From daily land-use practice to global phenomenon. On the origin and recent evolution of Prosecco’s wine landscape (Italy)

In recent years, Prosecco, the renowned Italian sparkling wine, has become an increasingly popular product globally, leading to a massive expansion of viticulture within Prosecco’s production zones (North-Eastern Italy). Through qualitative and quantitative methods, this paper provides a first empirical analysis on the landscape and land-use modifications generated by the plantation of new vineyards. Specifically, it seeks to reconstruct both the long-term historical factors that brought to the emergence of a specific winescape (today candidate to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the recent conversion of croplands, grassland and woodland to wine-growing areas. Particularly in the plains, landscape is radically changing due to the new large geometric plantations perfectly suited to mechanical viticulture. Conclusions argue for an overall regulation of such booming monoculture in order to effectively harmonize the production needs of wine-growers with other land-uses (mostly residential), and to protect the historical landscape patterns and ecological biodiversity.