"Prosecco" dispute

Italians force Salzburg restaurant to change its name

The "Prosecco" on Nonntaler Hauptstraße in the city of Salzburg will soon be history...(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

Since 1996, the "Prosecco" in Salzburg-Nonntal has been serving chic food. The association behind the sparkling wine from northern Italy recently threatened legal action over the name of the restaurant.

Jakob and Lizzy Aigner will soon be saying "Ciao". The restaurateurs will have to say goodbye to the name of their restaurant "Prosecco" in Salzburg-Nonntal. The Italian consortium behind the famous sparkling wine wanted to ban the Aigners from using the name of their chic Italian restaurant in a letter in May 2023. Countless letters from lawyers went back and forth and attempts to reach an agreement with the Prosecco producers failed. Jakob and Lizzy Aigner finally gave in. In May, the restaurant couple renamed their "Prosecco" to "Animo".

Damage of 50,000 euros
The restaurant has been operating under the name "Prosecco" since 1996; the Aigners took over from Heidi Kronberger in 2021. "We had to realize that going to court would be risky, costly and lengthy," says restaurant manager Jakob Aigner to the "Krone". Lawyers also advised against it. The Italians' request for an injunction would have been followed by a years-long name break until the court ruling.

Even so, the Salzburgers were left with costs of 50,000 euros. "The lawyers were expensive. From the pen to the specially designed crockery - everything has to be redone," says Aigner. The menu will also be renewed, but only the Prosecco will be removed: Aigners will focus more on champagne and cremant in future.