On June 3, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and Macao together with the Prosecco DOC Consortium hosted “Prosecco DOC – The Italian Sparkling Art of Living” at Terrazza Italian Restaurant at Galaxy Macau. The event gathered enthusiasts for a night of fun networking and sampling a number of fantastic Prosecco DOCs including Val d’Oca, Ponte 1948, De Stefani and La Marca.
The event was part of “Prosecco Week”, a comprehensive tour taking place in June throughout different Asian cities including Macau, Hong Kong, Xiamen, Beijing, and Shanghai, aimed at enhancing Prosecco DOC awareness among the local food and beverage businesses and creating meaningful connections.
The Prosecco DOC Consortium (Consorzio di Tutela della Denominazione di Origine Controllata Prosecco) was established in 2009 to coordinate and manage the Prosecco DOC production. The organisation unites wineries, individual and associated vinegrowers, wine producers and sparkling wine houses to ensure the designation continues to grow and that the production regulations are complied with.
“Our consortium is based in Treviso, Italy, a small village north of Venice in the Veneto region which is the heart of Prosecco production,” says Tanja Barattin, Marketing Manager for the Consortium. “Our appellation is linked to a specific territory which includes the village of Prosecco in North-east Italy, and thanks to this little village, we have been able to brand the area of Prosecco DOC production in nine provinces and two regions, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. We represent more than 12,000 grape growers and 1,200 winemakers so we are a big family!”
In 2023, the region produced 616 million bottles of Prosecco DOC, more than double the production of Champagne. Eighty percent of Prosecco is exported, mostly to the UK, Europe and the US.
“Prosecco DOC is the biggest sparkling wine appellation in the world in terms of production and consumption. It is very fresh, lively and fruity and has a good balance of acidity and sugar. There are different typologies, some sweet and some dry, and it’s very easy to drink, to pair with food and to mix with cocktails. Prosecco DOC really is a symbol of the Italian lifestyle. In our region, it’s a part of our daily lives,” explains Tanja.
Prosecco DOC wines come in Spumante (sparkling), Frizzante (semi-sparkling) and Tranquillo (still) varieties. The wines are made from mainly the Glera grape, native to Northeast Italy for thousands of years, and can be combined with a maximum of 15% of the other grapes. Prosecco Frizzante and Spumante varieties get their famous bubbles using the Secondary Fermentation production method, bottled under high pressure after fermentation in bulk tanks called autoclaves.
The end result is a brilliant straw yellow wine with fine, persistent perlage and aromas of white flowers, apple and pear. It is fresh and elegant on the palate with moderate alcoholic strength.
In 2020, the production of Prosecco DOC Rosé was authorised, made from at least 85% Glera and 10-15% Pinot Nero only in the Spumante and features aromas of white flowers, notes of apple and citrus, and scents of strawberry and raspberry.
