In 1938 the Cosulich Family acquired land in Collalbrigo as a vacation estate. In 1967, Alberto Cosulich enlarged the property and built the cellar, launching a business in winemaking. Now, Alberto’s grandson Federico, together with his father Francesco and Prosit Group, manage the Cellar and represent the fourth generation of winemakers in the family. We sat down with Federico to learn more about this historical Tenuta.
Ciao Federico, what does the name Collalbrigo mean?
Collalbrigo is the name of the hill located in the middle of the DOCG Prosecco area, between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. It is also the name of the small and old village that sits on top of hill, and its name in Latin means ‘exposed to the sun’. Collalbrigo was really a fantastic place to grow up as well as it is now to be a winemaker, so I believe we are very fortunate to carry its name on our wines.
What has changed in the world of Prosecco since your father’s generation?
My father Francesco on one side was lucky to experience the ‘Prosecco boom’ era of the 1990s-2000s, but on the other side there was not much knowledge and education about the wines from our region and therefore it was difficult to make the cause for a higher quality, more sophisticated portfolio of wines.
Now, thanks to the continuous efforts of the Prosecco DOCG consortium, of the individual wineries within the area and most recently of UNESCO, consumers can appreciate the difference between mass-market and high-end Prosecco.
For us at Collalbrigo, 2019 was a pivotal year as the Prosecco DOCG hills were recognised with UNESCO World Heritage status and the hill of Collalbrigo became a ‘Rive’, one of the Grand Cru of Prosecco.
Can you describe what the Rive of Prosecco are for us?
Absolutely, the Rive are 43 certified micro-zones within the Prosecco Superiore DOCG area which carry superior characteristics for winemaking. In the case of Collalbrigo, our vines here can enjoy greater exposure to sunlight compared to other areas due to the steepness of our hills and our wines express unique mineral features that come from the soil composition of clay and pebbles.
In order for our Prosecco to achieve the ‘Rive’ status, the vine yields are reduced to 13 tonnes of grapes per hectare, the grapes are picked exclusively by hand and the vintage must always be shown on the label. We recently released our first Rive di Collalbrigo-Costa, which is an Extra Brut wine that matured in stainless steel tanks of 120 days post-fermentation, giving a feel of complexity unlike traditional Prosecco.
Aside from the new Rive, do you have a favourite wine from Tenuta di Collalbrigo?
At the moment I am enjoying drinking our Prosecco Rosé Brut, which is great as a summer aperitivo and it is made by a blend of Glera and Pinot Noir grapes. However, my everyday wine has to be the Prosecco DOCG Extra Dry, which is the historical product of our cellar and which has been awarded 95 points at the recent International Wine and Spirits Challenge in London. This wine is the most popular among our range as it is very versatile and can accompany most dishes, from pasta to seafood and light cheeses.
Do you have any advice for wine enthusiasts to learn more about the world of sparkling wines?
I would recommend to come to our region, which is not only incredibly beautiful and close to both Venice and the Dolomites, but also very advanced in terms of winemaking knowledge and skills, as Conegliano hosts one of the most famous oenology schools in the world. However, in the meantime, my advice to try as many wines and styles as possible and I hope you will enjoy those of our Tenuta di Collalbrigo.
Interviste esclusive dal mondo del vino ed approfondimenti da chi fa del vino una ragione di vita, di business e di cultura.
