Brown Brothers winemaker and ambassador Katherine Brown. Image Brown Family Wine Group

With the European Union (EU) accelerating its efforts to gain exclusive use of the name Prosecco in Australia, family owned wine company Brown Brothers is urging Aussies to join the fight and #SaveAussieProsecco.

Prosecco is a grape variety that was historically grown in the Veneto region of Italy, where it has been used to produce sparkling wine under the Prosecco name. In the late 1990’s, the Prosecco grapevine material was first sold to Australian wine producers, with Prosecco wine being made from these grapes for over two decades.

In 2009, Italy changed the name of the Prosecco grape variety to Glera within the European Union (EU), and registered Prosecco as a Geographical Indication (GI) in the EU. The EU has since been fighting for over a decade to claim Prosecco as a GI in global markets, including Australia.

The proposal to use Prosecco as a GI in Australia would restrict the use of this name to only wines produced in certain regions of Italy, effectively preventing Australian producers from using the name to market their own sparkling wines made from the same grape variety.

Australia is one of the fastest growing sparkling wine markets in the world, with the total value of Australian Prosecco production estimated at around $205 million alone.

Brown Brothers winemaker and ambassador Katherine Brown says that restricting the use of Prosecco as a GI would have a significant impact on the Australian wine industry.

“It would be a huge blow to Australian winemakers and producing regions, such as The King Valley, who have been growing and investing in Prosecco grapes and making sparkling wines from them for many years,” said Brown.

“Around 95% of Australia’s Prosecco is currently sold domestically. If Australian wine producers aren’t able to use the name “Prosecco” on their bottles, it would also be confusing for consumers, who understand the Prosecco grape variety and the quality it produces in Australia.

“It’s important that we look at grape varieties as the primary means of identifying and marketing Australian wines. This would not only support the Australian wine industry but also ensure that consumers have access to a diverse range of high-quality wines from around the world.”

The EU is currently seeking protection of 50 new and updated wine GIs (including Prosecco) and is negotiating with the Australian Government to have these recognised within the Australia-European Community Agreement on Trade in Wine.

The Australian Government has opened a public objections process to give interested stakeholders the opportunity to have their say on the proposed new and updated European Union (EU) wine geographical indications (GIs).

Aussies can lodge an objection via the following link (before 12pm on April 21, 2023) : https://haveyoursay.agriculture.gov.au/public-objections-process.

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