Blog: La Jara

Venetien

For a long time, Prosecco was nothing more than a rural, refreshing wine, drunk mainly on the spot, traveling at most as far as Venice. Only a few decades ago, this sparkling wine was served only from the barrel or from the 50-liter glass balloon. Only in the last twenty years has it been increasingly bottled so that it can leave the region in larger quantities. In the meantime, it has become the new top star in the bubbly sky, sometimes in modest quality. Increasingly, the uninformed are asking for Prosecco when what they really want is a Spumante, or sparkling wine. While this is good for Prosecco, it is still an unfortunate confusion of terms. Prosecco is the name of a white grape variety that has been grown for centuries in eastern Veneto (and recently renamed Glera). The origin of the vine is probably in the town of the same name a few kilometers north of Trieste.

La Jara' is the dialect name for the white and calcareous pebbles that characterize the area of Santa Maria del Piave, located about eight kilometers south of Conegliano, the center of Prosecco. Over thousands of years, rivers from the Dolomites carried the pebbles and alluvium to the landscape north of Venice. Hidden beneath the pebbles is a fertile layer of soil, sandy and calcareous. These soil characteristics are excellent for viticulture, especially if man knows how to handle them properly. The white pebbles store the heat of the day and in turn release it slowly at night, which is an important condition for the production of fresh, fragrant wines. In particular, for the wine from the Prosecco grape, the freshness, the floral bouquet and a delicate, harmonious note are of great importance. - Gerardo [TS06/22]