Italy moves to protect Prosecco from imitations

ROME: Italy has approved rules for labeling Prosecco, putting the sparkling wine on a growing list of protected delicacies to shield their markets from imitations, officials said Friday.

The decision means only Prosecco produced in the traditional northeastern Veneto region can be labeled as Prosecco. The dry Italian bubbly is becoming increasingly popular abroad as a lower-priced alternative to Champagne and is the main ingredient of many cocktails.

Prosecco is a "great Italian wine" which has been suffering from "unfair competition" by producers outside Veneto who use the label, Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia said.

The new rules take effect Aug. 1, the ministry said.

European food and drink makers, anxious to protect their brands in a global marketplace, are increasingly lobbying for rules on labeling products by their origin — such as Champagne, Parma ham or Danish Blue cheese.

Hundreds of products are protected in the European Union and in non-EU nations that recognize the label of origin rules — including British ales, German sausages and Portuguese honey.

"In the world only one out of 10 products marketed as Italian really comes from Italy," Zaia said in a statement.