I am from the ’burbs. I grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. You got a problem with that? Go ahead: I can already hear you snickering at the word, “Jersey.” Sure, it has its notoriety, its share of colorful characters on and off TV. But one thing residents of this fine state know is that, whatever side of the fence you’re on, every once in a while you need a good shakeup, like a new Republican governor in a largely Democrat state. But I digress.
 

Imagine my excitement, then, when I heard that far from the MTV-famous Jersey shore and the tangled freeways featured in The Sopranos, another ’burb, outside of Venice, Italy, is at the center of one of the biggest shakeups in the history of Italian wine. It’s about time, because the hillside vineyards in the tiny valley of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, which the locals fondly call “Proseccoland,” produce Italy’s preeminent Prosecco. While many say this is the only Prosecco, the name has  been dragged through the dirt, co-opted by cheap imitators worldwide. Even Paris Hilton marketed “Prosecco” in a can.

Those days are over, though. The Italian government recently bestowed this humble area tucked away in central Veneto with DOCG status, the highest-ranking and stringently regulated designation for Italian wine regions. Under the new guidelines, only sparkling wine from this area and the surrounding region can legally be called Prosecco, setting straight a world of unauthentic imitations.

Recently the Consorzio of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Prosecco producers invited me to visit and take in these changes first hand, and I jumped at the opportunity.

When I arrived, it was clear that there’s a renaissance underway. You can feel it in the air. There’s the distinctive beauty of the hills and valleys covered in vineyards, provincial towns, historic architecture, and hiking and bicycling trails. Winemaking is so entrenched here that the locals are pushing to become the first UNESCO World Heritage site recognized entirely on vini-viticultural grounds.

The push to conserve the area’s heritage and beauty doesn’t mean the locals are unwelcoming. Civic leaders with an eye toward tourism established Italy’s first wine road here in 1966. The Strada del Vino Prosecco is a picturesque, 30-mile loop that meanders through the valley between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano.  Today, practically every wine region in the country has a wine tasting route, but few can claim as many wonders as this one.

But I’ve come for the Prosecco, and to celebrate with the locals, because their valley has been elevated to top dog among its peers. After 40 years of being engulfed by the huge Prosecco DOC zone, and the broad and nebulous area that includes IGT Prosecco (a less stringent designation for Prosecco produced as far east as Trieste), the Italian government finally recognized Conegliano-Valdobbiadene as superior and worthy of the guarantee that adds a “G” to the DOC designation. Rising from DOC to DOCG status is a huge success for a wine region. To put this in perspective, there are only 44 DOCG areas in Italy, while there are over 311 DOCs. This designation means the 160 wineries in this small valley have been inducted into the elite club of Italy’s top wine regions (the neighboring zones producing IGT Prosecco get elevated to DOC status).

All of which means you’ll find the locals in a particularly hospitable mood these days, which I experienced firsthand at the spectacularly cluttered, bursting-with-energy Locanda Da Lino, a small inn and delightful restaurant founded in 1961 by the famous Italian chef, Lino Toffolin, whose family still runs the inn. Toffolin was a national icon and TV personality who surrounded himself with jet-setters and movie stars, and the guest rooms are named for famous people who once slept there (mine was Marcello Mastroianni’s, who was a good friend of Toffolin and apparently designed some of the furniture). The restaurant is packed with bric-a-brac—hundreds of copper pots hang from the ceiling of a dining room with one giant table that could easily seat 80 people. I am dreaming of hosting a dinner party there featuring their signature handmade tagliolini tossed with a sauce made from the region’s famous radicchio di Treviso, and the roasted faraona (guinea fowl) dressed in the local salsa peverada, a fabulous savory, pepper-based sauce that includes the bird’s innards and lots of sage.

Of course, there are also wineries where you can sleep. The Alice Relais, in a restored 19th century farmhouse, neighbors Bellenda winery in Carpesica, near Conegliano.   Outside Valdobbiadene, there’s the famous Bisol winery in Santo Stefano. And Villa Sandi, with rooms at its lovely Locanda Sandi in Crocetta del Montello, has a wonderful restaurant. Hotels proper include Hotel Canon d’Oro in Conegliano, and Hotel Villa Abbazia in Follina. The Villa Abbazia, by the way, is pretty swanky, being the only Relais et Chateaux property in eastern Veneto and home to the lauded restaurant La Corte.

While my time was short, I managed to fit in another memorable meal at Ristorante Da Gigetto in Miane, a town on the northern leg of the strada. There was a creamy, white truffle-speckled fondue made of Montasio cheese, which concealed a silky egg yolk the color of saffron. It was merely chef Marco Bortolini’s welcome dish, but I could have had two more and called it a meal, alongside the copious coupes of Sorelle Bronca Prosecco, “Particella 68,” which sommelier Roberto Pieri poured liberally from his cellar of 10,000-plus bottles (ask for a cellar tour).

Locanda da Lino is in Pieve di Soligo, nearly dead-center between the “capitals” of the new DOCG, with Conegliano to the east and Valdobbiadene to the west, both about 20 minutes away. While Conegliano is considered the historic heart of the Prosecco region, Valdobbiadene is where the action is, including the prestigious hilltop vineyards of Cartizze, the grand cru of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. While there are more historical sites in Conegliano and more wineries to visit in Valdobbiadene, if you are near Conegliano you should make an appointment for a wine tasting and tour at Collalto in Susegana, which is home to the enormous and ancient Castello San Salvatore. Heading west toward Valdobbiadene, I tasted delicious wines at Adami and Mionetto, and took in a spectacular sunset at Col Vetoraz, which holds bragging rights to the best view of the region from the highest perch in Cartizze.

From here you get a clear view over  the hills and vineyards, and after a day of touring the valley’s wineries, it is clear that Conegliano-Valdobbiadene deserves every bit of its DOCG status. If this is the ’burbs, I’m all for it.

WINES TO TRY

The first of the DOCGs are finally reaching the U.S. It’s been a long wait, thanks to delays with customs, but we got a hold of the newly released Bellenda. We’re waiting for Bisol and Col Vetoraz to reach us soon. And we’ll keep our eyes peeled for any newcomers! 

May 2010

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prosecco, doc, docg, wine, drinks, spumante, sparkling wine