Posted on 12/27/2023 5:21:03 PM PST by nickcarraway
Prosecco has a geographical destination label, meaning it must be produced in one of only 2 Italian regionsto be truly given that name. Especially with New Year’s Eve just around the corner it’s worth noting that anything else is just sparkling wine.
The Italian DOC Consortium has even launched an advertising campaign in London aimed at drinkers: “This is not prosecco. Don’t call it prosecco if it is an ordinary sparkling wine”, say the posters displayed on London’s underground.
15 million people targeted The message can be found in more than 80 locations throughout the English capital: as the Daily Telegraph explained, more than 15 million people will see it during the 2-week campaign, which began on December18. The campaign is by the Prosecco DOC Consortium, which represents Italy’s prosecco producers, a favourite tipple which has been protected by EU legislation since 2009.
Most Read on Euro Weekly News
Nationwide drought reveals ‘Spanish Stonehenge’
Spain Considers Relaxing 90-Day Stay Limit
Spain sees surge in Covid and flu: masks and teleworking are back The drink has a geographical denomination (DOC) label, which means that the wine must be produced in one of 2 Italian regions, Veneto or Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Previous to 2009, any sparkling wine made from prosecco grapes could claim the name. In the consortium’s annual statement, attention was drawn to the legal victory against Australian producers at the Singapore Court of Appeal to allow the name Prosecco to be used only for wines of Italian origin.
Protect ‘prosecco’ from abuse As the Daily Telegraph reported, Australian producers have been making sparkling wine from the glera, the prosecco grape, since 2001, and disagreements over the term have proved a sticking point in free trade agreements with the EU. In 2020, the Australian government funded a project to examine the validity of the protected geographical indication. Stefano Zanette, of the Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC, said, “It is a tradition for us to carry out an international communication campaign at the end of the year, to emphasise the consolidated role of Prosecco DOC in the celebrations”.
Diego Tomasi, of the Consorzio Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, also emphasised the need to protect the designation ‘prosecco’ from abuse. “Any attempt to imitate or evoke the name must be firmly opposed”, said Tomasi. However, according to analysis by IWSR the global benchmark for alcohol beverage data, in the last 5 years, British drinkers have turned away from prosecco and towards other sparkling wines. Perhaps now is the moment for Spanish Cava to shine in the spotlight.
Britain opted out of the EU. Tell them to pound sand.
CC
I’m not sure that’s relevant. Sparkling wine in the U.S. isn’t called Champagne?
In response I would pose with a bottle of sparkling cider and call it appley Prosecco and revel in the screams of outrage.
Same principle, Champagne is a growing region in France, same as Cognac for example. You can’t use the name or else get sued silly. For the most part Prosecco is a junk wine, low in alcohol and on the sweet side. It is commonly used in Mimosas, that’s how bad it often is.
It’s a type of wine, independent of the territory where it was first made. It’s like saying “cola”. Many soft drink companies make colas. Coca-Cola lost a lawsuit nearly a century ago that claimed only their product could be called “cola”. All prosecco means is “very dry” in Italian. The territory where the original is made is trying to declare that only their version can be called “prosecco”. They’re trying to supress competition.
CC
I’m sure drinkers care absolutely zippo where their bubbly originated, or what it’s called.
Just as true champagne can only come from the Champagne region of France.
Some years ago, a company tried to market a mobile phone called a Chatbox in France. But no one over there bought it. Turns out the name means "cat box" in French.
Did the U.K. sure the entire bee population of the world for having queens?
Yes, a pizza should have rose water and sugar on it to be a proper pizza. :eyeroll:
You are right; prosecco is crap. If you want to drink a tasty Italian sparkling wine, go get some Asti Spumante.
How bout when they just simplify the spelling, thinking that makes everything okay?
Also, American English is full of words that used to be trade names and can now be used any old way anyone wishes.
God bless Italy. They have more than their share of foods/wines that originated in particular cities/towns/regions and they have admirably tried to protect that heritage, though with mixed results. Years ago, they made a big stink along the lines of “Where do you get off calling your cheese ‘Parmesan’ if it’s not from Parma?” But where does it stop? Bologna not made in Bologna? Genoa salami not made in Genoa? Neapolitan ice cream not made in Naples? At the same time, the British are no strangers to this game. Try calling your blue cheese “Stilton” if it’s not from the Stilton area and see how far you get
The funny thing is that the legal defense of the trademarks has done nothing to keep people from using the names generically. I always use Kleenex and Xerox as generics.
And who would ever call Gotti the Polytetrafluoroethylene Don?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.