Cartizze

Considered a "grand cru" vineyard area, this small, south-facing hill produces some of the most concentrated, elegant, and finessed Prosecco Superiore wines.

Everything here is done by hand, because it’s impossible to get machinery up these incredibly steep slopes. In fact, many of these vineyards have never had a tire or wheel imprint on them - just the footprints of the people brave enough to make the climb.

A range of mountains (the Pre Alps) located north of Cartizze hill in spring time protects the vineyards from cold wind coming from north-east. This, along with a gentle east-west wind, keeps grapes dry and fresh.

You'll find mostly marl and limestone soils here which retain water well and give grapes high acidity. It’s also cooler in this area thanks to altitudes of 1150 feet (350 m).

The elevations give wines delicate aromas of jasmine and rose. And, the sunshine guarantees the fruit ripens properly, leading to pear and tropical fruit aromas.

Cartizze Wine Styles

Dry

Because of the ripeness of the fruit, the wines often get selected to be made in a Dry style (with 17-32 g/L of residual sugar). Still, you'll barely sense the sugar, thanks to the high acidity. Wines taste delicate and elegant yet surprisingly complex.

Dry Cartizze wines work well at the end of a meal or paired with spicy cuisine.

Brut

A leaner, bone-dry style with more savory, mineral notes. Still since the location provides so much ripeness, you should be able to sense the fruitiness in your glass (even with just 0–12 g/L residual sugar).

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Cartizze Wine Region Facts

• Cartizze was first officially defined in 1969, but has been used for over 200 years
• Cartizze can range from Extra-Brut to Dry in sweetness, but is often Dry Glera, like all Prosecco, must be at least 85% of the blend
• The maximum yield is 12 tonnes per hectare vs 13 tonnes/ha in Prosecco Superiore DOCG
• There are only 267 acres (108 ha) of vineyards
• There are over 142 producers that have vineyards in Cartizze
• These highly sought after vineyards cost upwards of 1 million euros per hectare

SOURCES

♦ Conegliano Valdobbiadene Consortium

♦ Marchiori, Umberto. Interview Conducted by Christine Marsiglio MW. (Sept 2022)

♦ Bisol, Isabella. Interview Conducted by Christine Marsiglio MW. (Sept. 2022)

♦ Tomasi, Diego and Federic Gaiotti. The Terroirs of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Wines. 25 June 2020