How Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco is Leading the Way in Combatting Climate Change

Prosecco, Italy’s wildly popular sparking wine, comes from the beautiful Gorizia, Pordenone, Trieste and Udine provinces in Friuli Venezia Giulia and Belluno, Padua, Treviso, Venice and Vicenza in the Veneto, all in northeastern Italy. Wines from this large production are simple, fruity and lightly sweet sparkling wines with bubbles created in tank, not in the bottle as in Champagne or Cava production. The bubbles are therefore slightly larger and not as long lasting. However, a bottle of Prosecco starts at $10 whereas a bottle of Champagne starts at $40. According to online wine retailer Drizly Prosecco saw a 26% growth in market share from December 2021 to December 2022, while Champagne saw a 6% decrease. Even before the pandemic, Prosecco replaced many Champagne by the glass options. During the pandemic, its sales boomed even more as people stayed home and could more easily have alcohol delivered.

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Colbertaldo photo courtesy of the consorzio

As with other wine regions, there are specific sub-zones here with significantly better growing conditions that yield higher quality fruit. Nestled between Venice to the south and the Dolomites to the north, the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG of the Veneto represents the qualitative pinnacle of the Prosecco landscape.

Steep hillsides and river banks of the Piave and the Livenza rivers give Conegliano Valdobbiadene a geographic advantage to ripening Prosecco’s grape, Glera, allowing for the production of more complex, elegant and expressive versions.

In 2019, Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene was recognized for its outstanding natural value and named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These hills, or colline, are the historic ciglioni, or “hogback” hills, small vineyard blocks that blanket the terrain both vertically and horizontally, giving the famous checkerboard pattern.

Sustainability Efforts in the Region

Diego Tomasi, Direttore del Consorzio di Tutela photo courtesy of the consorzio

Recognizing the dangers of global warming and over development, the Consorzio, or association, of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, with over 200 growers and 3,000 producers, under the direction of Dr. Diego Tomasi, a researcher since 1990, is leaning into holistic sustainability.

Aside from being the first region in Italy and one of the first worldwide to establish a total ban on glyphosate in 2019, 54% of the wineries adhere to the System for Integrated Production (SQNPI), 24% of all companies are embracing renewable energies, and the number of wineries using eco-friendly closures, labels and packaging is growing. The SQNPI protocols speak not only to clean farming, but to the health of vineyard workers, animals, plants, resources and the economic sustainability of business plans.

The region is encouraging smaller vehicles and trucks powered by electricity, not fossil fuel, a shift away from nitrogen, and promoting the presence of bees, who are very sensitive to pollution. In fact the presence of a bee on the back label indicates a “biodistrict” or organic farm. It is clear that Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene is leading the path towards sustainability. Setting the bar with a roadmap and protocols, hopefully producers in the larger Prosecco area will follow suit.