Exports of Italian sparkling wines grew in both volume and value, with record-breaking results for the Prosecco Denomination
New York, July, 2022 – The Prosecco DOC Consortium has revealed promising data from recent market research, carried out by Nomisma. The study focused on the consumption of Italian sparkling wines in the US market, with a particular focus on sales of Prosecco.
According to Nomisma’s results, the value of Italian sparkling wines imported in the US reached about 519 million dollars, an increase of 19.1 percent compared to 2019.
California imported more Italian sparkling wine than any other state in 2021, by value, at approx. 79 million dollars, followed by Pennsylvania (approx. 63 million dollars), Florida (approx. 61 million dollars), Texas (approx. 59 million dollars), New Jersey (approx. 56 million dollars), and New York (approx. 55 million dollars).
Pennsylvania became the second most important state in terms of the value of imports of Italian sparkling wine, with a 120 percent increase over 2019. An opposite trend emerged for New York, where the category’s imports dropped by 19.1 percent. However, regulations and trade relations between different states can affect the data, as Pennsylvania could have potentially redistributed bottles in New York.
The Prosecco Denomination was particularly preeminent in the US market as exports in 2021 greatly exceeded previous volume and value records. The study revealed that 25,5 million gallons of Prosecco PDO were exported to the US in 2021 – an increase of 44.3 percent over the previous year and of 40.30 percent over 2019 – and today the country absorbs 17.4 percent of the total production of Prosecco.
This is a remarkable result considering that the total volume of Prosecco’s exports amounted to 17,6 million gallons in 2019 and decreased by 2.72 percent in 2020. Italy was the second largest exporter of sparkling wines with a total export value of over 1.8 billion dollars, with Prosecco performing best within the category. Prosecco accounted for over 1.3 billion dollars with a growth in value of 26 percent compared to 2019.
Prosecco DOC Rosé has played a crucial role in the growth of the denomination, and in 2021, according to data officially released by the Prosecco DOC Consortium, 71.5 million bottles were produced.
These achievements are attributed to the tireless work that the Consortium has carried out consistently over the past ten years to improve the quality of the production, as well as addressing social sustainability and environmental issues, elevating the territory and the image of the denomination.
The plan for the future is ambitious with new goals and visions, which will allow the Prosecco DOC Consortium to involve as many players as possible.
On the horizon is another initiative for the Consortium, the fifth National Prosecco Week – a nationwide campaign developed with Colangelo & Partners – taking place from July 18 to 24, 2022, with both digital and in-person experiences. National Prosecco Week is a unique occasion to learn more about these extremely versatile wines. The campaign will showcase the versatility and pairability of each wine within the category, elaborate on the growing Prosecco DOC Rosé category, and educate media, trade and consumers on how to identify authentic Prosecco DOC.
About Prosecco DOC
Prosecco DOC wines come in Spumante (sparkling), Frizzante (semi-sparkling) and Tranquillo (still) varieties. The wines are made from mainly the Glera grape, native to North East Italy for thousands of years, and can be combined with a maximum of 15% of the following grapes: Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, Glera lunga, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Nero. Prosecco Frizzante and Spumante varieties get their famous bubbles using the Secondary Fermentation production method, bottled under high pressure after fermentation in bulk tanks called autoclaves, as opposed to the traditional method, which bypasses the autoclaves and is used for other sparkling wine varieties. The end result is a brilliant straw yellow wine with fine, persistent perlage and aromas of white flowers, apple and pear. It is fresh and elegant on the palate with moderate alcoholic strength.
From August 11, 2020, the competent bodies (Italian Ministry of Agriculture) have allowed the production of Prosecco DOC Rosé, made from at least 85% Glera and 10-15% Pinot Nero only in the Spumante (sparkling) version and with the drier styles (from Brut Nature to Extra Dry). Prosecco DOC Rosé undergoes a longer second fermentation in the autoclaves (60 days as opposed to 30 days for Prosecco DOC), has a pale pink color and a fine and persistent perlage, and features aromas of white flowers, notes of apple and citrus, and scents of strawberry and raspberry. For more information regarding Prosecco DOC and Prosecco DOC Rosé, visit http://www.casaprosecco.
