When it comes to Prosecco sales, it may be tempting to dismiss the entire category as a predictable cash cow. It’s no secret that sales are up, dominated by a vast sea of affordable, entry-level, DOC bottlings, which reached a record volume of 500,000 hectoliters bottled in July 2024 thanks to U.S. demand.
While the above data suggests that many U.S. wine consumers enjoy Prosecco, it also points to a focus on a singular category. “Prosecco DOC is the initial choice for customers in the U.S. market, and they are not always aware of the differences between the DOC and the DOCG,” says Diva Moretti Polegato, a third-generation family member of Villa Sandi and the company’s export area manager for the U.S., U.K., and Mexico. She’s referring to the DOCG regions of Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo, premium areas for Prosecco wines that often command higher prices, but make up a far smaller volume of sales.
In fact, many trade professionals are just beginning to turn on to the world of high-end Prosecco, and getting excited about the value it offers. “We took some of the most influential buyers in the country to taste everything in the [Conegliano Valdobbiadene] region,” says Julie Peterson, the founder and director of Marq Wine Group, which oversees the U.S. marketing effort for Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. “[They] were immediately like ‘Where do we get these?’ because they are punching in at such a higher quality than their prices.”
Don’t miss the latest drinks industry news and insights. Sign up for our award-winning newsletters and get insider intel, resources, and trends delivered to your inbox every week.
The story of Prosecco is often focused on volume and affordability, while the most fascinating—and delicious—segment of the category seems to be hiding in plain sight. Premium DOCG Prosecco, which is brimming with quality, history, and value—factors that are top-of-mind for younger drinkers—may actually be the key to the next wave of growth for the category.
With Prosecco, “You already have forward momentum happening in both volume and value in the marketplace,” says Peterson. “The question is how do we put that on a slightly stronger pace of growth without compromising either. That will require differentiating DOC from DOCG. It’s a golden opportunity.”
Understanding Premium Prosecco’s Market Position
Over the past 20 years, demand for sparkling wine has exploded; prior to the 2008 financial crisis, sparkling wine represented five percent of global wine production. By 2017, it reached a record high of eight percent. The pandemic ushered in yet another era of explosive growth. Champagne and Prosecco—the top sparkling wine categories in the U.S. by volume—saw a compound annual growth rate of 11 and 10 percent, respectively, between 2019 and 2021, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.
But as inflation took off, the trajectory of Champagne and Prosecco began to differ. With its premium and super-premium prices, Champagne sales saw a decline of seven percent between 2021 and 2023, while Prosecco, a more cost-effective bubbly, grew another five percent over the same time period.
Being more cost-effective doesn’t have to mean cheap or low quality, but it does mean high value. This is where premium Prosecco shines. The highest-quality and highest-priced Proseccos—most of which have a suggested retail price around $50—are in the same price tier as many entry-level Champagnes. “High-end Prosecco is still a value,” says Philana Bouvier, the president of Demeine Estates, which imports Villa Sandi.
“If you think about your other sparkling options under $50 that are artisanally made, you don’t have a lot of options,” says Peterson. “It’s just incredible that you have these handmade wines in a category under $50, and most of the time they’re clocking in around $35.”
While it’s tempting to compare Prosecco to Champagne, it may not actually be the most useful way to understand sales. “We get asked this a lot: does Prosecco eat into the Champagne business?” says Bouvier. “I don’t think it does. If you’re a Champagne drinker, then you’re looking for Champagne. If I want something easy to go with my meal, like a splash with a salad, that’s Prosecco. Prosecco is an all-year-round, everyday [wine].”
The simple truth seems to be this: “People like Prosecco,” says Jessica Lichtenthal, a sales representative for Wilson Daniels. Nick Schulman, the corporate wine director of RPM Restaurants, concurs. “Even at $150 [on-premise], people aren’t necessarily going to Champagne. They’re looking at Prosecco because they like Prosecco. It’s made completely different, the bubbles are different, the freshness is different, the residual sugar is different.”
The global sparkling wine market is expected to see significant growth—from almost $40 billion to over $66 billion—in the next eight years, and the still-affordable prices of premium Prosecco suggests there is a ton of growth potential for this category. “Based on everything that we’ve seen, we have not reached the point where these wines are pricing themselves out of the market,” says Peterson. “I look forward to seeing where that point is, but we’re not there yet.”
What Makes High-Quality Prosecco Higher in Quality?
Historically, Prosecco was only made from the steep hills of the Veneto around the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, but that changed in 2009. “The consortium … expanded the region to meet the demand,” says Bouvier.
Today, the majority of Proseccos fall under the expanded DOC appellation and are made from flat, low-lying vineyards, where farming is mechanized, yields are higher, acid is lower, and the flavor of the Glera grape is more neutral. While these wines can still be good quality and offer consumers value given their low prices, the wines from the heart of the Prosecco region—Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo—are in a clear category of their own.
