Vines have been grown in the hills between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano for over eight hundred years. A wine’s history, especially if its origins are ancient, is intimately linked not only with the land that produces it, but also with the men and women that have grown up with it. Soil, climate, wine, customs and traditions: these aspects, all together, make up what we refer to as “terroir”.

The hills of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano have been shaped and rendered graceful by man, who has, over the centuries, succeeded in creating an enchanting landscape: they are ethereally beautiful hills, producing exquisitely mellow wines. As recently as 2009, this centuries-old history suffered a major jolt, thanks to a decision based exclusively on financial motives: Prosecco is no longer the vine that – for eight hundred years – has found an ideal habitat in these hills, but has now become a denomination covering nine Provinces in Veneto and Friuli.

These areas are devoid of tradition: here, cultivating vines has not been passed down from generation to generation thanks to the know-how of the elders, but rather has taken on a primarily industrial role. This has created a chaotic situation, where the mere distinction between “Prosecco” (the wine produced in the area created in 2009) and “Prosecco Superiore” (that made in the historic hilly zone between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano) is not sufficient in order to convey a precise identity.

Today “Prosecco” has become a generalized term, with a real risk of making banal and cancelling out the age-old history and winemaking vocation of the hills of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. For this reason, we believe it is fundamental to begin a new, different type of communication, in which the wine’s territorial identity is extremely clear and unmistakable.

Col Vetoraz has therefore, as from the 2017 vintage, decided to remove the word “Prosecco” from all of its labels and in all its communications media, using just the denomination “Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G” – our wines’ true and unique territorial identity.