Bortolomiol S.p.A. is an Estate that produces principally Prosecco DOC. The family, which originates from Valdobbiadene, has behind them 2 centuries of wine producing experience that first started with the vines of their ancestor Bartolomeo. Founded in 1949 by Giuliano Bortolomiol, currently remains under the direction of the founders with the wife and daughters employed in diverse roles.

Recent Reviews.... in the

July 24, 2007 Issue

Bortolomiol, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene (Veneto, Italy) “Bandarossa” Extra Dry NV

Never had a bottle of Prosecco that went beyond being fun to achieve real excellence? Your ship has come in, and this is it: A wine of very impressive depth and dimension, with vivid floral aromas and great fruit, all tied together with fresh acidity. A frothy version of the best apple you've ever tasted, this is not sweet but fruity, and will work wonders with all sorts of antipasti.

90 points - Michael Franz Jul 24, 2007

Bortolomiol, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene (Veneto, Italy) Brut NV

This lovely wine shows terrific delicacy in weight, flavor and texture. Fluffy and fun but not unserious, it starts off with exceedingly subtle floral aromas and follows up with equally subtle fruit notes. Soft effervescence is very nicely done, and the finish is dry and clean but not remotely bitter, as can be the case with truly dry Prosecco.

88 points - Michael Franz Jul 24, 2007

A lifetime dedicated to wine. Since their ancestors Bartolomeo first settled here, generations of Bortolomiol families have spent their lives on the sunny hills of Valdobbiadene. However it was Giuliano who established the modern winery in and dedicated his time to Prosecco, a devotion that honors his name and memory. Today his four daughters – Giuliana, Luisa, Maria Elena and Elvira- run the winery under the expert eye of their mother Ottavia. Giuliano Bortolomiol studied new wine making techniques that had never been introduced. Upon returning from the war, he came home to a country awaiting rebuilding, and abandoned and desolate vineyards. Step by step he developed a plan in order to reach his objectives – to elevate the standards of Prosecco. On his motorcycle; his only means of transportation at the time, he began to distribute his product – season after season; rain or shine. He was determined to reach his goal and spread the message of the extraordinary quality of Prosecco and to give the wine the credit and honor it deserved.

In 1946 his first official achievement was the foundation of the Fraternity of Prosecco – which offered guidelines for the production of sparkling wines. As a result of all his studies and research Giuliano Bortolomiol developed an ambitious project – to use Prosecco for the production of a Brut sparkling wine according to the Charmat method (the fermentation of wine in steel tanks). Initially, he received criticism from everyone; no one had ever changed a naturally sweet wine such as Prosecco into a dry wine. Until then, only Pinot grapes had been used, but in Giuliano’s mind he had a clear recollection that the old farmers of Valdobbiadene had once bottled and set aside part of their Prosecco production during the winter. By spring, that special wine had not only become sparkling but had also lost any residual sugar. The innovation became Giuliano’s most important success in 1960 – Prosecco di Valdobbiadene DOC Brut.

WHAT IS PROSECCO?

Prosecco is a white grape grown in Northern Italy on the steep slopes of Valdobbiadene and the hills of Conegliano in the Veneto. It's also grown in Friuli and Trentino, and even in Germany and Austria. As a rule, though, the wine produced from grapes in the Veneto hills is much better and more interesting than that of the flatlands. To be labeled Prosecco, the wine must be 100% Prosecco.

It's a mistake to compare Prosecco to Champagne. They are made from very different grapes that produce very different sparklers. Champagne's flavor is intentionally bready, whereas Prosecco is characterized by light and persistent fruitiness, and a gentle and lingering aroma of almonds, apples, and pears. Its lack of pretension is key to its charm.

• Prosecco is a wine meant to be drunk fresh and young.

• Best consumed within a year to 18 months of bottling.

• Unlike Champagne, which undergoes its second fermentation in the bottle, Prosecco's second fermentation is done in a tank.

• The resulting sparkling wine is bottled young.

In Italy, a wine can be spumante or frizzante. Both words mean sparkling, but spumante is more fully sparkling. A Prosecco wine is a spumante.

TRADITION & TECHNIQUE

Careful investment in the most advanced modern solutions exemplifies how technology can help bring tradition to excellence. Very strict quality control – starting with the grapes themselves – is the guiding principle of the Bortolomiol tradition…from the moment the grape is picked until it is crushed to the vinification, to the foaming, and finally to the production of sparkling wines. It is this last stage that the Bortolomiol winery is renowned for – masters in the application of the Martinotti-Charmat method.

Fermentation in pressure tanks was the best way to enhance the fruity, fresh and aromatic features of this wine. Wines to suit every occasion…enjoy as an aperitif, at a cozy dinner in the winter or in the shade under the trees in the summer; in a friendly setting or a luxurious one. Bortolomiol DOC Prosecco wines.

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