Domini del Leone Prosecco Col Fondo Frizzante Bianco NV

Location: Italy, Veneto

Winemaker: Emilio Fidora

Grapes: Glera

Soil: Caranto soil, a mix of clay with sand and sediments from the nearby Alpine glaciers, Pleistocene origin.

Winemaking: The primary fermentation takes place in a stainless steel tank. After that, the wine is transferred to bottles under crown caps, with enough naturally remaining lees and sugar to re-ferment and create a gentle fizz (2,5 bars). Native yeast only. No fining, no filtering, not disgorged, zero dosage added. SO2: 60-70ppm added after the 1st fermentation.

The prolonged contact with the lees gives this wine sapidity and a well-balanced flavor, with fruity and flowery notes mixed with fresh bread crust aromas. You can serve this wine both limpid after the yeast deposit has sedimented (“limpio”) or carefully decanted into a carafe, or you can shake the bottle to mix the lees into the wine if you enjoy a more cloudy style (“torbido”). Pleasant as an aperitif, it can be served as well throughout the meal, paired with light dishes like fried calamari and shrimp, but also as a contrast with rich mountain cheeses.

From the Importer Jenny & Francois: Guido Fidora, the current owner’s grandfather, was a true pioneer of organic agriculture in the area. He saw how detrimental the use of pesticides and other agrochemistry was to the biodiversity of his vineyards, and decided to fight this by certifying his estate organic as early as 1974, placing him among the very first in Italy. It was at a time when most European winemaking and viticulture were still under the spell of systematic treatments and enological additives, and the notion of organic wine was far from established (and hence a challenge to explain to the market). But, fueled by his vision, Guido insisted and toured farmers’ markets and Slowfood events with his wine and other farm products. Nowadays, even the neighboring estates around their “Civranetta” estate are organic.

His grandson Emilio, who’s now at the helm as the fourth generation of the family, has been converting the estate to biodynamics since 2015. It’s now a true mixed farm consisting not only of vineyards, but also woodland, ponds, pastures for horses, cattle and chickens, and fields of grains and other crops.

The estate is located only a couple of miles from the Lagoon of Venice – this proximity to the sea and its constant winds, together with the particular soil of Alpine-glacier origin give the grapes distinct mineral notes and aromatic richness.

The winged lion referred to in the estate name and on its bottles is the symbol of the city of Venice, once one of the most powerful and wealthiest republics in the Mediterranean. The lion symbolizes majesty and power, while its wings are a symbol of spiritual elevation; the book expresses the concepts of wisdom and peace.

Besides the 140 hectares of land near Venice, the Fidora family also has a tiny plot up in the hills of Valdobbiadene, as well as 65 hectares of vines and forest in the Valpolicella region. All of these estates are certified organic as well as biodynamic (Demeter).