Merotto

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.

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.

Colle il Castello is the name of the steep hill that rises directly behind the winery – so rugged that many would avoid it. Graziano Merotto deliberately chose 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 winery 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, then gently pressed; the resulting must undergoes around sixty days of secondary fermentation directly in the autoclave, followed by approximately one hundred days of ageing on the lees.

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.

Cartizze is the smallest and most prestigious area within Valdobbiadene – a hilltop covering barely more than a hundred hectares, regarded as the Grand Cru of Prosecco. The aspect and soil composition of this vineyard, centred around the hamlet of Santo Stefano, have always guaranteed a level of excellence unmatched by any other part of the appellation. 100% Glera, gently pressed and fermented as a single variety under controlled temperatures. The wine is fermented in an autoclave – natural fermentation over around fifty days at 12 to 13°C, significantly longer than is usual in the standard Charmat method. This patience gives the wine its depth and complexity. The "Dry" style, sweeter than Extra Brut or Brut, is not a stylistic whim here, but a tradition: this is how Cartizze has always been made.