Bubbly in the Venetian Lagoon

Often Americans used to end the week by exclaiming: T.G.I.F. Thank God it’s Friday. Let me rephrase this with a slightly poetic shift by saying: T.G.I.S. Thank God it’s Summer!

There is no intention to underestimate the other seasons, each one unique in its own way, but summer is the season, the season to celebrate holiday. How? With a glass of bubbly, of course!

Think now to be on the sandy beaches near Venice, laying out under a burning sun enjoying the sparkle of the Adriatic Sea, perhaps thinking it’s time to give your skin a break and look for something special.

So take the boat from Cavallino Tre Porti in the Venice Lagoon, what you find is something that you might not have expected: a small island surrounded by the sea hosts green vineyards and golden grapes, welcome to Venissa.

This island known as Mazzorbo, linked to Burano by a wooden bridge, holds an ancient grape variety called Dorona, the golden grape because of its intense color, yet famous at the time of the Venice Republic as ancient manuscripts have described its presence even in the main square of Venice; piazza San Marco.

The Bisol family, winemakers in Valdobbiadene who have been running the Prosecco production since 1542, rediscovered this ancient variety for the creation of a wine that is as rare as it is precious and that takes its name from its birthplace: Venissa.

Besides this surprising wine, you can have the chance to taste all the Prosecco production, in particular another example of the Bisol family’s passion to experiment is a wine called noSO; the name points to the absence of added sulphites, the formula of which is SO2.

Careful and delicate agronomic management and continuous research have given rise to noSO, the authentic expression of the Glera grape variety particularly suited to those who are sensitive to sulphites.

In particular, the noSO method requires delicate pressing, does not use sulphites or other allergens and is fermented with low sulphite producing yeasts during the first and second fermentation cycles. The wine is left with the yeasts for many months both for the base wine and for the sparkling wine. This ensures notable longevity in
the bottle which allows the typical notes of great white wines to emerge.

The wine appears brilliant: a lively mousse conveys notes of pear and melon with subtle hints of elderflower, magnolia, and toasted pistachio.

It’s a wine you can enjoy as an apéritif, ideal companion to celebrate special moments or it can be paired with different dishes like raw fish, grilled salmon or anchovy with pumpkin flowers.

At the right moment when you get in the boat ready to set off, you’ll feel to have experienced something extraordinary, something that belongs to the past, but is also linked to the present and the future, like hundreds of bridges over which thousands of people have crossed Venice, witnessing its splendour through the centuries, nowdays and in the years to come.

Featured Photo ©Mattia Mionetto