UDINE. Producers, trade associations, politicians: the Northeast of Prosecco, the most famous bubbles in the world, a business of over 500 million bottles a year, makes a wall against Croatia’s claims to register Prosek, a sweet dessert wine, as indication of typical origin. Producers, in particular, arise not so much and not only for the negative effects that the homonymy could have on Prosecco sales, but above all for the precedent that would be created, making the aspiration of who knows how many other small foreign productions dangerously legitimate. to be recognized. This time to the detriment of Italy, who knows in the future.
According to Giancarlo Moretti Polegato, president of Villa Sandi and Borgo Conventi sul Collio, one of the major producers of Prosecco, with over 16 million bottles put on the market in 2020, the game risks having repercussions even beyond the border. “I am thinking of France and Spain, countries that have every interest in supporting us in this controversy, because – he says – in turn they have many excellences to preserve”.
But now it’s up to Italy. «That he will have to defend himself in all possible places. The next 60 days will be decisive. The Consortia – Prosecco Doc, Asolo Prosecco Docg and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Docg – will have to present the necessary objections so that this recognition does not go through. It is not an acceptable thing. It would end up confusing the consumer “complains the entrepreneur, then noting that” it’s true, today Prosek is produced as a sweet wine, but tomorrow? Who tells us that the Croatians don’t start doing it in the sparkling version too? ».
In Friuli Venezia Giulia the leader in the production of Glera-based sparkling wine is Cantina la Delizia, the large cooperative of Casarsa – with over 400 members – which produces just under 15 million bottles of Prosecco a year. “We are alongside the president of the Prosecco Doc Consortium, Stefano Zanette, and we will fight with him so that the recognition of Croatian wine does not go through” says Mirko Bellini, general manager of the Friulian winery, who however looks at risk coldly, as a sailor commercial, who says he is more concerned about the breach that this affair, if ended with a victory for the Croats, could open in the wall of the protection of Italian products.
On the barricades Coldiretti who speaks of «A dangerous precedent». But also “an intervention in total contradiction with a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU which declared illegitimate precisely the scam names that evoke in an instrumental and deceptive way products with a designation of origin recognized and protected by the EU”, says the director regional Cesare Magalini. “This is yet another attempt to plagiarize the success of national Prosecco – observes Magalini – after the attempts unmasked in the past to sell fake Prosecco on tap to canned one”.
Confagricoltura Fvg is also on the same line. «The danger of confusion especially by those who do not know the product (but only the name) is very great and could mislead those who buy it – reads a note from Confagricoltura -. The situation, unfortunately, is the mirror image of that of Tocai. Sales of Prosecco have driven our exports in recent years and even during the pandemic have held up well, in support of the entire production chain in Friuli and Veneto, which cannot be damaged ».