Luca M kindly arranged a lunch for Yixin, myself and a few other people at the Venissa winery and restaurant, celebrating the original settlement of Venice and the original styles of wine. Matteo Bisol was our host and everything was lovely, food, scenery, the guided info.
To start, Luca opened 1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque. I had just come back from the bathroom and thought we were starting with the Venissa wines, and was initially surprised at the profile! But champagne made more sense. That said, the bubbles are minimal and the wine is quite savory. I’m no DP expert so I can’t hash out the details of this showing. But it was a nice start to the festivities that I was happy to drink and would never pay (anywhere near) current retail to buy.
The main event was tasting the flagship Venissa Bianco. Produced from the only hectare of Dorona di Venezia grapes in the world, on the island of Mazzorbo, where we dined next to the vines. A white wine with long maceration, apparently this being the traditional approach in Venice to preserve wines from the heat because cellars are not possible.
My favorites were the 2017 and 2016. Skin contact white wines with all the characteristics you would expect, but in a precise elegant package. The 2016 was a bit more open from the extra age, but both are delightful. The 2014 was veering into the aged oxidative character. Lots of discussion about whether this is a phase that will eventually return to freshness, as seen in other wine regions. But not enough track record to know here. The 2011 was similarly into the apricotty nutty apple realm, but with more freshness and clarity.
Then a transition to the second wine of the estate, the 2018 Venusa Bianco. As is often the case, so much easier to drink. Juicy and simple and very drinkable. Which is a good thing.
All in all, the wines are interesting and compelling for the backstory, although the prices are a bit high (140 euros retail for Venissa and 48 euros for Venusa). Still, they apparently sell out, so let’s hope for continued success.
And, we had continued wine drinking... 1987 La Castellada Collio Tocai Friulano and 1987 Marco Felluga Collio Sauvignon, both brought to honor Matteo’s birth year. Both well into their evolution with older white wine flavors, but more funky nutty notes on the Castellada Tocai. Both still had freshness to work well with the food, which is how they were most appealing for my palate.
Relaxing at the end with 2020 Matteo Bisol Colli Trevigiani IGT, a col fondo that has lively natural energy, but also fresh floral flavors and some textural presence on the palate. With 10.5% alcohol, it is very easy to drink under the sun. It has not been allowed the Prosecco DOCG due to the sensory profile, which is an understandable source of frustration for Matteo. Plenty of politics, but for the drinkers, it is lovely and should be an easy sell.