Collectors will wax poetic about the virtues of vintage Champagne—the progression of the bubbles, the inimitable yeast flavors that develop with age and how the wine shape shifts over the passage of time.
But Prosecco, an equally historic sparkling wine made primarily with the indigenous Italian grape Glera, is rarely included in collector conversations. Wine tropes dictate that while Champagne is expensive and shines in cellars, Prosecco is cheap and goes well with everyday occasions. Aging it? A waste of cellar space.
And yet, Prosecco’s outward image is slowly—very slowly—starting to change. Part of that is thanks to the prestigious producers of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, who showcase terroir-driven wines that prioritize soil types, land health and grand cru-style plots—characteristics that make for excellent, elegant wines that, yes, can age well.
This doesn’t mean the region is ready to become a cult wine hub, inspiring collectors to frantically snap up bottles. The Italian sparkling wine category has no reputation for aged wines, so old bottles are few and far between. On top of that, producers of collectible Prosecco are battling against the region’s continued reputation for cheap, cheerful bubbly.
Here’s a closer look at why drinkers are sleeping on aged Prosecco—and if the world is ready for a Prosecco renaissance.
Prosecco’s PR Problem
Why aren’t there more aged Proseccos on menus and in cellars? Unfortunately, old bottles are unicorns.
Prior to the 80s and 90s, the region didn’t have in place the right technology (like proper corks and sanitization) to make Prosecco that would age well. Once a producer sold out of a vintage, they made the next. Keeping bottles back was a poor financial decision—a sign of bad sales.
By the 1990s, however, advances in mechanization and preservation technologies allowed producers to export Prosecco outside of Italy. Americans learned about Prosecco and they took to it quickly. “Prosecco flooded the market,” says Elena Moschetta, owner of Biancavigna, which is located in the heart of the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG.
As the category grew, Italian sparkling wine became a lifestyle product—fresh, easy, affordable bubbles to drink while your Champagne ages. Tales of terroir, varieties and soil were quickly forgotten in what Moschetta calls the Yellowtail effect.
“We pushed aside the strategy the French used to sell important wines, like Champagne,” she continues. “We tried to make Prosecco as simple as possible. The strategy was to flood the market—grow larger and larger… That was our original sin.”
While over 638.5 million bottles of Prosecco were sold in 2022 alone, the category’s fame flattened its reputation for quality bubbles. Prosecco became defined by sameness and monotony—big-name bubbles with low acid and lower price points.
“We didn’t head in the direction of excellence,” adds Loris Dall’Acqua, winemaker of Col Vetoraz, a winery perched on the top of Valdobbiadene’s Cartizze hill.
