Pink Prosecco shortage predicted this year

With pink Prosecco proving an unprecedented success, producers are predicting a rosé Prosecco shortage this year, due to a lack of availability of eligible Pinot Noir grapes.

Paolo Lasagni, managing director at Casa Vinicolo Bosco, told db that pink Prosecco relied on young vineyards planted across the nine production zones of Prosecco, many of which were not offering substantial yields.

Pinot Noir is the only red grape variety that can be legally blended into Prosecco to produce a rosé version, according to the appellation rules.

“The availability of Pinot Noir grapes in 2020 was not substantial, and yet nobody expected the style to become such a dramatic success in the UK and US. There’s already a huge shortage of Pinot Noir eligible for Prosecco rosé,” Lasagni told db.

He added that according to the consorzio’s regulations, growers cultivating vineyards in their second year of production are only permitted to harvest 50% of the possible total yield for that variety.

“All the new vineyards will only become productive in 2021/2022, and the deadline for planting Pinot Noir eligible for Prosecco rosé was 31 July 2020,” he said.

Flavio Geretto, global export director for Villa Sandi, believes that the shortfall may lead to price rises in 2021.

“The rosè category is ‘on fire’ and inside the Prosecco DOC area there is a restricted production area of Pinot Noir. But the consorzio is very adept at balancing supply and demand in order to maintain an average price level in all global markets,” Geretto said.

As reported by db, Prosecco DOC rosé was given the green light in May 2020. Exports were subsequently allowed from November that year.

In 2020, 16.8 million bottles of pink Prosecco were made across the appellation, produced from a blend of the traditional Glera grape and Pinot Noir.

In 2015 db broke the news that a global Prosecco shortage was forecast, which led to mass panic buying in the UK and empty supermarket shelves.