Glera

In 2019, UNESCO declared the Prosecco hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene a World Heritage Site. Not because of the wine – but because of the landscape that produces it: steep moraine slopes, stepped in terraces, calcareous soil with marl and clay, lapped by a breeze from the Adriatic Sea. Villa Sandi cultivates over eighty hectares of its own land in this World Heritage area – and for decades has been one of the addresses that have secured Prosecco's reputation as a serious sparkling wine. 100% Glera, hand-picked, pneumatic pressing. Fermentation at a controlled 15–16 °C according to the Charmat method – gentle, flavour-preserving, typical of the region. The Millesimato is a promise of quality: The grapes from one vintage are so good that they do not need to be blended across vintages – they stand on their own every year.

Whilst Andreola's Rive wines each bring a single vineyard to the glass, the Dirupo tells a different story: that of the entire Denominazione. For this Brut, Stefano Pola draws on the privilege of a network of vineyards stretching across all 15 municipalities of the Valdobbiadene DOCG – from gentle slopes at 200 metres to the extremely steep slopes at 500 metres, on calcareous marl, sandstone, conglomerates and deep clay soils. No other wine from the estate reflects the territory so fully. The choice of grape varieties underlines this approach: 90% Glera, complemented by Bianchetta and Perera – two indigenous varieties of the hills that have long since disappeared from standard Prosecco and which, as quiet contributors here, enrich the aromatic depth.

The ‘120’ in the name refers to the number of days: exactly 120 days of ageing on the fine lees following the second fermentation in the autoclave. In the Charmat method, this is unusual – a level of patience more commonly associated with the Metodo Classico, but which has been deliberately applied to Prosecco here. The name La Rivetta refers to Villa Sandi’s most famous location: its own vineyard in Cartizze, the Grand Cru of Valdobbiadene. The 120 does not come from Cartizze – but from the surrounding hills of San Pietro di Barbozza, on morainic soils with calcareous sandstone and clay. 100% Glera, hand-harvested, maximum yield 120 Doppelzentner per hectare. Gentle whole-bunch pressing, controlled fermentation at 15–16 °C – followed by the aforementioned 120 days.

A long time ago, the Madean hill slid down, leaving behind deep, fertile soil in Guia. The name says it all: a farmstead with a large house and stable, built on the landslide. Since 2013, Andreola has been cultivating around six hectares here in a small valley whose slopes face in all directions. At altitudes of between 250 and 350 metres, the vines grow on old marl at the bottom and on sandstone at the top. The winery was founded in 1984 by Nazzareno Pola, who competed in cycle races for around ten years and spent another decade behind the bar before turning his passion into a business at the age of 35. The grapes are harvested by hand; the base wine rests for at least six months in steel tanks, and the second fermentation lasts 30 to 40 days. Here, "Extra Brut" means zero grams of residual sugar.

Of the 43 classified Rive sites in the Valdobbiadene area, San Pietro di Barbozza is considered one of the most demanding. The hills of morainic origin, steep, difficult to access, with calcareous soils of loam and clay – they lie in the direct neighbourhood of Cartizze, the appellation's most famous Grand Cru. Not a bad neighbour. The demanding manual harvest is carried out exclusively from the highest, sunniest plots – deliberately selected for concentration and flavour. Only the best grapes from each vintage qualify for the limited Rive bottling. Gentle whole-cluster pressing, fermentation at a controlled temperature, second fermentation using the Charmat method – with a residual sugar content of less than 6 g/l = extra brut.

Some wines are historical records. The 26° Primo is both: a wine and a historical record in one. The name commemorates the 26th year since the founding of Azienda Agricola Andreola: 2009, when Nazzareno Pola handed the estate over to his son Stefano and, at the same time, the appellation achieved DOCG status. A wine that serves as a baton passed between generations, between an ancient winemaking tradition and its modern aspirations. The grapes come from the estate's oldest core holding: around four hectares of steep slopes in Col San Martino, the village in the southernmost part of the hills between Vidor and Vittorio Veneto, where Andreola has had its roots since its foundation. The vineyards lie at altitudes of 300 to 500 metres, partly on limestone conglomerate soils and partly on limestone-rich marl, interspersed with centuries-old Glera vines and small proportions of indigenous varieties such as Bianchetta, Perera and Verdiso. The slopes are so steep that all work must be carried out by hand.

