Region: Veneto, Italy Appellation: Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG Superiore Grapes: 95% Glera, 5% Bianchetta and Perera Farming: Practicing organic Age of vines: Planted in 1970 Altitude & Soil Type: 150-250 M, calcareous clay Typical Harvest Time: Second week of September Maceration & Fermentation: Controlled low temperature fermentation in stainless steel with selected yeasts via Charmat method Aging: 4 months on the lees Finishing: Mechanical filtration, cold stabilized Residual Sugar: 13 g/L Production: 150,000 bottles annually Notes from Oliver: Sorelle Bronca is a small estate, managed by Antonella and Ersiliana, the sisters ('Sorelle') Bronca, and their families. The Bronca sisters grow their own fruit in steep hillside vineyards around the villages of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the hills north-west of Venice, controlling the entire process themselves. Low yields and hillside-grown fruit ensure that the wine has good concentration and acidity. Instead of two separate fermentations, (grape juice to still wine, then still wine to sparkling wine), the Bronca Sister’s Prosecco grapes are pressed and the juice is held at very low temperatures and fermented directly to sparkling wine. This more costly, single fermentation process retains more of the classic pear aroma that makes Prosecco distinctive. Drink Sorelle Bronca with some olives and a slice of salami while deciding what to make for dinner.