It was Saint Valentine’s Day 1950. 121 winegrowers from the parishes of Breganze gathered to pool their passion and work. The result was the founding of a co-operative cellar. They needed a name, and seeing as the benevolence of the Holy Father in agriculture can do no harm, they decided to name it in honor of their most important fellow-citizen: Blessed Bartholomew of Breganze, a Dominican friar and Bishop of Vicenza in the thirteenth century.

Bellenda, family run-business established in 1986, has been producing Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, with a commitment to fully expressing in the wines the unique qualities of our growing area and the myriad sensory facets of our grapes. Bellenda produces Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore with different winemaking processes. Right from the first establishment, Bellenda put faith in the classic method for producing Prosecco Superiore that produces together with Charmat and Col Fondo.

The story of the Bertoldi family's winemakers begins in 1932 with the cultivation of fertile land on the morainic hills of Lake Garda. In the 1930s, Emilio founded the Bertoldi winery. Today the family tradition is carried on by the new generations. More than 40 hectares of vineyards are cultivated, managed with different forms of training: row and Veronese pergola depending on the microclimates and types of grapes. With the harvest, the fruits in their native varieties are carefully selected and collected. From their processing, wines are born that differ in their typicality. Our wine is subjected to a careful microbiological control to extend its life over time and to be able to appreciate its positive evolutions.

VALDOBBIADENE PROSECCO SUPERIORE DOCG - PROSECCO DOC TREVISO - PROSECCO DOC

COLESEL is the name of the “small hill” in Cartizze owned by our company for generations. It is in fact, in 1986 Siro Bortolin chose to call his company in honor of this two hectare-hill, which is among the highest in this micro-zone: just like this unique hill, our company has always distinguished itself. Colesel is not just a hill, but represents the identity and continuous passion that distinguish the philosophy of our company and represents the cornerstone of our work: excellence.

For us, Sparkling Wine is a family business. That’s why, we call it Colesel: the sign of the deep bond that binds us to the land we love and that we pass down from one generation to another.

Our land and our vine.  This is our life. This land that hosts the work of man also connects us with our origins, our history. With an innate passion, we respect the land that bestows its fruits, enabling us to extoll them in every bottle we produce. We do not enter the vineyards as owners, but as guests.

From here the Colesel Spumanti can get in touch with the whole world with its own language. We select and cultivate only the best plots of vineyard and always seek the best cultivation methods, respecting the grapes and the vine. In the wine cellar we treat the grapes with the the state-of-the-art technology allowing us to extract and select the grape musts. In pressure-tight containers, sugars and yeasts trigger the second fermentation, that is, the sparkling process: the bubbles begin to develop, transforming the wine into sparkling wine.

VALDOBBIADENE is the only  place where this special wine is produced. The unique landscape is the result  of the exceptional geological nature of the earth and its motions. In this evolution, man and landscape are mutually shaping each other: the hills follow the natural pattern of the territory and the steep slopes impose a “heroic viticulture”. The different combinations of exposure, slope and soils enhance the uniqueness of each  micro-zone. To which is added the work of the man who, by cultivating the vine, carries on the centuries-old tradition of Prosecco Superiore and Superiore di Cartizze. 

In the heart of Valdobbiadene lies a very small area of 106 hectare enclosed in a pentagon since 1969: the CARTIZZE. In this geographically unique terrain, you can find a precise selection of vineyards from which the finest of sparkling wines is born. It is a perfect combination of mild  microclimate and very ancient terrain, made up of moraine, clay and sandstones that have their origin in the sea. Plots of land drawn on steep hills facing south, with a particular exposure to the sun. The altitude influences the climate  tempered by winds and the water courses flow underground following the slopes and stay where the ground is able to hold them.  

