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Australian wine producers from the state of Victoria have lobbied the Australian Parliament in Canberra to be allowed to continue using the brand name Prosecco for their sparkling wines. Talks are currently underway between the EU and the Australian government on a possible free trade agreement, which will also decide the future of Prosecco. The Italian Prosecco DOC protection consortium wants to claim the Prosecco brand exclusively for itself on the Australian market. Already in July this year, the Italians succeeded in having the brand protected in New Zealand and China.
However, the Australian vintners point out that they have been cultivating the Prosecco grape variety even before the Prosecco DOC appellation was created in 2009 and the grape variety name was changed from Prosecco to Glera. Many wineries planted vineyards with Prosecco vines in the 1990s and 2000s. In the past five years, sales of Australian-made Prosecco have risen from $60 million to $200 million today.
The European Commission reported significant progress in discussions on geographical indications in general after the latest round of face-to-face trade talks with Australian representatives in October. "Positions on resolving conflicts over prior use have converged," EU Commission representatives said. However, until a final decision is made, Australian wineries continue to fight, as re-branding and renaming the grape variety to Glera would cost them millions.
(ru / Source: Decanter; Photo: 123rf.com)