Is Still Prosecco a Clever Bid or a Branding Blunder?
There comes a time in the lifespan of wildly successful products when it seems the world is not enough. Think: Crystal Pepsi, Facebook’s pivot to Meta, and non-alcoholic hard seltzer.
Prosecco, that chipper Swiss army knife of sparkling wine, may be having its moment trotting out the trope. Much to the confusion of everyone, the confounding era of bubble-free Prosecco is nigh. It’s already available in Italy, of course, but also now the U.S. and Prosecco-obsessed U.K., in addition to other export markets.
The wine world has seen similar moments: the white Pinot Noir push and rosé-everything madness. Some turned out better than others in the long run. But this one, right out of the gate, is a straight-up head-scratcher.
And yet, supermarket wine giant Aldi is already backing it with its own private-label bottling. This begs the question: Do they know something we don’t?
Until now, Prosecco has deftly outmaneuvered every maelstrom into which other wine categories have spiraled during the global wine downturn. So for some industry analysts, it’s a matter of trust first, question later. “My hat is off to Prosecco in its current form,” says Richard Halstead, COO of consumer research and custom analytics at global drinks research firm the IWSR. “They’ve done an incredible job and made a lot of the growers there well-off people.”
As someone who has meticulously parsed through the data during Prosecco’s spectacular rise, Halstead is hesitant to criticize a region and consortium that have shown the wine world not just how to survive, but how to thrive.
But he also notes that Prosecco in still form would inhabit a niche within the overall brand — a niche that may not end up resonating with the average consumer. “Eighty to 90 percent of consumers really don’t care that much about this [kind of] stuff, as far as we can tell,” he says, adding that meaningful data for the product has yet to register on the IWSR radar. “So I wonder what’s the commercial point of doing this?”
It’s a great question. What is the ultimate motivation behind this perplexing product? And more critically, could this fresh face instead derail the successful sparkling storyline of the Prosecco program?
History and Precedent of Still Prosecco
Still Prosecco may feel brand new. But, actually, it’s pretty much always been around in some form or another — allowed for in the Prosecco DOC since the official region’s inception.
“I worked for a wine wholesaler in 1989 and found some in the warehouse, rummaging around,” says Alfonso Cevola, Texas-based wine writer and former Italian wine director for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. “[It was] interesting at the time. Then, on subsequent jaunts to ‘ProseccoLand,’ I’d encounter the still wine at winery visits.”
“I actually think that the Prosecco market is probably one of the most challenging to be in right now with intense competition.”
Adding to the “why not” column, London-based Master of Wine Justin Howard-Sneyd, founder of The Hive Wine Consulting and former manager of wine buying for Waitrose, supposes there might be mass-market potential for Prosecco’s Glera grape in still form. “I only recently learned that [still Prosecco] is a thing,” he says. “[But] I imagine skilled winemakers could make an attractive, easygoing still white from Glera.”
OK, so it’s not a new creature entirely, and it’s theoretically capable of being broadly appealing in a workmanlike way. But what other bubbly region has then turned around and had smashing success with still? “It’s not like Coteaux Champenois set the world on fire,” Cevola counters. “And the folks in Champagne know that. They know what drives the boat.”
While Prosecco isn’t the elite qualitative category that Champagne is, the region has nonetheless done a fine job of establishing its bubbly as alluring to a large consumer set — while also fiercely protecting the Prosecco name against extra-regional bastardization.
So why the internal bastardization — even if it already does exist?
“This is one of the problems of appellations, which are effectively collectively-owned brands,” Howard-Sneyd says. “It’s very hard to have a clear vision for how to create and maintain long-term brand health when you have no clear owner.” As a result, regional products run the risk of getting dragged down by the lowest common denominator.
Veiled Panic in Veneto?
The current global state of alarm for wine involves widespread oversupply and overproduction. And though Prosecco has been one of the lone stars defying the dip, it stands to reason that even this success story could potentially be vulnerable — especially considering the increase in plantings and production volume stemming from its popularity. “Overproduction is a big issue, and the tariff threats also have a strong impact on these highly exported, bulk, inexpensive products like Prosecco,” says Carlin Karr, wine and beverage director for Bobby Stuckey’s northern Italy-focused Frasca Hospitality Group in Colorado.
Essentially, this may be the first symptom to appear in a Glera glut.
Credit: Voga Italia
On first sniff, the bubble-free ploy certainly smacks of hubris-induced SKU creep layered with glut-inspired repurposing. Likewise, a peek under Prosecco’s hood reveals the internal hurdles faced by individual operators competing within the category. “I actually think that the Prosecco market is probably one of the most challenging to be in right now with intense competition,” Karr adds. “I think this is an effort to diversify sales, similar to launching rosé Prosecco in recent years.”
While it may share a diversifying theme with rosé Prosecco, at least that product is still fizzy — and rosé sells. Howard-Sneyd calls attention to an additional concern with the flat Prosecco strategy: It’s labeled Prosecco. “My guess is that an oversupply of cheap Glera grapes has given some the idea that selling a wine with Prosecco on the bottle will be easier than selling the same still white wine as ‘Glera,’” he says. On the surface, that seems a logical marketing choice. But these incongruities combined could potentially lead to a deteriorating dilution of the plucky Prosecco image and its original blueprint for successful global conquest.
It’s the complete opposite to Champagne’s still-wine setup.
“Yeah, sure you can tell the story of the olden times, when Prosecco was frizzante or still, but this isn’t 1965.”
The Champenois, as they are wont to do, would undoubtedly riot if a producer attempted to rewrite regional rules by naming their own bubble-free wine “Champagne.” Just the thought is jarring, given it would convolute a brand painstakingly honed and carefully maintained for over a century. “The classic way you build any brand or category is repetition, repetition, repetition,” Halstead says. “Clarity of positioning and physical availability.” The interests that make up the overall Champagne brand image all understand this concept on a fundamental level.
Up until now, it seemed that Prosecco’s counterparts understood this as well. But this labeling indiscretion seems to throw that assumed wisdom into question.
Betting Against the Bubbly Brand
Perhaps the Prosecco powers that be really have lost sight of why the wine is so popular in the first place: It’s the bubbles! Friendly on the palate, friendly on the wallet. Whatever the motivation, the fizz-free Prosecco maneuver is fraught with potential pitfalls.
“Yeah, sure you can tell the story of the olden times, when Prosecco was frizzante or still, but this isn’t 1965,” Cevola says. “I think it’s a confusing move. And the Cava folks are lighting candles at their local church, praying and hoping.”
Besides, contending with Italy’s already established and rising-star still whites — with Pinot Grigio, Soave, Friulano, and Lugana all competition just in the immediate northeastern Italian vicinity — will be an uphill battle. Plus, there’s already an alternative Prosecco product that consumers are actively clamoring over. “I would rather see more producers dealcoholize Prosecco,” Karr says. “There is an actual market need for that.”
Maybe they’re planning for the future, playing chess while we all fumble with checkers. Maybe they see an indication that we’ve finally achieved maximum Prosecco, and it’s time to diversify or die.
Always one to follow the data, Halstead at the IWSR maintains his wait-and-see position, despite the initial temptation to pan the still Prosecco strategy. After all, they’ve done no wrong so far, building an Italian former footnote into the world’s best-selling sparkling wine. “You’ve seen producers pivot to different styles,” he says. “The Douro is the best example of this. … It’s not a huge leap.”
Given Aldi’s endorsement, there’s at least a fighting chance the fizz-free gambit could have legs. “They’re absolutely right to look around and see what else they can do,” he adds. “If it works, great. If it doesn’t, maybe no one minds too much.”
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