VIA Verona 2025 Supporter Masterclass: Consorzio Vino Asolo Montello
Reporting from behind the scenes at Vinitaly International Academy 10th Anniversary Flagship Edition in Verona, March 27-31, 2025.
This year VIA celebrates 10 years of excellence in Italian wine education and the creation of a vibrant global community. Having begun as a small group of selected international wine professionals invited to attend a seminar, VIA Verona 2025 represents the 32nd edition of the gold standard of Italian wine courses, having educated over 1500 students and certified 430 Italian Wine Ambassadors, 18 of whom are recognised as Experts. VIA has a lot to celebrate, with engagement in 50 countries worldwide and a growing network of Italian wine lovers and professionals who are committed to spreading the Italian wine joy.
This morning 62 excited students from all over the world gathered in Verona for the first day of the VIA Flagship Course, held annually at the wine2digital offices in the PalaExpo at Veronafiere. After a warm welcome from Stevie Kim, Managing Partner of Veronafiere, VIA Faculty member Sarah Heller MW, and personal introductions from all the students, VIA Verona 2025 hit the ground running with their first Masterclass of the 11 planned for the 5-day course.
Gianpaolo Giacobbo, Journalist and Slow Wine representative, presented the first Masterclass of the week, "Asolo Prosecco: An Immersive Experience in Beauty and Culture".
Gianpaolo emphasized the importance of location, geography and geology in this small region in the northeast of Veneto, saying "We have to understand the origins of the soil to understand the taste of Asolo Prosecco". The Piave River and the hill Montello are the key features in Asolo terroir. While Veneto DOC PRosecco is all grown on the flat lands to the south, Asolo is on limestone, clay, sedimentary and morainic soil on the terraced slopes of Montello. This gives the wines a strong mineral, almost salty, character. Biodiversity of plants, herbs, fruit, and forests is also a crucial component of Asolo.
Culture, elegance and beauty are all integral to Asolo, which is graced by numerous neoclassical villas designed by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. Art and music was brought to the area centuries ago by figures such as Caterina Cornado, described by Gianpaolo as "the first Venetian influencer", who lived in Asolo. Leonardo da Vinci said, "good wines come from beautiful places", which Gianpaolo said is great marketing, but actually really true in Asolo, where "beauty is part of the place, part of the people, part of the wine. This is the concept of elegance in Asolo culture. The beauty arrives into the glass".
Gianpaolo made the case for the ageability of high quality Prosecco, telling us he often tastes old vintages going back to the 1980's. Low quality Prosecco needs to be drunk very cold and never aged. At the moment, 68% of Prosecco sold is Extra Dry but Brut and Extra Brut are gaining popularity. Asolo extends across 2,271 ht, with 454 growers. Most of the wine is exported, primarily to the USA.
Wines tasted (with remarks from Gianpaolo):
1. Case Paolin: Asolo Prosecco DOCG Superiore Spumante Brut Nature Sui Lieviti Millesimato "Col Fondo" 2023. Produced in the ancient method of "Col Fondo", which was actually a mistake when a dry wine was bottled with a small amount of sugar and yeast and a second fermentation took place in the bottle. This became an important tradition over time. Unfiltered, not disgorged, the wine is cloudy by design. No sulfites, which would prevent the fermentation in the bottle. This style of wine is now gaining traction as a modern trend in the global market. [Not to be confused with the ancestral method, where a wine with residual sugar is created in the tank and then the fermentation is deliberately continued in the bottle. Not to be confused with the typical Martinotti/Charmat tank method, where the entire fermentation takes place in the tank and the sparkling wine is bottled under pressure]. Mineral and salty on the palate, with notes of pear and apple.
2. Bele Castel: Asolo Prosecco DOCG Superiore Spumante Brut Nature Millesimato "Vecchie Uve" 2019. Tank method, on lees for 18 months. Elegant, creamy bubbles, delicate, from 50 year old vines. Sea salty, herbal, low alcohol 11%, this wine comes from Monfumo cru zone, where there is excellent sun exposure. This is definitely possible to age, Gianpaolo reminded us he often tastes old vintages of high quality Proseccos.
3. Villa Sandi: Asolo Prosecco DOCG Superiore Spumante Brut NV. One of the biggest estates, producing over 1 million bottles per year. Tank method, very high acidity balances 12g residual sugar, restrained nose, fresh primary fruit notes, produces a very clean palate.
4. Giusti Wine: Asolo Prosecco DOCG Superiore Spumante Extra Dry NV. In Montello, more clay soil, very important estate in Asolo. 15g residual sugar, richer palate.
5. Montelliana: Asolo Prosecco NV. 1957 was when the winery was founded. Fruity, green and yellow apple, rounded mouthfeel, a sweetness balanced by the acidity. 16 g residual sugar, 11% alcohol. A very popular style of wine, great to pair with spicy food.
6. Leterre: Asolo Prosecco DOCG Superiore Spumante Dry Millesimato 2023. Close to the river, rich soil blend of limestone and clay, 22 g residual sugar, with notes of a juicy fresh fruit salad and eucalyptus and medicinal herbs. Great balance of sweetness and acidity, a touch of salinity, soft and round on the palate, with an extra layer of viscosity. Gianpaolo says don’t serve this with dessert, it's perfect for aperitivo and soft blue cheeses.
Sarah Heller pointed out greater concentration, greater ripeness, a saline character as the three defining characteristics to help identify Asolo as unique among other Proseccos.