The Prosecco Hills

The hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene run as a series of steep parallel ridges, and the vines on them are held up by ciglioni, grass banks cut into the slope in place of stone terraces. The gradients are severe enough that the work is done by hand, which is the difference between this and the industrial prosecco grown on the plain below: the hills carry the higher classification, the flat country the lower one, and the two are not the same wine. Cartizze, a small stretch of very steep ground above Valdobbiadene, is the most valued of all. The grape is glera, fermented in tank rather than in bottle.

What you actually see

• The ciglioni - grass banks holding vines on ground too steep to work by machine.
• Cartizze - the small patch of hill above Valdobbiadene with the highest reputation.
• The Strada del Prosecco - the wine road between the two towns, laid out in 1966.
• Tank fermentation - the method that keeps prosecco fruity and cheap to make.

When to go

April to October, with the harvest through September and the vines turning in October. Spring is green and quiet. Most producers receive by appointment rather than running walk-in tasting rooms, so arrange visits a day or two ahead. Weekends bring Venetians up into the hills in numbers, and the small roads notice it.

Honest expectations

Most of what is sold as prosecco worldwide comes from the flat land outside these hills and tastes of it, and the distinction is close to invisible on many labels. The roads through the ridges are narrow, blind and full of tractors in season. Tastings mean driving, and enforcement is strict. There is little to do here beyond wine.

Nearby

Asolo is west along the hills; Treviso and Venice are south on the plain.