What has made prosecco the sparkling wine that triumphs worldwide?

We're now on the cusp of Christmas, one of the times of year with the highest consumption of sparkling wines. Except for Champagne, the most prestigious in the world, sparkling wines from elsewhere struggle to gain traction in countries with a strong winemaking tradition like Spain. But even here, Prosecco has emerged, one of Italy's greatest successes in the world of food and wine. Even if you've never had a glass, you might have tasted it if you've had a Spritz. This popular orange cocktail, made with Aperol, Prosecco, and soda water, is prepared according to one of its most classic recipes.

In 2024, global sales of Prosecco reached nearly 780 million bottles across the three Italian appellations that protect it, and continue their steady growth despite the overall decline in wine consumption. The leading Prosecco DOC sold 660 million bottles, a 7% increase over the previous year; the second largest, the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG, saw its sales stabilize at around 88 million bottles; and the Asolo DOCG broke its production record, which is estimated to have reached approximately 32 million bottles. The market research firm IWSR adds that this upward trend is expected to continue for at least the next five years.

Traditionally, Prosecco has originated in a mountainous area, with the municipalities of Valdobbiadene, Asolo, and the Cartize area as its main centers, in the province of Treviso—the historical heart of Prosecco—in the Veneto region. With the creation of its prestigious DOC in 2009, the grape, which was also called Prosecco, was renamed Glera to prevent other regions from producing sparkling wines from Prosecco grapes and trying to capitalize on the growing success of the Italian sparkling wine. The DOC has expanded beyond Treviso into the plains, where more industrial Prosecco is produced for spritz, and rosé Prosecco has seen even greater growth. Furthermore, there are now producers who are reclaiming Prosecco's origins with Col Fondo wines, which undergo a second fermentation in the bottle and are left to settle.background).

The success of Prosecco has been resounding. According to Daniel Mettyear, head of research at IWSR for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Prosecco has stood out "for its ability to change the perception of sparkling wine in general." While sparkling wines were long considered celebration wines, in Prosecco "its simple flavor profile—with larger bubbles, fruity and often with a touch of sweetness—its accessibility—low price—and its association with the spritz have allowed it, and with it sparkling wine, to reach a wider audience."brunches"...appetizers, evenings out and classic celebrations—and attract new consumers."

However, the Italian sparkling wine boom hasn't extended to Champagne, of which 271 million bottles were shipped in 2024, a 9.2% decrease, nor to Cava, which sold 218 million bottles, a 13.4% decrease. But this isn't just a temporary situation. According to ICEX (the Spanish state foreign trade agency) in a report this year on the evolution of the sparkling wine market, from 2017 to 2024 Prosecco's share of total European sparkling wine exports has increased from 25% to 44%, impacting its overall share, which has fallen to 51%.

The different production method is one of the factors behind Prosecco's success, as it is less expensive and faster to make: Prosecco uses the Charmat method, and the second fermentation that creates the bubbles takes place in large tanks, instead of in the bottle itself, as in the traditional method for Cava and Champagne. Wine consultant Pablo Ossorio (Oenoconsulting) explains that making Prosecco requires "a significant initial investment" to purchase the large tanks needed, but that it is then much cheaper than the traditional method. "They have the product on the market in two or three months at most," he points out, whereas making Cava requires nearly a year between the winemaking process and the minimum aging of nine months.

A brand that knows how to market itself

The rise of Prosecco has also been greatly aided by the creation of a brand with its own distinct personality and a focus on the consumer, unlike Cava, which has presented itself to the world as a cheaper alternative to Champagne. According to Xavier Ybargüengoitia, former CEO of States & Wines—the wine division of the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group, known for Champagne—"Prosecco has created something entirely different: an easy-drinking product, much lighter, fruitier, and somewhat sweeter," which attracts new audiences. This is further enhanced by technical aspects such as the production method.

Ossorio explains that it attracts young people who start with soft drinks, move on to easy-drinking sparkling wines that "don't require much thought," such as the Italian Moscato di Asti or Lambrusco, and then continue with Prosecco. Strong promotion has also played a role. Hence, even in this land of Cava, the winners of the Catalan MotoGP Grand Prix in September celebrated their victory with Prosecco. Furthermore, a historic Cava brand like Freixenet has been producing Prosecco since 2017 – last year, the Henkell Freixenet group as a whole saw double-digit growth thanks to its Mionetto and Freixenet brands. "In 2025, Prosecco is still booming and far from having reached its peak, and in some markets, it hasn't even arrived yet," sources from the group assure.

Gateway to the State

The United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are among the countries contributing to the growth of prosecco, while Catalonia leads imports in Spain, according to customs data from the Spanish Treasury: of the 2.4 million liters – equivalent to 3.2 million bottles – imported in 2014, 8.4 million liters have now reached Catalonia. However, it should be noted that several Italian importers and Freixenet are headquartered here, so not all of this prosecco is necessarily consumed in Catalonia. Massimo Cesca, head of L'Emporium – the wine department of the importer Garda Import – explains that prosecco faces a difficult market on the Iberian Peninsula, except for spritzes, but in the Balearic Islands, British and German consumers do enjoy high-quality prosecco because they are already accustomed to it.

Despite their different production methods, Cava and Prosecco "are direct competitors" on the international stage, according to Cesca and Mettyear (IWSR), who note that "even in key markets like Belgium—the leading Cava importer projected for 2024—the rise of Prosecco has reduced consumption." However, Prosecco isn't without its challenges. For Ybargüengoitia, "its long-term weakness is that it's not a specific brand," unlike other well-known sparkling wines—he cites Mestres Cava or Recaredo de Corpinnat as examples—and sommelier Ramon Roset adds that Prosecco isn't the only sparkling wine that knows how to market itself. "Just as Champagne did in its day, Prosecco is doing it now, and one day we, the sparkling wines made in our country, will do it too," Roset assures. That said, this will only happen if they are able to "unite, at least in promoting the traditional method, and invest as the Italians have in Prosecco."