Story: Cantina la Salute | Veneto

The Marca Trevigiana stretches from the Venice lagoon to the province of Treviso, from the Adriatic Sea to the foothills of the Belluno mountains. As wide as the land, as deep are the roots of viticulture of this area - in the taverns of the lagoon city alone, Piave wines were drunk in abundance. Centuries later, after the two terrible world wars - a reference point for the reborn innovative force was created with the founding of the viticultural school in Conegliano. The heroic deeds of the battles were followed by the courage and perseverance of the people of the Marca Trevigiana, who worked tirelessly to rebuild. As part of the social and cultural renewal of Italy after two world wars, more than 40 years ago ambitious farmers along the Piave joined forces to create the 'Cantina la Salute'.

The inspiration for the name of the winery 'Cantina la Salute' comes from the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute - a church in Venice designed by Baldassare Longhena. Its magnificent dome also provided the inspiration for the winery's logo. The basilica was built after the great plague in 1630 as a sign of gratitude. similar to the rebirth after the hard time during the plague, the story of Cantina la Salute begins after the two world wars.

Today, the two dedicated and experienced Enologists Antonio Cocca and Dr. Luciano Cescon obtain great and regionally typical wines from the grapes of 24 small winegrowers. The grapes come from about 80 hectares of vineyards located in the Piave river plain, which flows into the Gulf of Venice. The Piave River is of fundamental viticultural importance for the region and has a moderating effect on the climate in both winter and summer. The vineyards extend to the north and south of Cantina la Salute and offer different soil compositions such as river gravel and alluvial soil, whose mineral originates from the Alps. In between, there are also numerous coal soils, which are particularly conducive to wines such as Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon. In the center - near Ponte di Piave - the clayey soil favors the ripening of the grapes: around the Cantina grow Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon. Further south, near the Venetian coast, at the Monastier di Treviso and Biancade estates, the soil becomes more muddy and sandy gravel again helps to mitigate the hot summers. Here the red grapes ripen particularly well on vines that are already very old.

The Cantina La Salute has a modern cellar with all the technical requirements for gentle and temperature-controlled fermentation and aging in oak barrels. However, the reason for the great success lies with winemaker Antonio Cocca and his team. This enthusiastic, shrewd and dynamic team makes the difference to many other producers who have focused only on the pleasing typical wines of the Veneto. - Gerardo [TS09/22]