“Inside the big world of Processo there is a niche of a wonderful kind of soil that, with the same kind of grape, becomes amazing,” explains Gianluca Bisol, the president of Bisol. He’s talking about the ancient soils on the steep hills of Cartizze—officially Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG—the most prestigious subregion for Prosecco. “Only on this hill can the Glera grape arrive at this level of quality,” continues Bisol. “For centuries, all the people wanted a piece of this hill … It’s the only place that you can leave the grape for a longer maturation, and the concentration of the juice is higher, and the quality is incredible.”
In fact, according to Bisol, the average price of vineyard land on Cartizze is higher than the average price of land in Champagne, making it some of the most expensive vineyard land in the world for sparkling wine production. And it’s not just the land that’s expensive. The slopes of Cartizze surpass a 60 percent incline in some places, appearing almost vertical and demanding careful and costly farming by hand.
The DOCG wines have “more tension and more refinement,” according to Bouvier. For Bisol, Cartizze specifically produces wines that are “rich, round, but with this acidity that perfectly cleans the mouth.” Bisol is also further showcasing the quality of DOCG Prosecco by offering a limited release of back-vintage Cartizze Prosecco, a rare find in the category. With four years of age, the 2020 vintage is “much more elegant, the flower [aromas] come out, the fruit is more exotic, and the bubbles are softer,” says Bisol.
Opportunities and Challenges Selling Premium Prosecco
Now, wine pros across the industry are seeing more opportunities—and some challenges—facing this category in terms of U.S. sales, making it an exciting time to focus on these wines.
“When ushering in something new, you need to prove [the value] to the consumer,” says Lichtenthal. “I think that with premium Prosecco, it’s a very easy case to make because of the comparative price point and quality that comes behind it. It’s like going from Georges Duboeuf to cru Beaujolais. It takes a minute.”
That transition often starts with getting the industry on board, particularly on-premise buyers and sommeliers. “We start with on-premise because we know there is a hurdle understanding where [premium Prosecco] is in the marketplace,” says Peterson. “People have to taste the wines to understand the quality. If you walk by a retailer and see the sparklings lined up, unless you’ve been introduced to the region, you’re not going to pay [$35 to $50] when the Prosecco next to it is $15.”
For Schulman, that strategy is working at RPM Restaurants. “Yes, people are buying expensive Prosecco,” he confirms. “They like Prosecco very much, so they’re willing to spend a little bit more for a more interesting, more delicious Prosecco. I plan to bring on a few more [premium Prosecco] offerings and ride the wave.”
Peterson confirms that, while numbers are still relatively small at just over three million bottles, U.S. imports of Processo DOCG have seen a 25.5 percent increase in value over the past eight years, and a 9.5 percent increase in volume. “When value growth stays ahead of volume growth at this rate, the category is experiencing healthy, robust growth with demand outstripping supply,” she says.
There are also sales opportunities off-premise. “Higher-priced Proseccos are primarily hand sells,” says Cesare Martini, the Italian wine buyer and category manager at Gary’s Wine and Marketplace in New Jersey. “That said, there is a growing interest in premium Proseccos, and expanding the selection in this category is a priority. Educational events are critical to driving awareness and sales, as they help both staff and customers understand the value and uniqueness of these offerings.”
Indeed, education is a top priority as one particular hurdle comes up repeatedly: the name of the largest Prosecco DOCG—Conegliano Valdobbiadene—is very difficult for most Americans to pronounce. And it’s important for consumers to know the name of this region because wines from Cartizze have special labeling requirements. “Any Cartizze does not have the word Prosecco on the label; it’s the law … to differentiate this tiny area from the rest of Prosecco,” says Moretti Polegato.
For Bouvier, distribution is the key to sales growth. “DOCG [Prosecco] needs to be more widely distributed so that it’s getting visibility and exposure, and that’s how you get people into it,” she says. “Why you’re seeing growth in DOCG across the board is because importers like ourselves are saying ‘we want to expand this category and bring [consumers] a value.’”
While entry-level Proseccos certainly dominate the market and will likely continue to do so, industry professionals are seeing a growing appetite for higher-quality bottlings from both U.S. consumers and the trade. Given the United States’ outsized love for Prosecco, this trend could be the start of a significant sales opportunity. “It’s about introducing consumers to a better-quality product that feels and tastes good,” says Bouvier.
“When they taste it, they will understand the incredible value of this handmade sparkling wine,” adds Peterson. “That’s the beauty of this wine—it speaks for itself.”
Dispatch
Sign up for our award-winning newsletter
Don’t miss the latest drinks industry news and insights—delivered to your inbox every week.
Caitlin A. Miller is a New York-based wine writer and a senior editor for SevenFifty Daily. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Vinous, and Christie’s International Real Estate Magazine. She holds the WSET Diploma in Wines and was the recipient of the 2020 Vinous Young Wine Writer Fellowship.
