Every bottle of prosecco may erode 4.4 kilograms of Italian hillside

GitoTrevisan/Getty

By Chris Baraniuk

The exquisite sloping hillsides of Italy’s north-eastern wine region are where some of the world’s best prosecco is made. But a big problem is fermenting at the heart of this stunning place. Soil in the vineyards appears to be washing away at an enormous rate.

In the traditional centre of prosecco production, between the towns of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, a new analysis estimates that 400,000 tonnes of soil is lost every year in the vineyards. The region produces 90 million bottles of prosecco annually, meaning that 4.4 …