines that resemble champagne; &c., &c.

  • Julian // Jun 13, 2009 at 11:00 am

    Hello Elke,

    We were typing at the same time there.

    The only people offering us Glera will be those outside the traditional home of Prosecco – and, as we all seem to agree, if they’ve any sense they’ll come up with a different name for it entirely if they’re looking for sales.

    We’re very pleased with the Bosca – it’s been immediately popular, to some extent just because it is a Prosecco. The extra stiffening in the price is not least due to the fact that it’s stoppered with a mushroom cork, which fact – as you know – means that the government collects €4.92 in duty instead of the €2.46 applicable to the same volume of normal strength wine under screwcap, traditional cork, &c.

    If we come up with a Prosecco sealed with the string spago closure you’ll find on our Raboso (which it would be inaccurate to describe as ‘pink Prosecco’, I hasten to add), you may be sure we’ll add it to the list with all speed, once we like the drinking of it.

  • Andy // Jun 14, 2009 at 9:02 am

    While this seems to bring a great disadvantage to those who can no longer market their juices under the “Prosecco” name, it is a remarkable change happening.

    It is like facial tissues long since called Kleenex, whether you actually have a “kleenex” or other brand…

    Having said that: this is a great break through for the Prosecco region and other wine regions might do well to find ways to leverage this for their specific regions.

Leave a Comment