By James Atkinson
Wine Australia conducted inspections of Prosecco producers in Central Victoria last week as part of routine audits to confirm wines presented as Prosecco are made from that variety.
Wine Australia general manager of regulatory advice, Steve Guy, said the routine audits were part of a comprehensive regulatory system to protect the reputation of Australian wine.
"Australian Prosecco is gaining in popularity and starting to receive a lot of consumer interest in the domestic market, so it's important we are upholding the integrity of our wines and ensuring that those labelled as Prosecco are actually made from that grape variety," Guy said.
"Our recent audits in Central Victoria are to ensure that wines described and labelled as Prosecco are actually made from those grapes.
"In recent years, the EU has moved to protect the name Prosecco only for wines produced according to certain standards in a designated region of northern Italy.
"Prosecco is a grape variety and Australian producers can use that name for wines sold in Australia and other non-EU markets, as long as the wine is made from those grapes.
"We will continue to be vigilant and uphold the integrity of Australia's Prosecco producers."
Prosecco is a white grape variety usually used to produce sparkling wines. Prosecco became a name protected in the EU in 2009, meaning that only wine producers from a particular region of northern Italy are able to use this term in Europe.
Australian producers of Prosecco can use the name for wines made from the Prosecco grape and sold in the domestic market, but must use the term 'Glera' for the same wines exported to the EU as required under European law.