Cartizze – The Grand Cru of Prosecco

Cartizze is like the Iberian ham of meats, Mayfair on the Monopoly board and red diamonds when it comes to precious stones. It is the most desired and arguably the finest Prosecco style on the market, made within a precious and heavenly located spot of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore region.

How do you pronounce Cartizze? “Car – Titz – Say“

Famous for its steep hills and breathtaking views, the Cartizze Prosecco vineyards are a total of 107 hectares ranging from 200m to 350m above sea level. Highly demanded and some say one of the, if not, the most expensive wine region per hectare (€1.8 million average). The wines, known as specifically as ‘Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze’ will usually be priced at the higher end of the affordability scale and almost certainly be the grand cru of many wineries.

 

Not every Prosecco producer will have a Cartizze label to offer, in fact, very few do (there are approximately 140 plot owners from wineries to private individuals). The production of Cartizze is minimal compared to the overall production of Prosecco – 500 million bottles of Prosecco DOC, 110 million bottles of Prosecco DOCG & 1.2 million bottles of Prosecco Cartizze DOCG. Approximately, for every 60 bottles of Prosecco sold, only one will be a Cartizze.

Is Cartizze worth the money?

In regards to the romance of the location, then yes and I will stretch that out to the production method also as most vineyards are in the most difficult locations to managed to include harvesting (all done by hand). The terroir is also another yes from me as the sloping land with great exposure to the sun and yet plenty of airing from Alpine fresh winds makes it a perfect micro-climate vine growing location – The land / soil types also contributes and expresses itself wonderfully from region to region.

 

Many will simply want to know about the wine inside the bottle and rightly so as this is where the real proof is – What are the flavours and aromas like and how do they compare to Prosecco classifications below them? Once you have discovered Prosecco and the great depth to the wines then you will hopefully, like myself, give a yes to the quality also. The riper and richer Glera grapes (usually picked a week or so later than most of the whole Prosecco region) allows the winemaker to produce a more natural flavour with the sweetness delivered from the grape must. Typically, a sweeter wine can sometimes be of a ‘one glass is enough’ character, yet he Cartizze will have a cleaner, crisp and younger body with the sugars delivering the expressions of the grape thus the Prosecco experience that we enjoy which is lower classifications is sometimes achieved by added sugars.

Award Winning Cartizze to buy online:

Cartizze will be a harder to find product and rarely seen at high street stores and supermarkets, seldom on basic wine menus and you’ll have to go searching on Google to find producers with one in their portfolio and then seek out their representative, if they have one, in the UK who can supply you.

“A Cartizze oozes its superiority in the glass. The bubbles are so much finer, the aromas are pure with each layer boldly expressing itself and the flavours are something to take your time over to enjoy. Having explored Prosecco for many years to include wonderful visits to wineries across the region, I have had plenty of tastings of each winemakers range – Starting from the DOC up to the Cartizze is the process and the notable differences are clear.”

 

Villa Sandi La Rivetta Brut 2019 – Tasting Notes: “Fresh and fruity on the nose with a creamy delight edge including fresh pears, red apple and overripe peach. A creamy citrus mousse with a delicate expression of pears and apples. GOLD Medal Winner at the 2020 Glass of Bubbly Awards in the category of ‘Light & Fruity‘.”

£30 per bottle available at BellaVitaShop.co.uk

Bisol Cartizze Dry – Tasting Notes: “Peach, pear and a soft touch of sea breeze on the nose. Fruity favours including flesh of red pears, peach and a touch of pineapples with sweeter spices. A creamy citrus and lemon sherbet length. GOLD Medal Winner at the 2020 Glass of Bubbly Awards in the category of ‘Spring Fling‘.”

£30 per bottle available at TheDrinkShop.com