Italy is rowing with Croatia over the name Prosecco as Croatia attempts to get EU-protected label status for its Prošek wine.
Italy and Croatia are at loggerheads over Prosecco’s name after the EU decided last month that it would consider the Croatian request to put the Prošek name on its locally produced wine. "The problem for us is not that these producers, who make a very small number of bottles, enter our market. But it is the confusion it could generate among consumers," Luca Giavi, general director of the Prosecco DOC Consortium, said.
Italy has been protecting Prosecco’s identity since 2009 when it was granted DOC, or denomination of controlled origin, for one area in Veneto, which means the name can be used only if authorised by the Treviso-based Consortium of Prosecco producers. It is similar to the way the French protect the name Champagne.
In 2013, Italy succeeded in blocking Croatia’s first attempt to get the trademark recognised, stating that the name Prošek could confuse Prosecco’s customers. Croatia filed its application in September and Italy has two months to appeal. The dispute will be decided in the coming months.
Prosecco is the world's best-selling sparkling wine by volume, with more than 600 million bottles produced each year, according to the Wine Observatory of Unione Italiana Vini (UIV).
