Prosecco DOC to kick off Prosecco Month on December 5

The Prosecco DOC Consortium, the entity that oversees the production of the hugely popular Italian sparkling wine, is pleased to announce the launch of Prosecco Month beginning December 5th. The month-long activation will see events at three Eataly locations-New York Flatiron, Chicago, and the new Boston store, opening on November 26th-throughout December, just off the heels of the post-harvest year. The Prosecco DOC Consortium is thrilled to be hosting these events during the celebratory holiday season in collaboration with the world-famous Italian food mecca, and to toast to the opening of the new Boston location.

In addition to ringing in the holidays, this initiative will also serve an important educational purpose, debunking myths and misconceptions about the Prosecco category and teaching consumers, press, and trade how to recognize-and enjoy-authentic Prosecco. The sparkler's ever-increasing popularity has been accompanied by an inevitable rise in imitations from within Italy and around the world, and steps toward recognizing real Prosecco grown in the designated area and according to strict regulations will be discussed. Other topics addressed during exclusive press and trade seminars will include organic production in the DOC growing area, as well as various nuances in production that make Prosecco much more interesting than one might initially imagine.

Regarding the upcoming promotion and its scope, Prosecco DOC Consortium President Stefano Zanette states, "The US market is fundamental for our denomination and has always had a deep fondness for our wines. We feel that it is important to provide information to opinion leaders and consumers that allows them to recognize and fully appreciate the quality of our production."

The capstone events taking place at Eataly stores during Prosecco Month include the following:

• An invitation-only press and trade seminar on December 12th at Eataly Chicago and December 14th at Eataly Flatiron during which Prosecco DOC Consortium President Stefano Zanette will speak about the challenges and intricacies of authentic Prosecco production.
• Complimentary consumer tastings open to the public on December 9th and December 30th from 6-8pm at the Eataly New York Flatiron, Chicago, and Boston locations.
• An exclusive Prosecco DOC consumer seminar on December 9th from 6-8:30pm at the Scuola at Eataly New York Flatiron led by Beverage Director Alan Lam during which attendees will learn perfect Prosecco food pairings and take home recipes, wine notes and menus.

Participating Prosecco DOC producers are: San Simone, La Jara, Tenuta Santomè, Zonin, Tenuta Sant'Anna, Villa Sandi, Villa degli Olmi, Mionetto, Le Contesse, Gruppo Vinicolo Fantinel, Cantina Colli Euganei, Astoria, Piera Martellozzo, Vallis Mareni, Valdo.

For more information and updates on Prosecco Month, please visit the Prosecco DOC Consortium Facebook page.

About The Prosecco DOC Consortium:
Prosecco was granted the Controlled Designation of Origin status on July 17th, 2009, and the Prosecco DOC Consortium (Consorzio di Tutela della Denominazione di Origine Controllata Prosecco) was created on November 19th of the same year to coordinate and manage the Prosecco DOC. The organization unites the different groups of manufacturers-wineries, individual and associated vine-growers, still wine and sparkling wine producers-to ensure the designation continues to grow and that the production regulations are complied with.

About Prosecco DOC:
Prosecco DOC wines come in Spumante (sparkling), Frizzante (semi-sparkling) and Tranquillo (still) varieties. The wines are made from mainly the Glera grape, native to North East Italy for thousands of years, and can be combined with a maximum of 15% of the following grapes: Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera, Glera lunga, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Nero. Prosecco Frizzante and Spumante varieties get their famous bubbles using the Secondary Fermentation production method, bottled under high pressure after fermentation in bulk tanks called autoclaves, as opposed to the traditional method, which bypasses the autoclaves and is used for other sparkling wine varieties. The end result is a brilliant straw yellow wine with fine, persistent perlage and aromas of white flowers, apple and pear. It is fresh and elegant on the palate with moderate alcoholic strength. For a full list of Prosecco DOC producers, visit http://www.prosecco.wine.

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