Uncorked: Valdo prosecco bubbles its way to the top

Matteo Bolla is inside the system.

The U.S. brand manager for Valdo is part of the third generation of family ownership for the winery that focuses on pushing the boundaries on quality prosecco. He is a fifth-generation Bolla family member whose roots run deep in the wine business.

In 1883, the Bolla family rose from humble origins in Soave, Italy, serving meals to soldiers passing through town at its tavern. A family of seven worked hard to edge into the wine business, as the first-born son, at the age of 10, would “go around selling wines on his shoulder” at the local osteria or wine bar.

The Bollas were active in the restaurant business, with sons emigrating to Germany and Nice, France, to work as waiters until the family had moved out of poverty, bought a wine cellar and started to make its own wine.

The first wine sales were to restaurants in Soave and Verona. In the early 1900s, the family opened its own wine bar in Venice, Al Calice, and its wines received a larger audience of journalists, politicians, musicians and artists who helped grow the winery’s fan base.

According to Bolla, local tradition holds that the first version of the spritz was crafted at Al Calice: bianco di soave, a splash of seltzer water and a lemon wedge.

In 1938, Sergio Bolla, Matteo’s grandfather, proved to be a visionary as he began Prosecco Superiore production.

“My grandfather was in love with the hills of Valdobbiadene,” Bolla said. “He was always coming back with a very fruity and lively sparkling wine called prosecco. At the time, it was a regional, local wine that isn’t the trend it is today. He saw a future in sparkling wine. In the 1930s, the family had three wineries. Red wines from Valpolicella, white wines from Soave, and sparkling wine from Valdobbiadene.”

In 1939, Bolla wines were the official supplier to the king of Italy. The business survived World War II and Nazi occupation, and would go on to reap the rewards of an economic boom in the 1960s, as Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini used Valdo bottles.

When Valdo was exported to the United States in 1947, it became Frank Sinatra’s favorite wine.

“Lots of wine industry veterans tell me,” Bolla said, “their first wine was Valdo.”

What the Bolla family captured was the human desire to share positive vibes. It’s something they’ve embraced for three generations. Since the early 1990s, the Bolla family has only made prosecco under the Valdo banner, as it sold its shares in the other wineries.

“Humans love to celebrate and get together,” Bolla said. “Opening a bottle of sparkling wine celebrates something special. We’ve made an everyday sparkling wine to celebrate the little things in life. The style is fruity, fresh and easy to drink, with moderate alcohol and an approachable price point. The trend is here to stay.”

The Valdo “10″ Prosecco 2019 ($25) had pronounced tropical fruit and floral, spring-time aromas. There’s brioche, yeast, lemon curd and a tart citrus note on the finish. There was a full mouthfeel on a very easy to drink prosecco.

In collaboration with a family-owned Sicilian winery located near Mount Etna, Valdo purchases nerello mascalese to blend with glera to make the Valdo Floral Spumante Brut Rosé ($15.99).

“There’s a lot of fruit, but it’s a dry wine with floral notes,” Bolla said. “There’s more red berries and hints of roses to create a very lively, tasty sparkling wine to pair with pasta, fish or have on a nice terrace outdoors. To me, it screams to be enjoyed in the summer.”

Which makes this the perfect time to chill a bottle and pop the cork.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.

TASTING NOTES

Valdo, Marca Oro, Brut Rosé, D.O.C. N/V ($16.99): Lively aromatics of strawberries with flavors of strawberry cream soda and pear.

Valdo, Marca Oro, Brut Prosecco D.O.C. N/V ($16.99): White-gold color in the glass, an effervescence loaded with spirit, pear, soft red apple, toasty almond, lime zest.