Save Australian prosecco briefing

Australian wine producers are visiting Parliament House in Canberra today to brief Parliamentarians on the importance of the Prosecco grape variety to our sector and regional economies. The right to use the variety name on Australian bottles is under threat as the European Union seeks to use the Australia-EU FTA as a vehicle to ban Australian producers from using the variety name. “The fact is, Prosecco is a grape variety name, just like Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon,” says Lee McLean, chief executive of Australian Grape & Wine. “The European Union’s approach to this issue is motivated by a desire to protect Italian producers from competition and nothing more.” The value of production of Australian Prosecco is about $200 million per annum, with 20 regions growing the variety. The majority of production is concentrated in Victoria’s King Valley and Murray Valley. In the King Valley, the variety is underpinning regional employment, economic growth and tourism. Otto Dal Zotto of ...