Italiano
Lessini Durello: volcanic, vivacious and vertical
When it comes to Veneto sparkling wine one name immediately comes to mind: Prosecco. With millions of bottles produced every year, Prosecco is not only flooding Italy but has become the country’s best-known bubbly abroad. And yet in Veneto, between Verona and Vicenza, if you climb the Monti Lessini hills you will not only find a fantastic view but also a small DOC wine appellation that few know about but which is well-worth discovering. I initially encountered Lessini Durello, a sparkling wine made from Durella grapes that grow in this area, during a tasting of volcanic wines and I am currently involved in the Discover Durello project to promote this alternative, volcanic and fresh bubbly in Rome.
This tiny appellation is an authentic niche in Veneto if you consider that the 22 members of the Consorzio del Durello producers’ association – founded in 1997 and thus will marking first 20 years – together produce as much wine as a medium-to-large Prosecco estate, around 750,000 bottles. But above all this is another face of Veneto bubbly with wines that are vertical and sharp, with a great acidity and a volcanic streak that makes them unique and full of personality.
The Durella grapes grow in the Monti Lessini in a volcanic soil rich in tuff stone and basalt, iron and magnesium, all which contribute to giving the wines flavor and freshness. The hills host 366 hectares of Durella vineyards in the province of Verona and another 107 hectares in the province of Vicenza. The bubbly from them is made using both the Charmat Method – creating a fresh, fruity and easy-to-drink wine – and the Traditional Method which, when allowing the wine to sit in the lees as much as ten years, produces a wine of great elegance and complexity. Two wines stood out among the others in a recent Rome tasting: a pas dosé reserve from Fongaro, which sits 80 months on the lees, and Marcato’s AR.
Among the other Lessini Durello bubblies your attention are the Charmat Method from Cantina di Soave and the traditional method Le Macine from the Vitevis winery.
