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We couldn’t have been more thrilled to learn that Bele Casel was featured last week in an article on Prosecco by veteran American wine writer Pat Savoie for John Mariani’s celebrated newsletter.
Mariani is one of America’s leading food writers, editors, and experts on Italian wine and food culture. And his newsletter is one of the most popular among American food and wine enthusiasts.
“There is a trend developing in which interest and tastes are moving to more complex, expressive and expensive examples of Prosecco,” writes veteran wine writer Pat Savoie for John Mariana’s Newsletter. These still represent a small portion of sales, but are growing rapidly. The sweet spot for these wines is the small production area of Asolo and Montello, around the towns of Asolo and Montebelluna.
“Asolo is known as the ‘Pearl of Treviso. It and the smaller region of Montello are set at the foot of the Venetian Alps, where the landscape is mountainous to the north while to the south plains slope toward the Venetian Lagoon and Venice, 30 miles away.”
“I visited this area in May as a guest of the Consorzio Vini Asolo Montello and tasted wines from many of the 40 producers (over 85% of total) who are members of the Consorzio. These wines are a step above the rest, with intense freshness, minerality, salinity, and fruit notes.. All are classified as DOCG.”
“From 2013 to 2016 Asolo and Montello Prosecco Superiore DOCG production increased by about 800%, reaching in 2017 a total of over 10.6 million bottles. But only a few producers, many of whom are fairly small, have importers in the U.S., though several are seeking representation.”
Here’s what Pat had to say about Bele Casel and Luca and Paola Ferraro:
Bele Casel – Brother and sister Luca and Paola Ferraro now run the winery that their parents started over three decades ago. Luca makes some fine Proseccos, including the popular Extra Dry (about $15 in U.S.). The wines show the minerality and salinity that are hallmarks of the region.
