The high production costs of Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Producer Sandro Bottega proves that producing Prosecco Superiore DOCG costs more than Champagne.

After Veneto Governor Luca Zaia's speech on Prosecco, which he has peremptorily stated "I don't make any more decrees for planting new vineyards", Sandro Bottega makes public his arguments on the production costs of Prosecco Superiore.

The slopes of the vineyards in the Prosecco Superiore Docg area (especially the "Rive", banks), require about 480 hours of work per year for manual cultivation of one hectare, compared to just over half of French Champagne colleagues, who can also use special agricultural machinery. Despite the general belief, the subsequent production costs highlight the high and higher cost of production of Prosecco Superiore DOCG compared to Champagne. In fact, the costs of the sparkling wine plants (Italian method) of the first are very high, while for Champagne the bottling directly in the bottle (champenois or classic method) allows you to carry out the operations easily and without major investment in means of production.

To those who appeal to the financial costs of fermentation times, Bottega responds by saying that financial costs weigh from 2% to 3% per year and therefore have a minimal impact. It is no coincidence that the Spanish Cava, produced using the same method as Champagne, has prices halved compared to Prosecco and 5 times lower than those of Champagne.

Specifically, management and cultivation costs per hectare amount to 10,000 euros per year for Prosecco Superiore DOCG and 7,500 euros for Champagne. While the amortization of production investments can be quantified as 0.20 cents per 75 cl bottle of Prosecco Superiore Docg and 0.05 cents per 75 cl bottle of Champagne.

But it's not just a question of costs, but also of risks: a producer of Prosecco Superiore Docg, in the case of a mediocre vintage, can do nothing. Instead, the Champagne producer, thanks to the ploy of the liqueur d'expedition and the possibility to use vin de reserve, can correct the quality at will.

Prosecco Superiore DOCG therefore has a much higher overall production cost than Champagne, but producers in the Veneto should make better use of it. The increase in supply has led to a downward spiral, allowing those who sell at a lower price to have more market share and, thanks to economies of scale, also to have greater profits from which farmers and quality companies have not fully benefited.

The conclusion is that, if farmers and companies worked together more, understanding each other's problems, there would be greater awareness and the Prosecco Superiore DOCG would be fully appreciated, also thanks to the recent recognition by UNESCO.

Source: Bottega Press Office