Wine guides Wine: Reviews and Suggestions

Prosecco Cartizze

Prosecco Cartizze sfuso - EFW
Written by EFW Staff

Prosecco Cartizze, an unbearable concentration of aromas

Cartizze hills

In the heart of Valdobbiadene, in the province of Treviso, there is a small hill area of 107 hectares where grapevines are cultivated. It is called Superior subarea of Cartizze and it produces every year an average of a million and a half bottles of a high-quality Spumante wine, unique and precious. It is the Prosecco Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze, a perfumed wine with a bright straw yellow colour and a rich taste, slightly sweet. The main value of the Cartizze is strictly tied with the characteristics of the environment, a perfect combination between an ancient soil and a mild microclimate.

Production techniques of Prosecco Cartizze

The Glera grapes, used to obtain the Cartizze, reach their complete ripening in October, to guarantee a better concentration of aromas and flavours. The base wine is obtained by the white fermentation, the fermentation of the must only, without the tough parts of the grapes, until the natural sugar is exhausted. The traces of the residual sugar will give to the Cartizze a fruity shade. After this phase the wine rests during the cold winter in order to remove the tartrates and reach its clear appearance. The fermentation is stopped when the desired pressure is achieved, which guarantee also the right dose of sugar. After a dozen of days, the wine is kept under pressure in the press tank, at a temperature of 15 degrees and then it is bottled. After 30-40 days the wine is ready to be drunk.

Characteristics of the Prosecco Cartizze

Cartizze is a Prosecco with peculiar characteristics where the soil’s composition, the microclimate, the production and the cultivation techniques make it a precious and well-appreciated wine. It is possible to recognize Cartizze for its light straw yellow colour and its sweet and fruity perfumes: pear, apple and apricot, besides citrus notes, rose and acacia flowers. The taste is sapid and lean, pleasantly medium sweet with a fine and strong perlage. It is an excellent wine for an aperitif or to be paired with fruit tarts, soft desserts or dried confectionery.

Prosecco-Cartizze-DOCG

Curiosities

The name of the municipality of Cartizze, as mentioned in the title plans, has two different interpretations. The first dates the name back to a Spanish knight that had settled down in these areas during the medieval time. The main interpretation, instead, says that the name Cartizze comes from the name “gardiz” or “gardizze”, a dialectal expression that means the iron mesh used to wilt the grapes harvested. In the area of Valdobbiadene, there are plenty of traditions tied with Cartizze. Among them, we highlight the “Fasti di Valdobbiadene” (“the Splendours of Valdobbiadene”), celebrated every year during the event “Spumanti d’Italia” (“Spumante wines from Italy”). Here, the culture of the territory has its main expression; the most famous son of Valdobbiadene, the Poet San Venanazio Fortunato, bishop of Poitiers defined this territory “quo vineta vernantur”, that means the place where the vineyards are spread.

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EFW Staff