On 19 November 2009 the Consortium for the Protection of the Prosecco DOC was born in Treviso the wine that has become an ambassador of Made in Italy wine in the world, which in ten years has literally exploded both in the Italian market and in international markets to the point that this year it will cross the production milestone of 485 million bottles.
Ten years later, the event that certainly changed the numbers of Italian production and exports comes celebrated in the category of "Excellencies of the productive and economic system" of Poste Italiane which issued a commemorative stamp dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the Prosecco DOC. In particular, it is a postal paper, printed by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato SpA in a circulation of one million copies, which depicts vineyards with the Alps in the background, a typical Italian landscape of the north-east evocative, in particular, of Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto, where Prosecco DOC is produced. The logo of the tenth anniversary of the Consortium for the protection of the Prosecco Controlled Designation of Origin is also reproduced at the top left. The legend “CONSORZIO TUTELA PROSECCO DOC”, the word “ITALIA” and the tariff indication “B” complete the stamp.
Stefano Zanette, president of the Consortium, in a press conference, retraced the history of the worldwide success of Prosecco, which just a few months after that July 17th which sanctioned the Denomination of Controlled Origin, started an unstoppable process of quantitative and qualitative growth which in 2018 can be summed up in over 464 million bottles for a value of 2,4 billion euros.
"We started with a production that didn't reach 142 million bottles – said the president Zanette – to attest, after a decade, to more than tripled numbers which, according to our projections, should close 2019 with 485 million units. A leap of +242% which well summarizes our commitment in terms of quality and promotion, hand in hand with that for the protection of the Prosecco name. An intense road full of results that today translates into worldwide success, prestigious cultural and sporting partnerships and above all the creation of many jobs and a fundamental contribution to the Italian trade balance, given that 75% of our bottles are exported for a value of 1,8 billion euros”.
To take the lion's share on the front of Outlet countries, in particular, Great Britain which covers almost 28,7% of the export quota, followed by the United States (22,5%), Germany (11,9%) and France (5,2%). Looking instead at the domestic market, the North West registers a 37% share, the North East 30%, the Center 19%, while the remaining 14% belongs to the South and the Islands. All thanks to a system that works on 24.450 hectares of vineyards and which has 11.102 manufacturing companies, 1.211 winemaking companies and 348 sparkling wine companies located in 9 provinces between Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia.
From London to Montreal, from St. Petersburg to New York, from Hamburg to Beijing, Prosecco DOC has been appreciated because it embodies all the freshness, elegance and dynamism of the Italian lifestyle in the world. "A global resonance - underlines a note from the Consortium - the result of the ability to know how to reconcile the international vision with the deep bond with one's territory of origin, which translates into: continuous effort on product innovation and its cultivation systems and winemaking, under the banner of quality; cohesion and unity of purpose between producers; constant and growing commitment to environmental, social and economic sustainability”. In fact, it should be emphasized that the Prosecco DOC Protection Consortium supports and promotes productions with environmental certification such as organic and integrated (SQNPI.) and aims at the ambitious goal of territorial certification for the denomination thanks to the unique Equalitas standard type. In order to increase the beauty and biodiversity of the denomination, the creation of hedges and groves is also promoted with the Mosaico Verde project, which already has 2018 hectares under its assets, only for the 76,7 plantings (we are talking about a line one meter wide and 760 km long) of certified hedges, which must be maintained.
