VDB Prosecco: Yes, You Have Heard It Right !

It was a few years ago, when I first landed in China and started working in the wine industry, that I heard this question for the first time: “Which BDM and RDM do we have in the portfolio?”

I was like, What? What is that? A chip? A font? A piece of software?
Am I working in a tech company?

Well, it turns out they were referring to Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino.

My Chinese colleagues explained that everyone in China shortens these names because they’re hard to remember — and doing so makes life (and memory) easier. I already knew they called Domaine de la Romanée-Conti simply “DRC,” which made sense given how complex that name is, especially for those unfamiliar with the Latin alphabet.

But I had never considered that this shortcut could be applied to all wine denominations, not just in China, but for anyone struggling to pronounce or remember long names!

And That’s When It Hit Me

I quickly realized that I had to do something for my hometown’s most famous wine:Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG.

Why? Because no one remembers it. The name is long — too long — and even speakers of the Roman alphabet find it difficult.

People just call it “Prosecco,” which, let’s be honest, can mean anything. I’ve heard people refer to any sparkling wine as “Prosecco” — even when I was holding a bottle of Pol Roger…