OUR LAND

A unique and distinctive habitat

”…they produce magnificent grain and excellent wines; and the most remarkable is from the Montello riviera, the hills of Montebelluna and Valdobbiadene…”

Giovanni Bonifaccio, Istoria di Trevigi, 1591

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Wine growing has always engaged mankind in the care and stratification of knowledge and has meant caring for and safeguarding the territory and the countryside that accommodates it. This territory is a container of dreams, an enchanted place. The hills that produce the DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore are in some places impervious and difficult to reach. The landscape in these areas bears witness to skilled hands, respect and loving care, delicate balances and the interaction between the vines and the woodland is so ancient, where the borders between one and the other are sometimes sharp, others unclear.

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, the landscape of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore hills was shaped into the salient features that we see today: the presence of “grassy terraces”, also known as “Ciglioni”, i.e. systems that model the territory for wine growing where the land slopes steeply; the use of the “Bellussera” vine-growing system, which has contributed to giving the vine-covered landscape certain aesthetic features; and lastly the “mosaic landscape”, i.e. the coexistence in a natural setting of vineyards alternating with woodland areas, dotted with small villages and rural dwellings.

Colline
Territorio panorama

The Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore area is a hilly land located in north-east Italy (latitude 45° 52’ 40” N, longitude 12° 17’ 5” W) and has an altitude that varies between 70 and 450 metres above sea level.

Behind this territory lie the Treviso Prealps, the series of mountains that run like a rock wall from Monte Cesen to Col Visentin. This mountain chain runs parallel to the hilly axis of the DOCG territory and acts as protection from the cold north-east winds.

The cold wind mainly manifests itself during the spring and the presence of this mountain barrier ensures that only moderate winds reach the DOCG hills thereby helping to create useful climatic conditions for grape growing. The air too is especially dry in winter as well as in the other seasons.

The climate in the arc of hills running from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene is a privileged one: the seasonal variations are limited with temperatures that create substantial variations between night and day
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Geomorphologically this territory has reliefs with varying degrees of slope, especially towards the north. There are small-sized cultivated surface areas that possess even the most impervious geomorphological characteristics. Examples of this are the RIVES.

The “Rive” refers to a small area with all the attributes for growing fine grapes. It is sloping, with good exposure to the sun and ventilation and usually the yield per vine is very low. Each rive is given a name that identifies a given attribute.

It is the farmer who has preserved this precious and special territory with his way of “working the vines”, and it is his dedication that has made it possible to maintain the land from erosion and organic impoverishment.

The Rive is therefore a specific territorial identity where there is a distinct recognition in terms of uniqueness and quality which is reflected in the grapes and in the fine wines.

territorio colline 1
Types of soil
The origin of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore soils can be traced to three types:

Sandstone and marl soils
These are present at the highest altitudes of the northern area; often with good structure and depth, but in other situations with the mother rock practically outcropping.

Soils of morainic origin
These can be found in the Ogliano and Vittorio Veneto areas. They were generated by the melting of the Lapisino branch of the ancient Piave glacier.

Cement and sandy conglomerates
Present in the whole southern band of the territory and originating from rocks of the Pliocene era (the period between 5.3 and 2.5 million years before present).

“…because in your silence there is joy”
Andrea Zanzotto

Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Hills
UNESCO World Heritage Site

In 2019, following a long process lasting more than ten years, the territory known as “Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene” was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage SitesUNESCO

The site is located in north-eastern Italy, in the north-eastern part of the Province of Treviso. The area designated by UNESCO covers a range of hills that extends from the municipality of Valdobbiadene to Vittorio Veneto. It then drops towards the south taking in large areas of the municipalities of Conegliano, Susegana and San Vedemmiano.
The special morphology of this territory offers views and panoramas of almost mountain-like landscapes with uninterrupted alternations of forests, vineyards, small rural settlements and farmland.

The unique features found in this area and those that have been enshrined in the UNESCO World Heritage Site entry are:

Hogback, Ciglione and the Mosaic landscape

Hogback

Hogback

These features could also be called “embankments”, the typical geomorphological characteristics of which are rugged slopes. These ridges run in an east-to-west direction and alternate with narrow valleys to create a complex territorial fabric where man has been able to adapt to the land and settle.
Ciglione

Ciglione

This is a type of terracing that dates back to the 16th century and is mainly found in those parts of the territory where there are steep slopes. From a technical perspective, to contain the terraces the use of vegetation is preferred to stone. The soil together with the roots of the plants generates a robust system for containing the edges, preventing soil erosion and washing away.
Paesaggio a mosaico

MOSAIC LANDSCAPE

This is the definition of a landscape design in which the territory is highly fragmented. Its unique characteristic consists of the juxtaposition of numerous small vineyards which are sometimes located in direct proximity to non-productive woodland. This interaction acts as an authentic connecting network between different natural habitats.