The De Stefani family originates in Refrontolo, a little village in Veneto Italy, as results in official documents of 1624. On these hills Conegliano Valdobbiadene Unesco World heritage site, in 1866 the founder Valeriano De Stefani individualized a unique terroir to produce great wines. His son Valeriano, second generation, inspired by his careful wife Angelina, began the tradition which the De Stefanis have always adhered: total devotion to quality with no compromise. The third generation Tiziano, after graduating in 1958 in oenology and viticulture in the most prestigious wine school of Italy in Conegliano, started producing wines in the Piave Valley, near Venice, close to the Adriatic sea and the Dolomite mountains. Today here in Fossalta di Piave, the headquarter and cellars of the winery are located. Alessandro De Stefani, fourth generation, also graduated in oenology and viticulture in the same school and today, together with his wife Chiara, produces wines with the aim of excellence. The key principles that guide them are a very natural philosophy, old vines with a very high density and focus on the native grapes of their land, in order to make wines that can convey emotions even after decades from their creation.

Fidora family has been producing wine near Venice since 1927, when the XVI century Benedictine estate in Venice province was acquired. Four generations, and a 52-year long commitment to organic farming. In 1974, Guido Fidora is among the first farmers introducing organic agriculture in the Veneto region.

With a total surface of about 500 hectares, 150 of  DOC vineyards, 100 of pasture, 50 of crops and the remaining of forest to ensure biodiversity in each estate, today Fidora also boasts one of the largest family-owned Biodynamic / Demeter certified surfaces in Italy and runs it with a holistic approach with few equals in the country. Emilio Fidora, fourth generation of the family, manages the winery. Properties are in some of the most prestigious appellations of Veneto region: Valpolicella, Valdobbiadene and Venice mainland.

In Valpolicella, all family vineyards are on the hillside and surrounded by forest to ensure biodiversity and no contamination from neighbors. Here is where red wines - Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso and Amarone - reach their peak thanks to a perfect microclimate and a limestone terroir.

In our 500-year-old Benedictine estate in Venice province next to the lagoon, its ancient alluvial soil gives its best expression in the production of white still and sparkling wines like Pinot Grigio and Prosecco.

The effort in the vineyard is the most significant part of the job. The work in the cellar is carried on with the minimum intervention possible. The aim is bringing highly clean wines into the glass, respecting the terroir and the original grape varieties. Quality wine is not only a target, but it also becomes a part of a complete self-regenerating agricultural system. Viticulture is integrated with livestock, crops, perennial plants, flowers and trees, water basins, and composting. At least one third of the land of the estates is left unproductive, covered with wild plants and inhabited by wild animals.

EMAIL: ERICA@CESCONITALO.IT    

Italo Cescon has its roots in the province of Treviso, along the river Piave, and from 1957 to today it has now lived more than sixty harvests. Having treasured the experience passed down by his father and founder Italo, the three sons Gloria, Graziella and Domenico Cescon together with mum Chiara continue today to write the story pages of the winery with passion and courageous entrepreneurial spirit. The great love for wine and land, and the desire to enhance the family tradition, have made the ambition grown in order to give back to the world genuine wines with a unique character. About ten years ago, a new chapter of Italo Cescon began, characterized by farsighted investments in research and experimentation. The culmination of this journey was achieved with Madre, Manzoni Bianco Veneto IGT Biologico, the first Piave wine to become part of the shortlist of the Best Italian Wines, awarded with the "Tre Bicchieri" for various vintages. Our values are shielded by the “Tralcetto”, a piece of vine branch tied to the neck of the bottle, historical symbol of “Italo Cescon” and sign of love for small things, as well as tribute to the land from which everything has its origin.

Monte del Frà is located in Custoza, surrounded by vineyards and nestled in the embrace of the morainic hills of Lake Garda. 

Since 1958, day after day, the Bonomo family has devoted itself to the land and its fruits with extraordinary dedication.

Today, the Monte del Frà vineyards cover over 137 hectares. A small plot of land leased by Massimo Bonomo in 1958 has been joined by numerous vineyards in Verona’s finest wine-growing areas: from Lake Garda to the heart of the Valpolicella Classica.

The Bonomo family oversees every stage of winemaking with the same care and conviction that a great wine is created in the vineyard and perfected in the cellar; for this reason, the most modern techniques are employed to ensure quality.