A hill in Valdobbiadene, Italy, looks out over the region where prosecco comes from. Nearby vending machines sell the famous wine along with other items. (Rebecca Holland/Stars and Stripes)
Americans have quite a fondness for prosecco, with statistics from a leading beverage industry data firm showing that 42% of U.S. consumers had drunk the sparkling wine in 2023.
But American tourists by and large aren’t heading to Conegliano or Valdobbiadene, where prosecco comes from. So of course those towns were on the itinerary a few months ago when two of my best friends from Wisconsin visited me in Vicenza.
Conegliano and Valdobbiadene form one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world. On the roughly 90-minute drive from Vicenza, the pretty scenery starts about an hour into the journey.
For this day trip you’ll want a designated driver, a role that we delegated to my husband.
The terraced plots of Glera grapes in the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene regions of Italy are called ciglioni and give the area a distinct checkerboard pattern. (Rebecca Holland/Stars and Stripes)
La Strada del prosecco, or the “Prosecco Road,” passes ridged hills lined with vineyards and dotted with castles and medieval villages. Terraced plots of Glera, the grapes used in prosecco, create a checkerboard pattern on the hills.
Our first stop was at the Garbara winery in Cartizze, the most important region in the wider prosecco area. Owner Liliana Garbara said her business sees very few Americans.
The designated zone known as the prosecco Superiore DOCG Cartizze is only about 260 acres. Its wines are delicate and acidic, nothing like the often sweet prosecco found in much of the world.
Colesel winery in Valdobbiadene, Italy, makes dry, acidic prosecco from the Cartizze region. (Rebecca Holland/Stars and Stripes)
The initials DOCG refer to Denominazione di Origine Controllata Garantita, the stricter of two wine specifications used by the Italian government. The other is Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or DOC.
By law, Glera grapes must make up 85% of all prosecco, and from there, depending on the DOC or DOCG designation, wineries can add other varieties.
The larger prosecco DOC is where most of the product sold in the U.S. comes from, while prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG covers less area and has higher-quality grapes and generally drier wines. Then there’s single-vineyard prosecco, like Cartizze.
Meat roasting on a grill at Ristorante Bar Mocambo in Follina, Italy. (Rebecca Holland/Stars and Stripes)
At the Garbara winery, we sat outside on a sunny, crisp morning and sipped dry, bracing Cartizze that was like no prosecco I’d ever had before.
The Garbara family was the first to make prosecco in the classical method, like Champagne, rather than in large tanks, Liliana told us. She showed us photos of her son, who will take over the winery soon, and then asked what we were doing for lunch.
We were planning to find somewhere in town to eat, ideally with a view, but Garbara wasn’t having it. She got out her phone and in short order booked us a table at Ristorante Bar Mocambo, her favorite spot in the area.
The prosecco production zone of Cartizze as seen from Colesel winery in Valdobbiadene, Italy. (Rebecca Holland/Stars and Stripes)
But first we visited Colesel, a winery next door. Where Garbara is rustic, Colesel is sleek, with a modern tasting room and huge terrace that hosts DJs and parties in the summer. After trying about 10 wines, we were ready for lunch.
“Ah, the Americans!” the host said as we walked in, leading us past tables of large families out for Sunday lunch and a giant wood-fired oven loaded with meats of all kinds.
We ate pasta with mushrooms, a souffle with beets, roast quail with polenta and heaping bowls of tiramisu, and of course drank bottles of prosecco.
Full and a little tired, we had one last stop to make. No visit to Valdobbiadene is complete without a swing by the hilltop vending machines selling prosecco, meats and cheeses, along with souvenir wine glasses or disposable cups.
It’s gimmicky but also very fun, and the wooden benches tucked into the terraces offer some of the best views in the area.
Polenta served with grilled quail at Ristorante Bar Mocambo in the vicinity of Italy’s Cartizze region, which produces high-quality prosecco. (Rebecca Holland/Stars and Stripes)
We sipped our vending machine prosecco — the worst of the trip by far and also the most expensive — and talked about all the people we wanted to bring back. We were surrounded by young Italians on dates, groups of friends and a few German tourists.
Despite being only an hour’s drive from Venice, the whole region lacks the tour buses and huge crowds so prevalent elsewhere in Italy the past few years.
I’m a little glad Conegliano and Valdobbiadene haven’t caught on as major tourist destinations. My mom is visiting next month and I can’t wait to blow her mind with prosecco that’s so different from what she buys at home.
On the QT
Directions: From Vicenza, Conegliano is a little over an hour’s drive on the A31.
Hours: The Conegliano and Valdobbiadene tourist office is open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. Winery hours vary and typically include a break during lunchtime.
Cost: Prosecco from the vending machines is 20 euros.
Information: Online: visitconegliano.it
