RIVE: The Cru of Valdobbiadene prosecco superiore DOCG

What does " RIVE " mean?
In Venetian dialect, RIVA refers to a plot of land or a vineyard located on the side of a hill.
These RIVE are often given a name, frequently particular and local, in order to identify the precise lot.
Enologically speaking, the RIVE are vineyards located in difficult areas, characterized by significant slopes but with a terroir that gives exceptional quality to the grapes, making the resulting wine "unique".
The RIVE designation can only be used for "spumante", therefore not for still wines, neither white nor red.
The designation was first applied to Cartizze, the famous production area of the renowned wine, the first and true Cru di Valdobbiadene, which runs through the villages of Santo Stefano, San Pietro and Saccol.

The wine with RIVE designation has very strict rules to follow:

• Only spumante can be designated RIVE, it must be exclusively hand-harvested and come from a single lot only, which will be written on the label: RIVE DI SAN PIETRO Valdobbiadene-Conegliano DOCG. The yield per hectare must be a maximum of 130 quintals and the vintage must be indicated.

The essence of a territory is enhanced by this new designation, giving importance to every nuance of color and aroma, but above all to every micro area, helping you understand why this area is such an important mosaic of sensory impressions.

Let us go a little deeper:

• The protocol of the RIVE designation identifies 12 municipalities and 31 hamlets that can be indicated on the label. As I mentioned earlier, these micro areas produce wines with different nuances of aromas and flavors, and here are a few examples: RIVE DI SANTO STEFANO SUPERIORE is elegant, fragrant, complex, whereas RIVE DI FARRA DI SOLIGO SUPERIORE has a slightly more mineral palate. The RIVE DI SUSEGANA SUPERIORE has a more intense aroma and a more structured palate.

RIVE, in short, is the prosecco superiore par excellence, the ambassador of the production area, the most prized and important.
This is the final qualitative step of the Valdobbiadene prosecco superiore DOCG.

So, let us try to avoid saying "give me some bubbles" when we ask for a glass of spumante – let us instead ask for a "VALDOBBIADENE DOCG", let us try to promote our products and our quality and to increase consumer awareness.