Bele Casel: Old grapes, new wine

The Vecchia Uve (and Prosecco) project came about thanks to the rediscovery of the old varietals Rabbiosa, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Marzemina Bianca and Perera to add to the standard Glera.

Bele Casel is a wine estate in the province of Treviso. Its vineyards are situated on the Asolo Hills that produce a niche Prosecco that is an expression of a small territory, as opposed to those from the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene hills, not to mention those of the Prosecco DOC appellation. While small, it is in no way inferior, the only problem being that, due to its limited production, it is never sufficiently in the spotlight.

Several wines are produced in the Asolo DOC appellation: Asolo Prosecco, Asolo Prosecco Frizzante, Asolo Prosecco Spumante Superiore, Superiore Colfondo (of which Bele Case is one of the standard bearers) and, since 2014, Superiore Extra Brut.

It is in this area that Luca Ferraro, the winemaker and estate owner, and his family rediscovered, in an old vineyard in Monfumo, a number of different old local varietals that were for the most part no longer cultivated or used. They decided to study them and discovered that they were Glera (which was to be expected), Rabbiosa, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Marzemina Bianca and Perera.

These varietals were planted together, as was the custom at the time to enrich the variety of vineyard, and together were blended to make Prosecco. The reason for this was simple: given that the varietals are harvested at different times and react differently to environmental conditions, this ensured a harvest every year and enhanced the nuances of the final wine.

Over time, however, these most of varietals were forgotten with the focus shifting to Glera, a very generous and reliable variety with ideal characteristics for producing Prosecco.

Curiosity got the better of the Ferraro family and, in an attempt (as Luca put it) “raise the quality bar and enhance the image of Asolo Prosecco”, they decided to harvest the grapes and make wine from them separately in order to ascertain their characteristics and qualities.

And so the “Vecchie Uve” (Old Grapes) project was born.

It involved tasting the grapes, making wine from them, tasting the wines, experimenting, taking risks, making mistakes and learning from them.

This empiric approach produced results and, starting with the 2016 harvest, Luca and his family could celebrate their first Vecchie Uve Asolo Prosecco DOCG.

It is a Charmat (or Martinotti) Method bubbly, a blend of the wines made from the old varietals that spent a year in the autoclave and a year in the bottle, at least. The dosage was extra brut, as regulations permit, but it is for all purposes no dosage.

I have had the opportunity to taste Vecchia Uve in two different stages of its life: soon after it was bottled (in January 2019) and after a year in the bottle.

The year in the bottle made a big difference (who knows after two or three years). It improved in regard to softness and balance and became more substantial without losing its number one characteristic: being enjoyable to drink. The effervescence and bouquet are elegant and there is no lack of style making it a perfect fit on the table of the best restaurants. The mouthfeel is enticing and in no way indifferent.

Based on my tastings I can say that this wine, unfortunately, has only one great, unsurmountable defect: only 3,381 bottles were made.

Asolo Vecchie Uve Extra Brut 2016 Bele Casel

91/100 - € 20,00

A blend of Rabbiosa, Marzemina Bianca, Perera, Bianchetta Trevigiana and Glera that spent a year in an autoclave and aged a year in the bottle. A straw-yellow color and a fine and elegant effervescence with typical and distinct aromas of pear when the bottle is opened. After a few minutes, scents of green and yellow citrus emerge along with notes of turmeric and ginger. The mouthfeel is consistent, taut and correctly creamy with a long and non-invasive flavor and medium salinity. An excellent drop.

Bottles produced: 3,381.

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