Italy's winemakers warn British drinkers against 'Prosecco' on tap
"This is not prosecco," warned Italy's consortium of Prosecco producers as it took aim at a version of the popular Italian sparkling wine sold on draught in British pubs.
Italy's consortium of prosecco producers on Monday defended an advertising campaign launched in Britain to warn drinkers that sparkling wine on tap should not be referred to as 'prosecco'.
"The campaign launched in December is aimed at safeguarding the consumer," consortium President Stefano Zanette told Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.
"It's important to know that prosecco can only be sold in bottles and that the sale of wine on draught under the name prosecco is fraudulent".
The Prosecco DOC group used hundreds of posters on the London Underground to warn British drinkers that the 'prosecco' commonly sold in pubs across the UK was in fact just sparkling wine and that the quality of the drink could not be guaranteed.
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“This is not prosecco. Do not call it prosecco if it is a common effervescent wine,” warns the poster, which features a picture of a barrel.
Prosecco has since 2009 had a geographical designation label (DOC), meaning the wine must be produced in one of two Italian regions, Veneto or Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in order to be labelled prosecco.
Sales of prosecco and other Italian sparkling wines have soared both in the UK and in Italy in recent years, though producers warn the drink's increased popularity has brought with it a proliferation of low-quality counterfeit versions.
Zanette said the UK campaign was "in defence of a market which in terms of exports is second only to the USA, with approximately 85.5 million bottles sold from September 2022 to September 2023."
He added that the consortium was now working on "some important changes to the production regulations" concerning packaging and labelling of Italian prosecco.
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Italy's consortium of prosecco producers on Monday defended an advertising campaign launched in Britain to warn drinkers that sparkling wine on tap should not be referred to as 'prosecco'.
"The campaign launched in December is aimed at safeguarding the consumer," consortium President Stefano Zanette told Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.
"It's important to know that prosecco can only be sold in bottles and that the sale of wine on draught under the name prosecco is fraudulent".
The Prosecco DOC group used hundreds of posters on the London Underground to warn British drinkers that the 'prosecco' commonly sold in pubs across the UK was in fact just sparkling wine and that the quality of the drink could not be guaranteed.
READ ALSO: Are Italians really drinking less wine?
“This is not prosecco. Do not call it prosecco if it is a common effervescent wine,” warns the poster, which features a picture of a barrel.
Prosecco has since 2009 had a geographical designation label (DOC), meaning the wine must be produced in one of two Italian regions, Veneto or Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in order to be labelled prosecco.
Sales of prosecco and other Italian sparkling wines have soared both in the UK and in Italy in recent years, though producers warn the drink's increased popularity has brought with it a proliferation of low-quality counterfeit versions.
Zanette said the UK campaign was "in defence of a market which in terms of exports is second only to the USA, with approximately 85.5 million bottles sold from September 2022 to September 2023."
He added that the consortium was now working on "some important changes to the production regulations" concerning packaging and labelling of Italian prosecco.
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