Quality and sustainability: the concrete commitment of La Tordera

Valdobbiadene pride

More than 100 years have now passed since great-grandfather Bepi planted the first vineyards in an area of the Cartizze hill where thrushes (tordi in Italian) used to take refuge, called precisely Tordera. And this name today baptises the Vettoretti family company founded by Pietro and Mirella in 2001 and currently run by the fourth generation, their children Rentao, Paolo and Gabriella. Located in Vidor, in the heart of the Valdobbiadene area, in a sequence of enchanting views, made up of hills with a sharp and at the same time gentle profile, thickly planted with vines: the vineyards extend for about 70 hectares within the historical denomination "in the heart of Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG," Gabriella proudly confirmed. "Our vineyards are located in very different production areas, from the Otreval vineyard in Guia di Valdobbiadene, at about 300 metres above sea level, the highest on the property, to the Cartizze with specimens of more than 100-year-old ungrafted vines."

The vineyards and the wines

"We follow our grapevines in every single production step, taking care of them as if they were children," adds Gabriella: "For us this represents the quality seal of each of our bottles we produce. Our vineyards, not far from the cellar, are located in different municipalities of the denomination, with different ampelographic characteristics and range from the steep slopes of the Rive to the old vineyards on the rolling hills of Cartizze, up to the younger vineyards close to the company headquarters. The link with work and with the soil is evident in the hands of my father who, at 83, has 75 vintages to his credit. But it is also evident in the names we have chosen for our DOCG sparkling wines (Otreval, Brunei, Cartizze, Serrai, Tittoni), the same ones present on the historical maps of our vineyards." The Guia district, a few kilometres east of Valdobbiadene, is one of the most fascinating wine-growing areas in Italy, with slopes that seem to fall almost vertically towards the valley, with the glera grapes that have taken possession for centuries. From these vineyards come the grapes for Otreval '21, an Extra Brut that smells of white fruit and flowers, with a dry mouth and great acidity. The Tittoni from the same vintage, on the other hand, offers a sunny, ripe and persuasive sweetness profile.

Protecting the territory

Since its inception, the company has paid particular attention to environmental protection. And over the years the actions towards this issue have been increasingly concrete: in this perspective the cellar is certified CasaClima Wine and the management of the vineyards is organic. But that's not enough: "Nature is at the centre of our thinking and our actions," Gabriella told us. "We are winemakers who grew up in the enchantment of the Valdobbiadene hills and are the true guardians of the territory we take care of. Our green approach grows with the passion for this work and can be summarised in the concept of "Natural Balance," a manifesto of our commitment to the protection of the wine heritage." This commitment takes the form of a series of practices that touch all company activities and which aim to reach the goal of an increasingly environmentally friendly viticulture in harmony with the territory. This means reuse of water, energy produced by solar panels on the roof of the cellar, heating with a wood-stoked boiler, an insulated cellar, and even travel with electric cars. Finally "all the new labels are made with recycled paper and other materials, as well as the capsules, produced with an innovative material that is totally biocompatible and recyclable. Furthermore, one of the peculiarities of the back label is that it is full of information: with an eye to transparency and respect for the consumer, in fact, the quantity of sulfites and sugars contained in the wine are declared."