The likes of Follador and Bisol will have to continue to improve brand value through careful marketing and distribution, but having the bigger companies recognise the importance of DOCG could be even more telling for its future.
Paying attention
Right now, less than 5% of Zonin’s output is DOCG wine. “Our experience is that more and more markets will pay attention to DOCG in the future,” says Tuzzi. “To keep the level of Zonin’s reputation high in 10 years we need to achieve 15% DOCG.”
As a product, prosecco has been one of the great consumer success stories of recent times – and if consumers start to get serious about the serious end of prosecco, prices need to rise to match their expectations. The key prosecco markets of the US, the UK and northern Europe are price conscious – and that’s not to say their consumers don’t pay high prices, they just need to understand why they are paying them.
The producers of prosecco hills might not see the comparison with champagne but, in terms of building value and reputation in the minds of consumers, that is the blueprint.
For prosecco’s success story to reach its second chapter, the DOCG’s must get across its quality credentials. There is little doubt to those that have experienced it, Conegliano Valdobbiadene is home to one of the world’s finest sparkling wines.
