At the helm of a solid business, Stefano Pola runs the family company with his feet firmly planted in the territory. A company that has been able to quickly transition from a farming reality to a modern company dedicated to the Prosecco production; it boasts vineyards that extend over some of the most beautiful areas of the appellation, such as Rolle, Col San Martino, Refrontolo and Soligo, a very extensive vineyard dominated by the Glera grape variety. The entire production revolves round the Treviso bubbles, that come to life in two DOCGs of Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo, with masterpieces from single-vineyard production. "Our company was officially established in 1984," Stefano tells us, "although the family had already been involved in winegrowing long since, with some vineyards owned by my grandmother, to whom the company name is dedicated. But it was my father Nazzareno who started the vinification of the grapes from these vineyards, thus continuing the family tradition, expanding the vineyards and beginning already in 1987 the sparkling wine production in the cellar. Today he is still active in the company and looks after the 255-acre vineyard in the heart of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG appellation".
The company owns 255 acres in the Conegliano area, well known for its steep slopes, in some cases with a 70% gradient: "ours is one of the most extensive companies in terms of planted acres. We boast vineyards in five Rive and six crus, if we include the Cartizze vineyards. We separate each cru, with the hope to bring all the peculiarities of these charming microzones into the bottle". In the Vini d'Italia 2022 guide we awarded one of these labels, the Valdobbiadene Rive di Refrontolo Brut Col del Forno '20, the Tre Bicchieri: the Glera grapes used for this sparkling wine come from a wonderful Refrontolo 11-acre vineyard, where the area’s steep hills become gentler and the stratified soils of clay, sand and pebbles, alongside a microclimate characterised by favourable temperature excursions, make the rest. The glass reveals a clear expression of Golden delicious and flowers and highlights the perfect harmony between sweetness, acidity and bubbles on the palate. A fresh Valdobbiadene, more than satisfying to drink.
Unlike many other Veneto-based companies, Andreola is not yet too enticed by the foreign market: "We have historically focused mostly on the domestic market, where we still sell 87% of our production. We started to export a little late, around 2010, only because even today Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG doesn’t sell very well abroad, because we are up against similar products but at much lower prices, and getting people to understand our appellation and therefore our higher price is not always easy. But we are working on it and we are present in some good markets, especially those where the consumer is more prepared and willing to spend a little more. I am referring for example to Russia, which after the pandemic has become our main partner (previously it was the United States)".
When it comes to accommodation and wine tourism, Stefano Pola's company is in the forefront: "We've built a beautiful tasting room with a wine shop, that’s not just a place to taste or buy wine, but almost a classroom: there are territory’s relief models and maps, in order to help wine enthusiasts understand the origin of our product. We offer guided bike and walking tours – 18 different itineraries – and we organise special weekends in the name of wine and gastronomy. To make this happen, we have built up a network of around 40 partners between catering and hospitality for an all-round experience of the real Conegliano Valdobbiadene territory".
