No Shortage: Prosecco drinkers have nothing to fear
Date£º
2016-05-05 14:04 Source£º
harpers.co.uk Author:
Erin Smith Translator:
The president of the Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC, which is the leading body of producers in Prosecco wanted to reassure Prosecco drinkers that there will be enough Prosecco to meet demand this year, but prices for suppliers are rising.
¡°The shortage is a false problem. There was a problem in 2014 that was caused by poor weather that resulted in production being down and we could not meet the demand. There was a lot of rain and it was cool. But in 2015 there were 50% more grapes than 2014, with 4.5 million quintals of suitable grapes being harvested,¡± said Stefano Zanette, the president of the Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC.
This is good news for Prosecco drinkers in the UK which is the largest export market for Prosecco DOC wines. According to Zanette 70% of the wines produced are exported and of that figure 35% is destined for the UK.
¡°Exports increased 23% by volume and 24.5% in value last year,¡± said Zanette. The value increase reflected the increased demand globally and the consortium upped the price of Prosecco to try and balance supply and demand. ¡°The consortium took action to ensure that production was able to meet supply. But I don¡¯t foresee there being another price increase similar to last year,¡± said Zanette.
Robin Copestick, managing director of Copestick Murray, which produces the I heart Proseccco brand and Mionetto has seen enormous growth for both his brands in recent years. ¡°Prosecco has been huge for us. I heart Porsecco is the number one Prosecco brand in the impulse channel and is still growing. Mionetto sales have increase ten-fold in a single year,¡± said Copestick.
According to Copestick who saw price increases on average of about 20% last year, said: ¡°Demand is up globally, not just in the UK. There is a lot of demand in the US as well. There is no shortage now, but there could be possible price increases in the years to come. There seems to be a feeling that if prices remained the same, that there could be a shortage in the future.¡±
For Zanette he wants to see producers continue to focus on quality and despite the enormous success Prosecco wants them to remember to grow sustainably. ¡°It is not good to grow too fast. You have to protect the quality of the product. So we need to calm down and make sure we are growing in a smart way. We need to rationally grow.¡±