The modern history of the world’s most exciting and dull wine was kick-started by one of the gloomy moments of our times – the 2008 financial crash and a visionary bureaucrat.
Most professional sommeliers who participated in a large-scale professional blind tasting of this wine may encounter a common problem – running out of words to describe it. After a dozen samples of this incredibly dull and monotonous wine, the differences in taste and aroma from sample to sample will likely be imagined rather than found! It’s a kin to comparing twin brothers.
Of course, I’m talking about wine, which is one of the most significant industry phenomena of the 21st century. The production and consumption of this wine grew 20-fold in the past 20 years. If you’re reading this article, you likely drank it before many times, and any wine-drinker sipped it once. It’s “Prosecco!”
The Ugly Duckling
It’s interesting to note that Prosecco was virtually unknown at the start of the 21st century. It’ll be futile to find information about this wine before 2006 because very little has been written about it in wine literature, wine lists, or even on the internet. The Prosecco wine category, reflecting the name of the region where these bubbles come from, didn’t exist on the market the way we know it today.
It wasn’t, and it couldn’t be on the radar of wine critics and other industry professionals. The Prosecco as a grape variety, not the region, was mentioned by the top authorities of the wine world, such as Jancis Robinson in her book “Oxford Companion to Wine” (2006 Edition) and Hugh Johnson’s “The World Atlas of Wine,” with little enthusiasm for the unremarkable wine made from Prosecco grape.
So what happened in the first decade of the 1st century that launched Prosecco into stardom and made it enormously successful?
“Cinderella” Story
Prosecco’s success was a combination of market forces and, surprisingly, government regulations. Hard to believe, but forward-thinking government policies were one of the main contributors to the birth of Prosecco phenomena, dispelling the belief that “the market will sort everything out on its own, and the state should not interfere at all!”
While financial gurus analyze sophisticated data sets and look at graphs to predict the next recession, winemakers and wineries can foresee it a year in advance. How?
The large buyers (wholesalers, supermarket chains, etc.) try to stay ahead of the consumer’s demand. In a downturn economy, people turn to cheaper wine, and when buyers for the stores place orders for the next harvest, they pick more affordable wines from the winery portfolio. Winemakers have no choice but to adapt to stay afloat during the economic downturns.
By 2007 (the whole year before the financial crash), several well-known producers in the Veneto region (primarily Bisol) began to adapt to softening demand and look for new markets.
During the 2008 financial crisis, Italian producers adapted to English consumers’ increased focus on spending by offering British distributors and retailers inexpensive Italian sparkling wine, priced at only six to seven pounds, unlike other wines, which started at 10-12 pounds. These wines were similar in taste, regardless of the producer or label, and were all made from the main grape variety called Prosecco. The label’s main focus was its brand rather than the word “Prosecco.”
The wine was appealing to consumers. It was affordable, consistent in quality, sweetish, and easy to drink. It gained popularity in sparkling wine-based cocktails, such as the most popular worldwide Aperol Spritz. If someone doesn’t like Aperol, they can use Campari or Fernet-Branca instead. The wine still had no common name and wasn’t as Prosecco as we know it today. It was often blended with other varieties and labeled accordingly. Prosecco’s name wasn’t prominently printed on the label, keeping the focus on the producer’s name. However, at this point, the Italian government became involved.
Fortunately for the Prosecco region, in 2008, Luca Zaia, a native of Treviso and a graduate of the winemaking school in Conegliano-Valdobbiadene (often humorously referred to as the “Prosecco University” today), was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture. He clearly realized the potential for his home region in terms of money, jobs, taxes, and employment. This included the complete protection of the “Prosecco” name and regional monopolization of the production of the increasingly popular wine. At this point, other countries started producing similarly styled wines and using the Prosecco name on the label.
Within two years, Luca Zaia navigated through the relevant EU committees, leveraging reforms to standardize wine names on labels. As a result, the word “Prosecco” no longer represented the name of a grape variety. According to existing laws, it was not possible to “protect” the name of a grape variety; there can’t be a region called “Merlot” or a region called “Chardonnay.” To address this, the “old historical” name Glera was proposed (and effectively almost invented) and legalized, first in Italy and then in the EU), now the official name. This removed the obstacle and established protection for the “geographical region of Prosecco.”