Soligo and Col San Martino share the same geological origin – the same system of steep ridges between Vidor and Vittorio Veneto, the same limestone conglomerate rocks, the same heroic steepness of 300 to 500 metres. And yet the Más de Fer is a different wine. The difference lies in the soil. The plots on Col de Fer and San Gallo – around five hectares on a single contiguous slope, exposed to the south-east – grow exclusively on pure limestone conglomerate, without the marl inclusions that give Col San Martino its aromatic intensity. The thinnest soils, roots directly in the rock, constant light stress – but the result is not less, but different: fine elegance instead of power, verticality instead of breadth, a purity of expression that Andreola deliberately responds to with the extra dry dosage. The 14 g/l residual sugar is not a concession to the mass taste – they are the exact balance that this finesse needs.

San Pietro di Barbozza is no unknown name within the appellation. Anyone familiar with the hills knows that this is also where Cartizze is found. This legendary 107-hectare slope, the grand cru of the entire Valdobbiadene region, borders directly on the municipality of San Pietro di Barbozza – the same steep limestone cliffs, the same heroic hillside, the same ‘Biancone’ – that fine-grained limestone which has been breaking out of the mountain for millennia, imbuing the soils of this area with a sharp minerality. Andreola only began cultivating this plot for harvest 2024 harvest – just two hectares, facing east to west, with slopes of up to 80%. The soils become thinner with increasing altitude, until the roots reach directly into the limestone. No buffer, no storage – just rock and freshness.

In Col San Martino, almost every second family bears the name Merotto. To distinguish the family from Graziano Merotto, they were given a nickname – and this nickname now appears on the label of its oldest brut sparkling wine. Bareta: a gesture of belonging, from the dialect directly into the glass. 100% Glera, exclusively from vineyards in Col San Martino, on yellowish-bluish marl with grey sandstone, 200 to 400 metres, south to south-east exposure, double-bend training. Gentle pressing, single-varietal fermentation at controlled temperature, second fermentation 50 to 60 days in autoclaves at 12–13 °C. Residual sugar < 8 g/litre – the dry end of the brut spectrum. Graziano calls Bareta the brut representation of his stylistic conviction.

Vines have been known in Col San Martino for over two thousand years. The Merotto family does not say this as an advertising message – it is simply what characterises the history of this small village. Graziano Merotto has developed his parents' winery into one of the most stylistically independent addresses in Valdobbiadene: no compromise on location, no compromise on care, no compromise on style. Colbelo is Merotto's oldest and most famous wine – the same character, the same standards for decades. 100% Glera from vineyards at 300 metres, south-facing, yellowish-bluish marl and sandstone, Sylvoz training. Vines from 15 to 18 years old. Hand-picked at the end of September, gentle pressing, single-varietal fermentation at a controlled temperature, second fermentation for 40 days in autoclaves at 12–13 °C. Residual sugar 16 g/litre – extra dry, which is the most obvious (and classic) choice for this grape variety and terroir.

Rive di Rolle lies in the shelter of the Trevigian Prealps – warmer than the more open sites of the Denominazione, with higher average annual temperatures and deep, fine-grained clay-marl soils that retain moisture and ensure a consistent water balance for the vines even in dry years. The result is a Glera that matures differently than elsewhere: more opulent, more fruit-driven, with an aromatic spectrum that goes far beyond the floral notes of the limestone vineyards. The Vigna Ochera is the most perfect representative of this terroir logic in the Andreola portfolio.

