Casa Belfi helped revive a nearly forgotten style of Prosecco: cloudy, bottle-fermented Colfondo that ferments on its lees with no disgorgement and no filtering.
Backstory
Casa Belfi was founded in 1999 in San Polo di Piave, in the province of Treviso, by Maurizio Donadi, a young oenologist drawn to experimentation. Over a few years he earned strong recognition among lovers of unconventional, artisanal wine. The project is run with his wife Fabiola and developed in collaboration with Veneto producer Albino Armani.
The Region
Casa Belfi lies in the Prosecco plains of the Veneto, around San Polo di Piave and Noventa di Piave. This is flatland Prosecco country, where Donadi has staked out a rare position as a committed biodynamic grower.
Vineyards & Farming
Casa Belfi farms about 12 hectares of vineyards, roughly 8 hectares around San Polo di Piave and 4 hectares near Noventa di Piave. Donadi is a convinced biodynamic practitioner who has banned synthetic products, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides from the vineyard. In 2016 the estate achieved Demeter certification, becoming the only Prosecco producer in the plains to hold it at the time.
Winemaking
The signature Casa Belfi wine is the Colfondo, a tribute to traditional Prosecco. The 100% Glera referments in the bottle with indigenous yeasts and ages sur lie, with no filtration, clarification or disgorgement, so it pours hazy with a fine sediment. The result reflects the vintage, leaning toward ripe fruit over sharp citrus.
The Wines
Beyond the white Colfondo, the Casa Belfi range includes a rosso Colfondo and other amphora and biodynamic bottlings. They are textural, lively, and a benchmark for what natural Prosecco can be.
