Italian sparkling wines sail with a tailwind as Prosecco Doc heads for Barcolana in Trieste

It is a virtuous circle: sparkling wines are growing, and so is the global “Prosecco phenomenon”, which, as the figures show, is the driving force of Italian wine, with 667 million bottles sold and an estimated consumer value of more than 3.6 billion euros (2025), as well as exports exceeding 82%. It has played a key role in setting records and fueling worldwide enthusiasm for Italian wines in recent years. But there is more to it than that. Its style of consumption, rooted in “lightness” - which WineNews has even praised in a dedicated praise - is precisely what wine lovers, especially younger consumers, appreciate most today, steering consumption toward categories such as Italian sparkling wines. Long since freed from seasonality and embraced as all-meal wines, whether paired with traditional or contemporary cuisine, fresh, light and wellness-oriented, and with or without food pairings, as exemplified by the partnership between Prosecco Doc and Grana Padano, they can almost be regarded as a “non-wine”. Today, they can also be considered a social phenomenon, as they serve as a medium for the conviviality that the whole world envies Italy. For Prosecco, however, saling this tailwind has also meant a decisive shift in storytelling and promotion. Just consider the prestigious partnerships secured by the Consorzio: the Veneto sparkling wine will be the official toast of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, thanks to the largest investment in the denomination history. Remaining in the world of sport, a universal language and passion increasingly embraced by Italian sparkling wines, partnerships also include MotoGP, the prestigious Internazionali BNL d’Italia tennis tournament, and Imoco Volley Conegliano, Italy reigning women volleyball champions. Prosecco Doc is also set to take to the sea once again aboard Shockwave3, as Gold Sponsor and Official Sparkling Wine of the 90-foot racing yacht, heading for Barcolana 58, the historic international sailing regatta in the Gulf of Trieste (October 11th). This approach turns sporting partnerships into a tool capable not only of generating visibility, but also of creating knowledge, experiences and relationships which extend far beyond the events themselves.
The denomination commitment to sport, explains the Consorzio del Prosecco Doc, is not a simple quest for visibility, but rather the construction of partnerships able to communicate its identity and values on major national and international stages. Year after year, the partnership between the Consorzio and Shockwave3 has progressively gone beyond mere brand presence on a yacht, becoming a genuine platform for experiences, relationships and storytelling. The relationship between the Consorzio and the maxi-yacht has transformed Prosecco Doc Shockwave3 into a cultural and tourism ambassador for Italy North-East.
This is the dimension expressed by the concept of “Connecting People”: the boat is not merely a means of competition, but a place capable of fostering relationships, creating dialogue between people and businesses, and generating experiences around a shared journey. The maxi-yacht thus becomes a space in which to experience the brand and develop relationships that continue beyond the regatta course, bringing together different passions. This has been celebrated over the years through the “Maxi On Cooking Star” event, where fine dining and racing spirit came together, with Michelin-starred chefs taking the helm of impressive maxi yachts before competing in the kitchen.
This vision has taken shape year after year, race after race, through participation in prestigious national and international events held in extraordinary settings. In 2026, significant sporting achievements further confirmed its success: from the Brindisi-Corfu International Regatta No. 40, where Prosecco Doc Shockwave3 claimed Line Honours and set a new overall race record by covering 104 nautical miles in 6 hours, 23 minutes and 57 seconds, breaking a record that had stood for 21 years, to its debut at the Aegean 600, one of the Mediterranean most demanding and spectacular offshore races. Covering 605 miles around the Aegean Sea, starting and finishing at Cape Sounion, the 90-footer again secured Line Honours after a fiercely contested race, finishing just 2 minutes and 9 seconds ahead of Aiolos.
A similar course is now being charted by the winegrowers of the Karst region. At Barcolana 2026, a new collaboration has been launched involving New Zealand Endeavour, the Karst Winegrowers Association and Gal Carso - Las Kras, beginning with the mainsail bearing the name “Mare e Vitovska in Morje” and accompanied by onboard tasting events.
New Zealand Endeavour is a 26-meter maxi-yacht designed by Bruce Farr and sailed to victory by Grant Dalton in the 1993-94 Whitbread Round the World Race, now known as The Ocean Race. One of the great protagonists of the maxi-yacht era, it covered more than 32,000 miles. After years out of service, New Zealand Endeavour found a safe harbor in the Gulf of Trieste, the Bora wind that once again filled its sails, and the Karst region which welcomed it and whose wines it will now carry across the seas it sails. The yacht was restored through an important recovery project with a clear aim: ensuring that a significant part of the culture of the sea and great ocean racing would not be forgotten. It is precisely here that the sea truly meets the Karst and its winegrowing heritage.