PROSECCO DOC

Prosecco is an Italian DOC white wine produced in a large area spanning nine provinces in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, and named after the village of Prosecco. It is made from the Prosecco grape (renamed Glera in 2009 under EU regulations) but denomination rules allow up to 15% of the wine to be other permitted varieties.  Prosecco is almost always made in sparkling or semi-sparkling style (spumante and frizzante, respectively), but a still wine (tranquillo) is also permitted. Since 2020, Prosecco Rose DOC has been allowed by the addition of Pinot Noir to a Glera base wine.

Prosecco is usually produced using the Charmat method, in which the wine undergoes a primary fermentation to convert sugars to alcohol, and then a secondary fermentation to produce the sparkle, which takes place in large stainless steel tanks rather than in each individual bottle as in Champagne.

There is a vast range in quality in Prosecco, from basic plonk suitable for Bellinis and Spritz Veneziano up to finely-delineated single-vineyard wines of precision and great elegance.

Prosecco superiore di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG

Within broad flatlands of the Prosecco DOC are two small DOCG areas, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco in the hills between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, and Asolo Prosecco around the nearby town of Asolo.  Prosecco Superiore is always spumante and comes only from these DOCG areas. As in many appellations, the hills define the wine, and the Superiore DOCG wines are in fact dramatically superior to the bulk wines produced down in the flats.

In 2019, Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene was named UNESCO World Heritage Site, in large part due to the region's role in the production of Prosecco.

The Rive subzones

Within the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG, the Consorzio has also introduced official Rive (“hillside”) denominations: 15 communes and 28 frazioni (unincorporated villages) producing up to 43 different Rive subzone wines. These are named after the individual hillsides where the grapes originate, highlighting the different microclimates and distinct terroirs found in the DOCG. Rive-denominated wines are per DOCG regulation always vintage-dated.

The Rive subzones are as follow: Arfanta, Bagnolo, Barbisano, Bigolino, Campea, Carpesica, Cison di Valmarino (commune), Col San Martino, Colbertaldo, Colfosco, Collalto, Colle Umberto (commune), Combai, Corbanese, Cozzuolo, Farra di Soligo (commune), Farrò, Follina (commune), Formeniga, Guia, Manzana, Miane (commune), Ogliano, Pieve di Soligo (commune), Premaor, Refrontolo (commune), Resera, Rolle, Rua, San Giovanni, San Michele, San Pietro di Barbozza, San Pietro di Feletto (commune), San Vendemiano (commune), San Vito, Santa Maria, Santo Stefano, Scomigo, Solighetto, Soligo, Susegana (commune), Tarzo (commune), Vidor (commune)

Cartizze

The hill of Cartizze is a 1,000 ft high vineyard of 260 acres of vines, owned by 140 growers. The Prosecco from its grapes, of which comparatively little is produced, is widely considered to be of the highest quality, or even the "Grand Cru" of Prosecco. Wines from the hill are labelled Superiore di Cartizze, often with no mention of the Prosecco name.

Prosecco Brut DOC: Because Paolo knows how to work with Glera, he also makes a great regular-ole Prosecco DOC from fruit grown outside the DOCG region of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. While not as fine or complex as his flagship wines, it is one of the best well-under-$20 Proseccos in the market!

Trevisiol

The Trevisiol family has been making wine in the Selva del Montello area of Veneto for 200 years. In 1934, Liberale Trevisiol parted from the family firm and developed his own winemaking and sparkling wine cellar in Feltre and subsequently in Valdobbiadene, where their company headquarters is still located today.

Liberale's children, Maria, Mario and Edoardo continued to develop the vineyards and cellars, and in 1979 established the Collalto winery in the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG area. This acquisition brought the family vineyards up to some 25 acres and allowed Trevisiol to focus on the finest expressions of the Glera grape and Prosecco wines.

In the mid-80s, the third Trevisiol generation, including Luigi and the current director Dr. Paolo, took over active management of the firm, and since 2010, Paolo’s sons Marco and Dario have been actively engaged in the family business, poised to lead it into its third century.

TrevisioL’s vineyards & The Wines

The historic vineyards of the property are located on the hills of Collalto di Susegana and spread over an area of ​​about 24 acres. The soils are mainly calcareous and clayey, and the Glera grape is highly expressive of the calcareous minerality of its terroir.

Their Brut and Extra Dry NV wines, both from Collalto, are produced from 50-year-old vines grown on calcareous/clayey marine-derived soils at 650-1325ft elevation and a south-southeast exposure. All vineyard work is by hand, and the grapes are hand harvested. Primary fermentation is in 100% acacia wood, followed by secondary fermentation in stainless steel. The Brut is bottled with a final sweetness of about 10g/l, the Extra Dry at about 15g/l.

Trevisiol makes two Rive wines- a Brut from the Rive di Ogliano, a frazione of the commune of Cogliano; and an Extra Dry from Rive di Collalto (from the Collalto commune). Both are superb expressions of the finest wines Glera can produce.

The Brut Rive di Ogliano, from 30yo vines planted with south-southeast exposure at 900-950ft elevation, undergoes a 2-3 week gentle fermentaion in acacia, then secondary in stainless before resting 9 or so months and bottling. It’s bottled at about 10g/l (1%) sweetness, and is perfect with sashimi, seared yellowfin, or sole in a lemon-beurre blanc.

The Extra Dry Rive di Collalto, from 70yo vines planted with southeast exposure at 800-850ft elevation, is harvested a bit later for greater richness. It undergoes a slower, month-long fermentation in acacia, then secondary in stainless before resting and bottling. It’s finished at approximately 16g/l sweetness and pairs beautifully with pasta dishes in a truffle-cream sauce, prosciutto i melone, or roast upland fowl such as chicken, pheasant, partridge, or game hen.