Refrontolo lies on the eastern edge of the Denominazione – quieter, warmer, and a shade cooler than the steep slopes of the core zone. The Col del Forno vineyard is a natural amphitheatre covering around four hectares at an altitude of 250 metres, nestled between woods and terraced slopes. Andreola acquired the plot in 2016 – and from the very start, the wine has been one of the most compelling in the entire Rive range. What distinguishes Refrontolo from Col San Martino is not quality, but character. The clay-marl soils, featuring karst formations dating from before the last Ice Age, reliably retain moisture – ensuring a stable water supply for the vines even in dry years. Temperatures are slightly higher than in the western part of the appellation, meaning ripening begins earlier. The result is not wines of intense floral character, but Glera with a rich, ripe fruitiness: hawthorn, wisteria, apple, peach and yellow citrus fruits – a warmer, more complex spectrum of aromas.

The sparkling classic from Italy's leading Prosecco winery is now certified organic. Radiant in the glass, with the scent of white flowers and fruit, extremely fine and elegant in flavour. Clean, delicate finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Graziano Merotto has named wines after parcels of land, after decades of experience, and also after himself. This one, however, he named after his daughter. La Primavera di Barbara – barbara's spring. What at first sounds like a gesture of affection is also a precise description of the wine: bright, blooming, with a vibrancy that can only be found in the best season.

There is this one moment when Graziano Merotto stops explaining and simply puts his glass down to observe his counterpart. This wine is that very special moment. Integral: undivided, unmediated, without abbreviation – bone dry.

Colle il Castello is the name of the steep hill that rises immediately behind the winery – so rugged that many would give it a wide berth. Graziano Merotto made a conscious decision to choose this isolated, challenging site: The conglomerate soil and the distinctive topography give the Castè a character that flatter vineyards cannot match. The result is regarded within the estate itself as the most typical expression of Prosecco Superiore DOCG. 2.32 hectares at 270 metres, Col San Martino, exclusively Glera. The grapes are left to macerate on their skins, gently pressed, and the resulting must then undergoes around sixty days of secondary fermentation directly in the autoclave, followed by approximately one hundred days of ageing on the lees.

Since the 2017 vintage, the word ‘Prosecco’ has no longer appeared on any bottle of Col Vetoraz. A deliberate decision – and a political one. According to the winery, the word is being misused, with the real risk of trivialising and erasing the centuries-old history and distinct character of the hills of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. Since then, only “Valdobbiadene DOCG” – the sole, true territorial identity. The winery is situated at an altitude of just under 400 metres, at the highest point of the famous Cartizze hill in Santo Stefano di Valdobbiadene. The Miotto family has had roots here since 1838; Francesco Miotto, together with agronomist Paolo De Bortoli and Oenologist Loris Dall’Acqua, founded the current Col Vetoraz in 1993.

Bright, sparkling silver-grey with a persistent perlage. The nose is fragrant with white roses, juicy pears and white peach. Juicy on the palate, radiant and with a great fruity sweetness, it opens up with presence and balance, pleasantly dosed in all its facets. SUPERIORE.DE

From one of the region's most famous winegrowers, this sparkling wine from a single vineyard shows the serious side of Valdobbiadene. A single vineyard from the year 2000, located directly in front of the winery and therefore close to the village. San Floriano opens with delicate scents of white spring flowers and white stone fruit. The elegant, unobtrusive palate draws all the attention to itself and offers creamy white peach, ripe green apple and a hint of citrus - and all this together with an extremely refined perlage. Delicious! SUPERIORE.DE

An elegant, finely sparkling and invigorating Prosecco Brut with irresistible charm. Straw yellow, crystal clear and clean, with fresh aromas of white peach and apple, wonderfully light, yet precise, fruity and with a fine salty note on the palate. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1973, Graziano Merotto purchased plot 86 in the Rive di Col San Martino – an overgrown patch of hillside still covered in woodland. He cleared it himself, planted Glera and began to shape the vineyard that would one day become his most important. Over fifty years later, this wine bears his name. The Cuvée del Fondatore is made exclusively from that historic plot – 230 metres above sea level, south-facing, clay and sand, with vines over 40 years old. Graziano Merotto's decisions in the cellar are unusual: contact with the must before pressing – a step most producers skip – then the must goes straight into the autoclaves, 60 days of secondary fermentation, followed by a further 180 days of ageing on its own yeasts. Almost nine months from must to bottle – a comparatively very long time for a Prosecco Superiore. 33,000 bottles, 670 magnums, 10 jeroboams.