Italy gives the go ahead for rosé Prosecco
The Italian government has give the green light for Prosecco producers to make a pink variety of the sparkling wine.
With the backing of the vast majority of Prosecco DOC members, the initiative has finally been given the go ahead, which could see sales of the fizz boosted by as much as 75 million bottles a year.
This will come as welcome news to belaguared producers who have been facing a downfall in sales since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, exacerbated by this year’s cap on production levels at 15 tonnes per ha for Prsoecco DIC and 12 tonnes per hectare for Prosecco DOCG.
“We’re thankful to all those who’ve contributed to gaining such a key result considering the current circumstances, this is particularly important,” said Stefano Zanette, president of the Prosecco DOC Consorzio. Under the new regulations, rosé Prosecco must be made with a Glera base and blended with 10%-15% Pinot Nero, with Brut Nature and Extra Dry being the only permitted styles. The maximum yields for rosé Prosecco are 18 tonnes per hectare for Glera, and 13.5 tonnes per hectare for Pinot Nero.
The wines will be available for sale on January 1st at the earliest and labels must be vintage dated with at least 85% of the fruit coming from the stipulated vintage.
Bosco Viticultir will be one of the first producers to launch a pink Prosecco from the 2019 harvest which will be bottled in December. “There is a temptation to get the wines ready in time for Christmas, but it’s better to take your time and make a quality product than rush it to market,” Bosco’s managing director, Paolo Lasagni, told Drinks Business “Sparkling rosé can often be really heavy and something you’re tired of after a few glasses. We want to move away from that and make something super fresh, which has been the secret to the success of white Prosecco,” Lasagni said, adding he is aiming to produce one million bottles of rosé Prosecco from the 2019 vintage, which will have a retail price of around £10-12.
“It makes sense to make rosé Prosecco as we grow Pinot Noir in the region and it is one of the permitted grape varieties in Prosecco. All of the world’s other top sparkling wine regions, from Champagne to Franciacorta, make rosé."