AUSTRIAN COMPANY CANS PROSECCO AND ASKS PARIS HILTON TO BECOME ITS SPONSOR. PROTESTS FROM VALDOBBIADENE AND CONEGLIANO WHERE THE DOC “BUBBLY” IS MADE

An Austrian company buys Prosecco, cans it, and calls Paris Hilton to become its official sponsor, which is then immediately followed by protests in Valdobbiadene and Conegliano where the original DOC version of the sparkling wine is produced, and where fears have now arisen that their prized product will lose its good image.
”It all began when a cooperative bottling company sold non-certified Prosecco to the Austrian company”, explained Giampietro Comolli, director of the Spumanti Forum of Italy located in Valdobbiadene. “The company had a good idea about putting it in 20 cl cans and selling it with the name Rich Prosecco, as well as calling the famous model and multi-billionaire, Paris Hilton, to launch the product”. Photos of Hilton with can in hand are already in circulation, and rumor has it that the model may soon be passing through Soligo (Treviso) for a few photographs with the true Doc Prosecco producers, which is obviously considered unacceptable by Comolli. The Director is so worried about this because, “there is the risk of robbing the historical image of the true Doc Prosecco which is one of the most appreciated and well-known sparkling Italian wines in world. It is enough to think that Doc Prosecco is going strong on the American market and thus increases the appeal for imitators”. As if it wasn’t enough that there were Chinese imitations of this product, now there are even Austrians making copies. The risk is great for Prosecco Doc, which does not have any real defense against these attacks. Comolli continued to explain that, “The name of Prosecco derives from the name of the vine and does not have a territorial denomination. It can therefore be used anywhere. For this reason it is necessary to reach a long-term politic that will manage to keep DOC Prosecco consumption higher than that of non Doc types and to definitively protect Prosecco from these pirate attacks”.
Initiatives have been organized for the arrival of Paris Hilton in the Prosecco zone: “We are still evaluating things with union organizers and institutions for which initiatives to activate next Sunday, but it is certain that we will not stay with our hands in our pockets”.
President of the Consortium for the Tutelage of Prosecco Wine of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, Franco Adami, agreed with Comolli stating, “We strongly request the reserve of our name! Throughout this entire situation, Rich Prosecco has clearly and blatantly exploited the name of Prosecco wine: what counts is the name, which has become successful after decades of work by over 3,000 winemakers from 130 different companies. For the producers of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco is a wine that, thanks to the work of three generations, has become a symbol for the territory. Now we see our patrimony being exploited by those who are making easy profits in short time and these speculations damage our work”. According to Adami, “We still have the possibility of canceling this speculative phenomenon by renewing the request to reserve the name Prosecco solely for the Doc wines, a path that had already been taken by the Consortium several years ago but not understood by the producers of the province of Treviso. We are hoping that, in light of recent facts, the Region will reconsider our request to reserve this name. Only in this way there is protection from commercial speculations of this sort. The guarantees that protect Doc Prosecco from Conegliano and Valdobbiadene today must be extended to all Prosecco”.
The Consortium President also noted, “As for this specific Austrian company, our lawyers have long been studying the situation and we will pay close attention in verifying that in eventual advertising by Rich Prosecco there is absolutely no reference to the territory of Conegliano Valdobbiadene. We are ready to take legal action for whatever is necessary. It is clear that reserving the name and a politic of more adequate tutelage of all Prosecco are questions that must be confronted by the Veneto Region and the Ministry”.

Coldiretti Takes a Stand:
Block the canned Prosecco of Paris Hilton The arrival on the market of the first cans of Prosecco that has been produced by an Austrian company and promoted by the famous and much discussed Paris Hilton, risks damaging the image of the prestigious Made in Italy sparkling wine that has been developed through a long and growing attention to quality which has allowed it to conquer new consumers and to compete on an equal level with French champagne.
These are the confirmations made by Coldiretti in regards to the marketing campaign that has begun in cities in Central Europe for canned Prosecco, and which Italian agricultural entrepreneurs and institutions to protect traditional production have come out in protest against.
Coldiretti also noted that this commercial operation exploits a wine that is famous worldwide for its exceptional organoleptic qualities that have been consolidated over centuries of winemaker’s labors, thus risking the destruction of such work. Coldiretti questions how the consumer will be able to admire the golden wheat color through a can, the pleasant aromas and fruity characteristics, as well as Prosecco’s famous bubbles. It is apparent that it is necessary to protect this denomination by safeguarding the endeavors of the original producers, to give more value to the original product and its territory.
This could risk blocking the record growth in requests from abroad for sparkling Italian wines. The 11% increase in exports that was last registered in June 2006, has been for the most part increased requests for Prosecco. This is a success that is fruit of a request boom on foreign markets, like in Spain where sales have skyrocketed (+440%), as in Japan (+53%), and in France where consumption has managed to increase by 7.5% regardless of the tough competition there. Compared to these emerging markets, the principal markets of Germany, England, and the United States, have remained stable in their requests. Total export earnings in 2005 reached a total of 262 million euros, with a quantity of over 115 million bottles.
Following Asti, Prosecco from Conegliano Valdobbiadene is the most sold sparkling wine abroad, with an indisputable success in Germany. 8.5 million Germans consider Prosecco their favorite drink to celebrate with, while champagne is considered the preferred drink by a mere 3 million Germans. A clamorous pass ahead of the main competition that makes evident the success of the sparkling Italian wine Prosecco.