This event was not without controversy – for instance, Australian winemakers still do not acknowledge this “usurpation of the name” to this day. Nevertheless, Luca Zaia was undeterred – he successfully registered the Prosecco region in the EU, prohibited using the word for wines produced outside the appellation, and brought all producers together under a single name. As a result, bottles and even cans of wine now bear this common name on their labels.
Prosecco broke into the American market with the Rich Prosecco advertising campaign that featured Paris Hilton. Although this stirred mixed reactions among Italian winemakers, it undeniably significantly increased the wine’s recognition among the general public.
Your Excellency Dullness
The rest is what we call a history of success! With the growing interest in sparkling wines and an increase in sparkling wine sales worldwide, big winemaking companies got in on the action by acquiring large plots of land in the registered Prosecco zone and started producing a ton of wine. Companies like Martini, Cinzano, Gancia, Valdo, and others really pushed Prosecco into the spotlight.
In a way, Prosecco has become the go-to choice for bubble lovers, much like Coca-Cola for soda drinkers. People love it and know what to expect: regardless of the brand, it tastes the same. When they just want a delightful, fresh, sparkling wine for the summer that’s easy-going, slightly sweet, and super aromatic, they reach for Prosecco. As a result, Prosecco has taken over the sparkling wine market worldwide, with annual production exceeding 600 million bottles of wine. It’s unsurprising that it’s hardly unique at those volumes and explains why even somms have difficulty sensing the difference between most producers.
Treasure Island
“Of course, some wine enthusiasts might ask, “What about the hill of Cartizze and other ‘rives’ (hill slopes with top-quality vineyards within the Prosecco region) or Millesimatto (vintage Prosecco) that produce highly sophisticated and delicate wines?”
Regarding the best Prosecco wines, they are in a similar situation to top Spanish Cava producers. In the Prosecco region, like in the Cava region of Spain, top producers compete with the abundance of cheap “standard” Prosecco or Cava respectively.
Since the top Prosecco DOCG and basic Prosecco DOC one bear the same name, regular consumers must know why they would want to pay two, three, and sometimes four times as much for the wine that tastes the same regardless of the producer. They are most likely to decide based on price when they see two Prosecco bottles next to each other for $12 and $26, for example.
When an average consumer sees Conegliano Valdobbiadene – Prosecco DOCG, Cartizze Prosecco Superiore Asolo DOCG, those long extra words tell them little unless they are like you read our posts or belong to our wine club and know the difference.
In the future, top-quality Prosecco winemakers may follow the same path as the founding fathers of Corpinnat – a unique wine category created by quality-minded Spanish producers to distance themselves from cheap, boring Cava. This will lead to a completely different story.
Prosecco-liscious
Snobbiness aside, Prosecco is a food-versatile wine that pairs well with many dishes, from carnivores to vegan diets and desserts.
Even at a basic level, the sweetness may vary from off-dry to medium sweet, especially if you avoid large producers and get a bottle above $16.
Prosecco goes well with lighter appetizers including some of our favorites like Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad or Goat Cheese Bites. They are sweet and salty and meant to be paired with creamy and lightly sweet Prosecco. If you are a vegetarian, try it with Tofu or a Japanese Potato and Red Pepper dish.
On the carnivore side, it pairs well with lighter meats and poultry. The sweetness in Prosecco balances the heat in Spicy Riesling Pork and compliments the natural sweetness of the meat. The drier or even Brut-style Prosecco can go equally well with a Rack of Lamb or halibut stewed with caramelized onions. The acidity in the wine cuts through the richness of those dishes and lands a stone fruit layer to dishes.
Another pescatarian option could be Scallops with Pomegranate Sauce. Here, as well as spicy sushi off-dry and medium sweet Prosecco might be a better option to withstand a richer flavor profile or spiciness.
We’re writing this post in late September, and squashes and pumpkins are becoming part of the diet. It’s hard to overestimate how well Prosecco works with something like Butternut Squash Soup or any of the Pumpkin Recipes.
Lastly, if you feel adventurous, try it with Olivier Salad? It can be made in carnivore, vegetarian, and even vegan versions and works spectacularly well with drier Prosecco.
Please let us know in the comments below if you learned something new today about Prosecco or would like to add anything to our post.
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