How organic is Prosecco?

With Cava heartland Penedès set to become 100% organic this year, Gabriel Stone investigates how Prosecco shapes up on the organic stage.  Do you remember the time before Prosecco became a household name? It’s not so long ago that, outside northeastern Italy at least, the only people who had this sparkling wine on their radar were the odd intrepid independent wine merchant and travellers who’d lost their heart to Venice. Today, this category is a 660 million-bottle business – the record-breaking 2024 production figure reported by Prosecco DOC – and the wines are available from even the most parochial convenience store. Prosecco may have kickstarted the trend that made sparkling wine an affordable feature of any night out – or night in for that matter – but plenty of other fizz categories are now chasing the same occasion. For those who don’t want to join the race to the bottom on price, how do you stand out from the crowd? One answer is organics. Over in Catalunya’s Cava heartland, DO Penedès is on track to become the first DO in the world to turn 100% organic this year. Even the wider DO Cava of which it is part requires every Cava de Guarda Superior – a bracket that extends down to Reserva styles – to be made from organically-grown grapes as of 2025. Competitors they may be, but Prosecco’s regulatory bodies and producers seem in little rush to compete with Cava on this front. At present, around 6% of vineyards – roughly 1,800 hectares – in the Prosecco DOC are certified organic, a figure that “has remained stable” in recent years, according to Giancarlo Guidolin, president of the Consorzio DOC Prosecco. “In our opinion, it is necessary to clarify the environmental issue, with reference to the different approaches that a producer can choose,” he remarks. Highlighting a broader focus on sustainability, Guidolin explains: “The priority for the consortium is to promote the good agronomic and social practices of the denomination that go far beyond organic.” It’s a mindset echoed by Michele Noal, president of the Consorzio Asolo Prosecco, which regulates this far smaller, 2,200ha DOCG. While encouraging organic certification on the grounds that it “can help a brand or an individual company to differentiate itself”, he prefers to set this objective within the wider goal of protecting and promoting Asolo’s “very rich biodiversity.”

Pragmatic element

This reluctance to focus on organics has a pragmatic element too. Cava’s increasingly dry, Mediterranean climate may bring its own problems, but it certainly diminishes the risk of those fungal attacks that are the downfall of so many organic aspirations. By contrast, observes Francesco Galardi, export manager for organic Prosecco producer La Jara: “The province of Treviso, where we are based, is one of the most challenging places to grow organic crops due to its frequent rainfall and high humidity during the summer.” With nature showing little respect for weekends or evenings, organic success requires a level of employee flexibility that Galardi describes as a “major challenge”, deterring many grape growers from conversion. At least La Jara’s vineyards lie on flat terrain. Move into the scenic hills of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene or Asolo that represent Prosecco’s traditional home, as well as the modern-day source of its highest-quality DOCG wine, and the challenge steps up a gear. Forget tractors, gradients here often require all those extra organic treatments to be carried out by hand. Intense rainfall on a steep slope brings even more expensive problems for organic and conventional growers alike, ranging from soil erosion to full-scale landslide.

Anna Nardi, director at Perlage, makes it clear why her family’s business is one of the few Prosecco Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG producers to be fully organic. “The new issues generated by climate change – water bombs, high temperature peaks and droughts – are shifting the focus from sustainable vineyard management to a problem of vineyard profitability,” she warns. In recognition of this challenge, Nardi notes that Perlage pays growers “a much higher price” than they could expect to earn from conventionally cultivated grapes.

Back to nature: Perlage is one of the few fully organic Prosecco producers Organics are just the starting-point for Perlage. Since 2016, the producer has been vegan-certified, while 2017 saw it become the first Italian winery to achieve B Corp status before modifying its entire statute in 2019 to become a legally recognised “Benefit Company”. Most recently, accreditation under Italian sustainability schemes VIVA and Equalitas has been accompanied by membership of global platform Sustainable Round Table. The next major target in its sights is carbon neutrality by 2030. “Each certification becomes a startingpoint for making new considerations and evolving in an increasingly sustainable way,” explains Nardi. On the ground, this has led to initiatives including the creation of ponds to help irrigate the company’s historic Riva Moretta vineyard during summer drought periods. Since 2020, all new Perlage plantings have been grafted onto M4 rootstocks which, explains Nardi, “are considered the most drought-resistant because they have roots that go very deep into the soil”. This, however, doesn’t come cheap. “They cost 50% more than those routinely and locally used,” says Nardi, “but we are convinced that they will ensure excellent future production, despite everything.”

Economic burden

Not every Prosecco producer can justify the additional economic burden imposed by organic and other sustainability initiatives. Noting the low level of organic conversion, Stefano Gava, managing director of Val d’Oca, argues: “For our market, it is not so important, and I believe it could represent an opportunity only if the market will be able to recognise a higher price, which is not there at the moment.” Although this co-operative has had an organic arm to its portfolio for about 15 years now, the focus lies much more on Italy’s National Quality System for Integrated Production, or SQNPI: all 600 Val d’Oca growers are certified under this scheme. “Since the beginning, the cantina’s primary objective has been to guarantee the quality of production in harmony with the environment,” explains Gava. “This is why it protects biodiversity and implements everything fundamental to obtaining quality wines, placing attention on the impact of viticulture on the environment and the health of winegrowers, communities and consumers.” Detractors such as La Jara’s Galardi argue that SQNPI’s bee logo “can mislead consumers into thinking it’s an organicequivalent certification”. He suggests that this perception has been reinforced by a recent DOC decision to award SQNPI accreditation and organics the same number of “points” towards an overall score that determines whether a producer may increase their production quota. “As a result,” Galardi claims, “many farmers abandoned organic farming, which is labour-intensive and costly, in favour of SQNPI, which is easier to implement.”  

