Keywords: resilience and quality.
Founded in 1984 by a family who saw Valdobbiadene as a territory not only to cultivate, but to safeguard and enhance, the Andreola agricultural company is today a symbol of excellence in the production of Valdobbiadene DOCG . In the territory of the well-known hilly denomination, between the sea and the Prealps, the Andreola company extends over rock and clayey sand soils, each of which gives a distinctive character to its wines. With an altitude ranging from 100 to 500 meters, the company practices heroic viticulture , where each bottle tells a story of hard manual labor and love for the terroir. Mirco Balliana , Andreola’s winemaker , offers an overview of the challenges and hopes that will characterize the upcoming 2024 harvest: “The start of this year was complicated with rainfall well above the annual average until the end of June, a huge challenge for maintain grape health under almost unprecedented vine disease pressure,” he explains. The techniques adopted were crucial: “We carried out timely trimming and leaf removal at critical points, essential to combat downy mildew, powdery mildew and gray mold following the Conegliano – Valdobbiadene protocols.” The situation is now showing signs of improvement. “With the weather becoming favorable again and the approach of decidedly hot weeks, we hope that the conditions will continue to favor optimal ripening of the bunches. If the work of spring and early summer was effective, the period that now separates us from the harvest will be decisive,” explains Balliana, highlighting the importance of slow maturation, favored by significant temperature variations between day and night. The Andreola company is renowned for the production of exceptional sparkling wines, which contain six “Rives” or special sub-areas, some with the company’s historic vineyards, in which vineyards are worked exclusively by hand or with the aid of very particular pulleys for transporting the grapes. The resilience of this vintage reflects Andreola’s deep connection with its territory: “There is no doubt that the intrinsic characteristics of our terroir emerge with particular clarity during challenging years like this one. In such circumstances, in fact, it becomes essential to recognize the importance of factors such as the altitude, solar exposure and the draining capacity of our hilly soils, which are decisive in guaranteeing complete maturation of the grapes without compromising their phytosanitary integrity. It is in these vintages that the harmony between the vine and its environment, enriched by human experience, manifests itself fully, distinguishing our wines in a sector where too often there is a tendency towards product standardization.” With a long-term commitment to sustainability and innovation, Andreola continues to carry forward the philosophy of a family business that winks at innovation and the use of modern technologies. Each Valdobbiadene DOCG from the Andreola winery is therefore not only synonymous with superior quality but the demonstration of how every challenge can be transformed into an opportunity for constant growth and improvement