Trade plays down potential Prosecco shortage

The wine trade are downplaying speculation that there may be a shortage of Prosecco due to a difficult 2014 vintage which saw prolonged rain and cold weather. Part of the potential problem lies in the rising global demand for the Italian sparkling wine. Last year Prosecco sales overtook Champagne selling 307m bottles vs 304m.

Andy Shaw, buying director at drinks wholesaler Bibendum PLB, said he was relatively relaxed about the amount of Prosecco available, albeit prices have risen. He said they had sufficient volumes to satisfy our current customer requirements and were being offered more Prosecco volumes on a daily basis. Regulatory changes also mean there will be more volumes on the market from the 2015 vintage.

Producers in the higher grade DOCG areas were less affected by last year’s rain which hit mainly DOC producers. The trade body for Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore said the 2014 harvest in the DOCG area was standard in terms of quantity.