Prosecco is about to turn pink, which the Prosecco DOC Consorzio hopes can help the industry at a particularly tough time.
The new DOC category, Prosecco DOC Rosé was “unanimously approved by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies National Wine Committee” early this month, according to a statement from the Consorzio.
The new Prosecco Rosé will be Glera blended with between 10% and 15% of Pinot Nero, with a colour that is “pink, more or less intense, shining, and with a persistent foam”. As for sugar level, the wines will range from Brut Nature to Extra Dry – and the Consorzio estimates Prosecco Rosé production could hit up to 30m bottles a year.
Rosé, both still and sparkling, has been storming up the popularity chart in recent years. According to wine site VinePair, rosé sales in the US remain strong, despite the pandemic. VinePair quotes Nielsen data as showing that off-premise sales increased by almost 300% between January 2016 and January 2020.
Stefano Zanette, president of the Consorzio, offered a thank you to “all those who have contributed to obtaining this important result, in a moment particularly tough for the wine industry”.
Prosecco DOC wines are sold as Spumante or sparkling, Frizzante or semi-sparkling and Tranquillo, or still. The wines are made from Glera, which can be blended with up to 15% of other, specified grapes, including Verdiso, Perera, Glera Lunga, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Nero.
Prosecco was granted Controlled Designation of Origin status on 17 July 2009. The wine is produced in Northeast Italy, in the area spanning nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions.
