Prosecco producers will soon be able to simultaneously tap into the sparkling and rosé trends. The Prosecco DOC Consortium announced on May 21 that the proposal to amend the disciplinary rules for producing Prosecco DOC—including the introduction of Prosecco DOC Rosé—was unanimously approved by Italy’s Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies’ National Wine Committee.
The measure and the following Ministerial Decree now await publication in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic. The decree will formalize the modification at national level by launching the community procedure, which will end with the definitive publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
To label Prosecco DOC as rosé, producers will have to follow specific rules:
- Grape varieties: glera and 10% to 15% pinot nero.
- Yields: 18 tons/hectare for glera and 13.5 tons/hectare for pinot nero.
- Second fermentation—Martinotti/Charmat method: minimum of 60 days.
- Sales will be allowed from Jan. 1 after the harvest.
- Color: pink more or less intense, shining, and with a persistent foam.
- Residual sugar: from brut nature to extra dry.
- The label will have to state the word “Millesimato” and the vintage (minimum of 85% of the grapes from that year).
Stefano Zanette, president of the Prosecco DOC Consortium, thanked “all those who have contributed to obtaining this important result, in a moment particularly tough for the wine industry.” The Consortium estimates that the total production of rosé prosecco could reach 30 million bottles per year.
