High on a hilltop in Guia, in the heart of Valdobbiadene, the Canello family makes the kind of Prosecco that existed long before the category became a global phenomenon: cloudy, dry and refermented in the bottle on its own lees.
Backstory
The Canellos have grown grapes in these mountains for five generations, with official winemaking dating to 1971. The winery takes its name from Giovanni Canello, nicknamed Nani, while Caneva is Venetian dialect for a shady spot to sit and drink wine. Today Massimo Canello runs the estate, having taken over from his father Giovanni about a decade ago, though Nani remains involved in the fields and cellar.
The Region
The roughly six-hectare property sits in Guia, Valdobbiadene, in the Veneto, at 350 to 400 meters of elevation. It lies entirely within the prized Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore zone, on soils of clay and limestone with a local form of dolomitic granite.
Vineyards & Farming
The vineyards are planted exclusively to Glera on slopes so steep that harvest is done entirely by hand. Farming is organic in practice, if uncertified, with no herbicides or synthetic pesticides.
Winemaking
Fermentation is spontaneous and takes place in cement tanks. The signature col fondo is bottled in spring with a small amount of residual sugar and living yeast, then refements in bottle over roughly 60 days at controlled temperature, with the lees settling to the bottom.
The Wines
El Vin Col Fondo is 100 percent Glera, dry, savory and lightly sparkling. Because it is sealed under a crown cap, it cannot legally carry the Superiore DOC name despite coming from its finest slopes, a rule the family wears as a badge of honor.
