Prosecco DOC to get bigger

To ensure it is able to meet future demand, the Prosecco DOC Consortium confirmed at the London Wine Fair this week that it will be increasing DOC vineyards within the region by 3,000 hectares. This will mean the limit of hectares of vines for the production of Prosecco DOC will rise from 20,000 to 23,000. Luca Giavi, director general, said the additional plantings would enable production to increase by around 10 to 15% over the next three years, with the consortium already forecasting production growth of 15 to 20% for the 2016 harvest.

2015 was a record harvest, which saw a 50% increase vs 2014 when shortages were feared. They estimate production of 450 million bottles up from 306 million in 2014.

Efforts by the Prosecco DOC to ensure the region can keep up with demand will be welcome news to the UK market, where Prosecco consumption increased by 48% between 2014 and 2015. Brits currently buy one in every five bottles of DOC Prosecco produced, making the UK the leading export market.