A visit to Villa Sandi near Valdobbiandene in the heart of the Prosecco region was the perfect excuse to explore and understand how their Prosecco is made differently from most, and why this pioneering technique ensures that Villa Sandi Prosecco tastes perfect no matter when it is opened. More on that later…
We left a cold wet Manchester and were delighted to be greeted as the Easyjet door opened by warm sunshine at Venice Marco Polo. Our host from Villa Sandi, Gualtiero Cenere met us at the airport and drove us to their ‘Locanda’ – a stunning restaurant and 7-bedroom guesthouse located in the heart of their vineyards.
After lunch, we headed straight into a tasting of ‘Asolo’ – a DOCG Prosecco region producing Extra Brut wines – the highlight without doubt their ‘Il Nero’ which has floral notes and a lovely green fruit character.
Within the ‘Prosecco quality pyramid’, Asolo is close to the top and the lower residual sugar gives these wines a freshness and clean, crisp character.
Next stop was a tour of the ‘Villa’, a Palladian house build in 1622. It was hard to believe that when the Polegato family bought the property in the 1980s this was derelict and in a state of disrepair – it is now a stunning and imposing property.
We moved on to the winery to learn about the production of their ‘Il Fresco’ Prosecco. The family recognized that unlike Champagne, Prosecco needs to be drunk young, when at its freshest. This is fine if you are drinking it soon after harvest into the winter and very early Spring. However as the year progresses into late Spring and Summer, Prosecco loses some of it’s character and vibrant freshness.
To combat this, Villa Sandi developed and pioneered a method of production, chilling the must prior to fermentation and storing close to 0 degrees C in large temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. As Prosecco is required, the temperature is raised, the wine fermented, bottled and shipped.
In my opinion, Villa Sandi Il Fresco Prosecco is the best DOC Prosecco on the market – intensely fruity, ripe golden apple notes and a delicious hint of acacia. Like the Asolo, it is dry and fresh – very moreish.
That evening we were treated to dinner at the Locanda, with Prosecco (of course) as an aperitif before moving on to Villa Sandi Pinot Grigio with the fish. A lovely fuller, riper style of Pinot Grigio with good acidity and notes of lime and almonds.
Our main course was the most amazing pork I’ve ever tasted - BBQ’d on an open fire in the Locanda, and a glass of Corpore (100% Merlot) worked perfectly. Finally with a delicious dessert of red fruit summer pudding we had a refreshing glass of Prosecco Valdobbiadene Millesimato DOCG – fruity and ripe enough to work with the dish.
The next morning we drove to the tiny sub-region of Cartizze high up on a steep hillside. The region comprises of just 108 hectares, with 140 different producers. It is the most highly sought after (and expensive) area within the Prosecco region, and just 1.2 million bottles are produced annually.
We tasted the Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore di Cartizze Brut which has been awarded the Tre Bicchieri Gambero Rosso for a staggering 14 years on the trot. It has a complex fruit and floral nose with notes of peach. Very fine, well-integrated perlage, with great length and development on the palate. A soft-savoury finish with hints of accacia honey.
A fitting end to a fantastic trip!
David Archibald
Sales Director
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