In 1962 a group of 11 producers, representing the main wine–growers’ cooperatives and large sparkling wine houses, formed the Consortium for the Protection of Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene, introducing a product specification to protect the quality and the image of the wine. Seven years later, on April 2nd, 1969, their efforts were rewarded with the recognition by the Ministry of agriculture, of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene as the only one DOC area of production of Prosecco and Superiore di Cartizze. Today, the Consortium for the Protection brings together almost all the producers of the territory and its protection work has become increasingly important, determinant of the achievement of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG, which took place in August 2010.
The Consortium is a private institution of public interest and brings together all categories of producers: vinegrowers, winemakers, bottlers. Through its technical facilities and its collaboration with research institutes, it plays an important role in improving the labor in the vineyard and in the wine cellar, providing services of support and training.
The Consortium follows all the phases of production from planting to pruning, up to the choice of the vintage period and the control of winemaking practices.
In addition to promoting the development of viticulture and wine–making techniques, the work of the Consortium is to ensure and improve the quality of Conegliano Valdobbiadene and for this reason it works with Valoritalia, a foundation established in 2005 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry for the control of quality and the traceability of the product. As a keen observer of the market and of the evolution of tastes and lifestyles, the Consortium is a major landmark and its role is also to make know and to protect the image of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene in Italy and abroad, thanks to the organization of events and plans of communication.
In parallel with the recognition of the DOCG , the Consortium has launched a major program of analysis and development of the values of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Brand, with the objective to focus on the development of the territory and to environmental sustainability, the enhancement of the history as a guide for shaping the future and the commitment to preserve over time the superior quality of this great wine.
