Australian Prosecco production bucks overall trend and records volumes up by over 40% increased production
Prosecco was one of the few white grape varietals to see an increase in production in Australia, according to the National Vintage Report published yesterday.
While most white grape varieties saw volumes waning, Prosecco bucked the trend, jumping by 42% to 9936 tonnes, leapfrogging into the top 10 white varieties for 2019.
The growth in Prosecco grape production is mirrored in the Australian domestic wine market, where sales of Prosecco have increased by over 100% in the past two years to become the 11th largest varietal by value in the off-trade retail wine market, according to the report.
While grape production and average prices are highest in King Valley, at over $1000/tonne, Prosecco is now being produced across 11 Australian regions.
“It’s great to see Prosecco being embraced by Australian producers and consumers,” said Tony Battaglene, chief executive of Australian Grape & Wine, adding that Australia has been producing great wine from Prosecco gapes for years, which is why they have been working so hard to maintain Australian producers’ rights to grow the variety.
“Not only are the sales of the wine positive, but the average price of grapes is the second highest of any other in the top 10 – almost double that of all other white varieties. At a time when grape and wine businesses in communities across rural and regional Australia are working hard to maintain economic viability, this is a terrific result.
“We have been disappointed by the efforts of the European Union to protect their producers against any competition through subsidies and cynical attempts to create Geographic Indications of grape varieties,” continued Battaglene. “There’s no question about Australian producers’ rights to produce, label and sell Australian Prosecco. Maintaining these rights, and ensuring the investments growers and winemakers have made in the variety are on solid ground all comes down to the outcome of our free trade agreement negotiations with the European Union. We’ve already won the fight in Australia from a legal perspective back in 2013, and we are delighted the Australian Government continues to honour this court ruling and back Australia’s grape growers and winemakers.”
Professor Mark Davison of Monash University’s Law Faculty concurred, citing research published in the Australian Intellectual Property Journal, detailing that Prosecco has been the name of a grape variety since the 18th century, and probably much earlier.
“Trading dubious geographical indications for access to European markets is a shortsighted approach that will negatively affect Australian industry,” he said.