Cuvée Spumante Extra Dry is made mainly on Glera, but also other local grapes from Veneto and Friuli. After a gentle pressing of the grapes, the must undergoes a natural sedimentation. After that, a small part of the must is stored cool, and the main part is put to fermentation in steel tanks. After a few weeks of rest, the wine and the unfermented must are mixed and moved to pressure tanks, where the second fermentation takes place with selected yeast. After bottling, the bottles are stored for a few weeks under cool conditions.
A fresh, aromatic and sweet sparkling wine with a lively mousse and fine, persistent bubbles. The color is straw yellow, and in both aroma and taste you find a nice harmony between the floral and the fruity, crisp nuances. The exotic, sweet notes are tamed well by a nice acidity. Immediate and charming – perfect as an aperitif and with shellfish, fish or poultry.
The winery Le Contesse in Veneto was formally founded in 1976 by the current owners, the married couple Loris and Luigina Bonotto. But the tradition of viticulture in the family can be traced all the way back to the 17th century. Loris Bonotto took over his father Pietro Bonotto’s small vineyard with associated vineyards, and continued his father’s strong passion for quality wines and well-cultivated vineyards. At the time of takeover, the grape varieties were primarily Carmenère, Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay. More vineyards and grape varieties (eg Glera) have since been added, and today Le Contesse appears as a modern winery and as one of the most important players in Veneto for sparkling wines.
The name “Le Contesse” comes from Countess Maria Tiepolo, who previously owned some of the fields that the Bonotto family took over. Today the property is located in Tezze di Vazzola, southeast of Conegliano (Valdobbiadene), with 155 ha. vineyards spread over 8 municipalities: San Polo di Piave, Mareno di Piave, Santa Lucia di Piave, Vazzola, San Pietro di Feletto, Vittorio Veneto, San Vendemmiano and Roveredo in Piano. Loris Bonotto is a qualified oenologist from the University of Conegliano. He has a skilled team of winegrowers and winemakers around him, and he thus has full control over the cultivation and production of e.g. DOC Prosecco and DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, on both Methode Charmat and Méthode Traditionnelle.
The great geographical diversity of the vineyards gives the opportunity to produce wines with great complexity and in different styles, from sweet Dolce Spumante, semi-dry Extra Dry to dry Brut.
The Veneto tradition of using different local grapes in the wines was already described in the 1st century BC. by the Romans, who are also believed to have introduced the appassimento technique in the area, with a partial drying of the grapes before fermentation. It is often precisely the so-called Ripasso, Amarone or Recioto wines that come to mind when talking about the wines of Veneto, but the area is primarily a supplier of popular, immediate and fruity wines such as the white Soave or Bianco di Custoza and the red Bardolino and Valpolicella wines.
The area lies south of Alto Adige-Trentino in Northern Italy and stretches from Lake Garda in the west to the city of Venice in the east. This results in large differences in growing conditions, both in terms of climate and soil, and therefore means large variations in style. Even more “modest” DOC or IGT Veneto wines can be exciting – depending on the producer! Experiments are carried out both with the area’s original grapes and with more “modern” crossings, and you can therefore be surprised with quite exciting wines, both white, rosé and red wines as well as sparkling.
