Superiore di Cartizze

Superiore di Cartizze

Cartizze is in the hearth of the DOCG zone of Prosecco Superiore. A hilly strip of land beside the Piave river between the small towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, that sits between the Dolomites and the Adriatic. Valdobbiadene is the heart of prosecco production with a concentration of hill slopes up to 500 metres, including the top prosecco, Cartizze.

The Area

The area is set like a jewel amidst the steepest hills around San Pietro di Barbozza, Santo Stefano and Saccol. The area supplies the best grapes in the Appellation. The hill of Cartizze is a 1,000-feet-high vineyard of 107 hectares (260 acres) of vines,  owned by 140 growers. The Prosecco from its grapes, of which comparatively little is produced, is widely considered to be of the highest quality, or even the “Grand Cru“ of Prosecco.  Accordingly, a hectare of Cartizze grape land was estimated to be worth in excess of one million US dollars in 2008,  and its value was estimated to have increased to 1.5–2 million euros in 2015, the most for a vineyard in Italy. The sparkling wine produced here has recently been named by producers as Superiore di Cartizze, without mentioning Prosecco on the front label to further emphasize its territory.

The Legend

According to a local legend, Cartizze grapes traditionally were harvested last, as the vines were situated on steep slopes and hard to reach, which led to vintners discovering that this extended ripening period improved the flavour. In a blind tasting at the 2006 Vinitaly trade fair, Cartizze were ranked consistently behind “normal” Prosecco.