Prosecco production takes a toll on northeast Italy’s environment

The industry accounts for 74 percent of the region’s soil loss every year

Prosecco vineyard

BURST YOUR BUBBLY  High-quality prosecco vineyards are losing 400 million kilograms of soil every year, researchers calculate.

Stefano Mazzola/Awakening/Alamy Stock Photo

Sorry to burst your bubbly, prosecco lovers, but skyrocketing demand for the sparkling wine might be sapping northeastern Italy’s vineyards of precious soil — 400 million kilograms of it per year, researchers report in a study posted online January 10 at bioRxiv.org.