Brutnature, the new name for dry Prosecco awaits approval
The Prosecco DOC Consortium is hoping it will soon be able to use a new description on its labels, Brutnature.
The new descriptor, which is currently awaiting approval from the Italian agriculture ministry, will be applied to Prosecco containing 3g of sugar per litre. Wine with this level of sugar currently sits within the Brut category, which must contain between 0g and 12 g of sugar per litre.
However, the Consortium claims that by giving Prosecco with sugar levels of 3g its own name,and thereby clarifying the different levels of dryness in the wine, sales would be boosted.
"In line with UK consumers increasingly looking towards Brut when drinking Prosecco, the additional level will expand the category for drinkers and clarify exactly what they are buying," Consortium director Luca Giavi told Harpers.
At present, the scale is too all encompassing and does not reflect the different levels between Brut and Extra Dry (12g to 17g), he added.
The Consortium had been working on the project for the past 18 months, and was hoping to receive the go-ahead before the end of 2018, said Giavi. He did concede, however, that making Prosecco with such low sugar levels was "much more difficult".
Sugar, he said, was "like make up, it makes everything more beauitiful and covers up imperfections - less sugar means less flavours and mvoes the drinks away from the traditional characteristics of Prosecco."
This initiative comes in the wake of the phenomenal success of Prosecco, particularly in the UK, and at a time when the region faces increasingly stiff competition from other countries trying to get a slice of the sparkling wine action. Affordable fizz from France, Spain, New Zealand and South America are all growing their market share and encroaching on Prosecco.
Giavi said that while further growth in the UK would be "amazing", the main aim for Prosecco was to "stabilise" and maintain sales after years of sharp growth.
Total off trade sales of Prosecco last year jumped by over 17% to £579.2, in the 52 weeks to July 15 2017 (Neilsen)while the on-trade reported a 60.6% leap in value to £297.5m, with volumes up by a hefty 63.8% (CGA, MAT to mid-June 2017).