Croatia close to victory in battle for prošek protection

(Photo credit: Silverije/CC BY-SA 4.0)

Croatian winemakers are getting closer to achieving their goal of protecting the name “prošek,” after the European Committee on Agriculture and the European Parliament adopted a regulation on geographical indications, HRT has reported. 

This regulation refutes the Italian argument to ban the protection of products that resemble other products by name, namely their prosecco.

The battle for the return of prošek continues. Prošek, a dessert wine, originates from Croatia’s Dalmatia region and is made through the passito technique, using dried wine grapes.

This dessert wine’s name almost disappeared upon Croatia’s entry into the European Union.

The European Committee on Agriculture paved the way for achieving this goal by accepting the regulation on geographical indications in December.

According to European Parliament representative Tonino Picula, this regulation sets conditions for protecting products with similar names, known as homonyms, a crucial step in safeguarding prošek under its own name.

Lordan Ljubenkov, president of the Dalmatia Cooperative Union, explained that prošek may be allowed under two conditions: ensuring no confusion in product identity on the market and having a certain tradition in its production, HRT said.

Prošek undoubtedly meets these criteria, with historical records predating those of prosecco by several centuries.

The European Parliament also approved the same regulation in February, leaving only the final step: awaiting the European Commission’s decision.

While awaiting the decision, a winery in Jadrtovac near Šibenik seized the opportunity to market prošek in Croatia, disregarding Italian objections. Juraj Sladić, the winery’s director, expressed hopes that this victory in the wine “war” with Italians would hold multiple meanings, potentially restoring old glory and increasing sales.

(Photo credit: Silverije/CC BY-SA 4.0)

The decision on protecting the name “prošek” may be made as early as June, before the European Union institutions’ mandate expires.

In an interview in Split, winemaker Ivica Kovačević explained the decrease in prošek production despite its distinction from prosecco. 

He clarified that authentic prošek production has always been limited, with the recent specification further reducing production of counterfeit versions.

Despite production setbacks, Kovačević remains optimistic, anticipating the European Commission’s positive decision and planning to increase prošek production accordingly.