Family values: the Marions at La Jara are organic pioneers in Prosecco Export markets can complicate the picture still further. As of March 2024, all organic agricultural products entering the US have required an NOP (National Organic Program) Import Certificate. Although designed with the noble bureaucratic intention of improving oversight and traceability, in practice this new rule has proved to be a headache. “Many of our US clients are now asking us to stop labelling our wines as organic-certified to avoid these costs and endless additional paperwork,” reports Galardi. He has similar fears about the Organic JAS (Japan Agricultural Standards) seal that will be required from October 2025 for all alcoholic beverages entering the Japanese market that wish to declare themselves organic.

Customs hurdles

The UK has put up more than enough Brexit-related Customs hurdles, so is it worth an organic Prosecco producer making the effort here? Christian Streatfield, buying manager for online supermarket Ocado, paints a bright picture. “Our Prosecco sales have been particularly buoyant this year, reflecting the strong overall growth in the Italian sparkling wine category,” he reports. What’s more, Streatfield highlights a particularly compelling performance within the more premium £10–£15 bracket, which includes the Terra Organica brand. “ The success of Terra Organica specifically also reflects a growing consumer interest in sustainability, not only because of its organic accreditation, but also its innovative packaging,” he says. “Following the change in law removing the requirement for foil, they have done away with this on their closures, saving 500kg in foil and 1,500kg in CO2 per year.” With Ocado recording a 20% uplift in searches for organic wine over the last year, Streatfield also highlights growing demand for wine brands “driven by social trends that spark conversations”. That represents a real opportunity for Prosecco producers who can successfully tap into both these strands by “building brands that create conversation and resonate with consumers through topics like sustainability”, he suggests. That’s certainly the plan for Terra Organica. Richard Dennis, commercial director at UK agency Watermill Wines, which owns the brand, observes: “With such a broad range in qualities of Prosecco in the UK market, it was essential to have this beacon in the range to show the difference organic can make.” What’s more, Dennis quotes May 2024 Kantar data indicating that “within the organic category as a whole, wine is the second fastest-growing area, at 8% year-on-year. It’s really exciting times for organic.” Alongside plans to expand Terra Organica Prosecco’s distribution through Waitrose this year, Dennis confirms a step up on the communication front too. “We’ll be doing a lot more consumer-facing activity, where we’re on a mission to showcase the incredible quality and importance of organic winemaking in some thought-provoking ways,” he promises.

Conversation starters

Organics, and indeed sustainability, certainly aren’t the only on-trend conversation starters that Prosecco has at its disposal. Mionetto technical director Alessio del Savio confirms that, while the Henkell Freixenet-owned brand is active in these areas, other factors are driving growth and development. These include recent portfolio additions Mionetto 0.0% and Mionetto Aperitivo. The brand has even combined these trends with last year ’s launch of Mionetto Aperitivo Alcohol Free. “We definitely see a trend in aperitivo,” says del Savio. “This is why we started to study our own aperitivo recipe with the objective of being a protagonist of the spritz category, the trendiest aperitivo of the moment. Mionetto has always been historically involved in this, Prosecco being the main part of the original recipe.” With 2025 hitting its stride, del Savio confirms that the Mionetto Aperitivo Kit has a central role to play in the brand’s New Year ’s resolution “to create unforgettable aperitivo moments”for its thirsty consumers. As producers work to build value back into the Prosecco category, evidence from the vineyard and supermarket aisle alike indicate that organics will continue to represent a small piece of a far more complicated and interesting jigsaw. Let Cava forge its own path, Prosecco makers say, the Italians will always have their own, inimitable style.

Are there more important challenges than organics for Prosecco to tackle?

Gabriele Cescon, director & chief winemaker, Cantine Maschio“One of the most promising opportunities lies in genetic vine improvement. Developing disease-resistant grape varieties could make production even more sustainable by reducing the need for treatments. In addition, today’s advanced technologies can play a key role in minimising the use of plant protection products and limiting the soil compaction caused by agricultural machinery – challenges that were almost unimaginable just a few years ago.” Federico dal Bianco, vice-president, Masottina “While organics are important, the Prosecco category faces broader challenges, such as protecting its regional identity and enhancing perceptions of quality. At Masottina, we focus on producing terroir-driven wines, such as our RDO Levante and Ponente, which highlight the unique characteristics of Rive di Ogliano. This emphasis on authenticity and quality helps distinguish us in the global market.” Matteo Lunelli, president, Bisol1542 & CEO, Gruppo Lunelli “The most important challenge for Prosecco is repositioning itself as a fine wine, the expression of a unique territory. At Bisol1542, we aim for distinctiveness, authenticity and quality. Bisol1542’s main objective remains to be the purest expression of the best nuances of Valdobbiadene’s heroic viticulture, placing its crus in the best restaurants, hotels and wine shops in the world. Every great wine is an expression of its territory of origin, and, with our Prosecco Superiore, we want to tell the story of the marvellous steep hillsides that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In a market where Prosecco is often considered a commodity, we continue to strive for excellence, in the countryside and in the cellar.”