Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Prosecco is an Australian favourite. You'd be hard-pressed to find an Australian restaurant without it on the wine list, a bottle shop without it on the shelf or a Friday fizz without a glass in hand. It's local prosecco that Australians love most. It's now the eighth-most produced grape variety in Australia, grown across 20 wine regions. Sixty per cent of Australian prosecco is produced in the King Valley, in my beautiful electorate of Indi—so renowned that it's known as Prosecco Road. The industry has been carefully nurtured by local families, from Otto Dal Zotto's first vines decades ago to the thriving market it enjoys today. Prosecco doesn't just taste great; it is great for our economy, is worth more than $200 million in sales alone, drives regional tourism and supports hospitality.

Prosecco has strong name recognition. It's an international brand the whole world shares. When the European Union sought to restrict its use under a geographic indicator in 2023, I worked with local grapegrowers and winemakers and this federal government collaboratively to successfully defend our right to use the name. As EU trade negotiations resume, there's a lot on the table and a lot at stake. Losing the name 'prosecco' would be devastating for Australian grapegrowers and winemakers. I urge the government to stand firm for Australian winemakers and their right to use the name 'prosecco'.

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