When a producer is so proud of its terroir that it removes the word “Prosecco” from its bottles…
The Rebellion in the Bubbles
Mention Prosecco at a dinner party and watch the room divide. Half the guests will smile – it’s the wine of aperitivo hour, of lazy summer afternoons, of Aperol Spritz by the canal. The other half will quietly raise an eyebrow. Too sweet. Too industrial. Supermarket fizz dressed up in Italian sunshine.
Both sides are right – and that is precisely the problem Col Vetoraz set out to solve.
Since the 2017 harvest, this producer from the heights of Santo Stefano di Valdobbiadene has done something almost unheard of in the wine world: it has erased the word „Prosecco“ from every bottle, every label, every piece of communication (link). Not out of embarrassment, but out of conviction. Loris Dall’Acqua, co-owner and winemaker, puts it plainly: the term has become too generic, too diluted across nine provinces from the Veneto to Friuli, and risks burying the centuries-old identity of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano under an avalanche of mass-produced imitation.
Today Col Vetoraz (link) sells 1.2 million bottles – every one of them labelled simply Valdobbiadene DOCG. It is a quiet act of territorial pride that turns out to be an excellent entry point into the wines themselves, because these are not wines that ask to be understood in the context of a category. They ask to be understood in the context of a place.
Three bottles arrived. Three months ago. Three wines that together chart an arc – from the classically charming to the defiantly precise to the undeniably grand. Consider this a guided walk through the hillside Col Vetoraz has called home since 1838.
The Three Wines: A Journey Through the Hillside
The Vintage 2025
The official verdict from the Consorzio
The Consorzio di Tutela (link) announced an extraordinary vintage: ideal climatic conditions, healthy and aromatic grapes. According to Diego Tomasi, Director of the Consorzio, the 2025 harvest is projected to be among the three or four best in the last thirty years – potentially not only confirming but surpassing the high-quality standards that have long distinguished the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG.
Extra Dry Coste di Ponente 2025, Valdobbiadene DOCG
The Coste di Ponente – literally the west-facing slopes – is Col Vetoraz’s ambassador wine. The name refers to the orientation of the vineyards: hillsides that catch the afternoon sun, building ripeness and aromatic depth while the elevation preserves freshness. The result is the most immediately seductive of the three wines, and intentionally so. 40’000 bottles are produced yearly.
11.5% ABV · Residual sugar: 17 g/l · 100% Glera.
Fine, delicate and persistent bubbles. A thoroughly inviting, delicate, fresh and balanced bouquet with intense scents of Williams pear, white flowers, acacia blossoms, a touch of vine blossom, followed by a hint of white peach and a hint of citrus zest that prevents the whole from feeling heavy. All of this strikingly demonstrates the difference between a Prosecco and a Valdobbiadene, although we recommend serving it at a maximum of 10° C. Keep it cool too! Full-bodied, juicy, flavourful and lively on the palate, thoroughly delicious, with a fine texture, a sugar content of 17 g/l and an acidity, both perfectly integrated as they are barely perceptible. A long, delicate finish. Tasted repeatedly, always with the same enjoyment. 17.5-17.75/20 (91-92/100).
Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze 2025
There are 107 hectares of Cartizze in the world. The hillside sits in the commune of San Pietro di Barbozza, wrapping around slopes so steep and so varied in aspect that producers joke it functions more like twenty different vineyards than one. The soils – a layered mix of clay, marl, and sandstone, remnants of ancient seabeds – give the wines a mineral intensity and aromatic concentration that simply cannot be replicated elsewhere.
Col Vetoraz does not need to travel far for its Cartizze grapes. The winery stands at the highest point of the hill that shares its name, at nearly 400 metres above sea level, with the Cartizze vineyard essentially beginning where the estate ends. The family Miotto has been farming these slopes since 1838.
The Grand Cru · 11.5% ABV · Dry · 100% Glera
A very fine, long-lasting stream of bubbles – truly inspiring. Right from the nose, this Cartizze proves to be significantly better than many house champagnes. Delicate, refined, complex, fresh and with good depth. The bouquet reveals seductive scents of pears, rose petals, white peach and acacia, with a subtle hint of honey, all set against a lemony backdrop. As the tasting progresses, the bubbles remain in the glass and invite conversation. A full-bodied, delicious, refined, silky and lively palate that is a real delight. The harmony between the wine’s acidity, the delicacy of the fruit and the very successful integration of residual sugar into the whole confirms this overall impression, whilst the finish proves to be very long and delightfully salty mineral. A wine that should age well for around ten years. 18/20 (93/100).
