In the Prosecco Name Dispute, Italy and Slovenia are at odds over using the term “Prosecco”.
Prosecco, a type of sparkling wine produced in northeastern Italy’s Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, has gained immense popularity worldwide in recent years. Nonetheless, Slovenia also grows the Prosecco grape variety, referring to it as “Prosek.”
The conflict began in 2009 when the European Union authorized Italy’s petition to secure the Prosecco name under its geographical indications (GI) system.
Consequently, only sparkling wines produced in specific areas of Italy could be marketed as “Prosecco.” However, Slovenian producers kept using “Prosek” to describe their sparkling wine made from the same grape variety, contending that the name had been prevalent in their country for centuries before Italy started producing Prosecco.
In 2019, Slovenia amplified the dispute by filing a complaint with the European Union, challenging Italy’s exclusive right to use the Prosecco name. Slovenia maintained that “Prosek” should also be granted protected GI status, permitting Slovenian producers to use “Prosecco” for their own sparkling wine.
The conflict is ongoing, and a solution has yet to be reached. The dispute highlights the multifaceted and often combative issues concerning safeguarding geographical indications and the commercial interests of various countries and regions in the global market.
