Glera, Veneto, Italy

Any excuse to drink Prosecco and have it be a sincere, intentional choice (rather than the best of the worst) is cause to celebrate. We’re not jaded, we just want to drink the cloudy,’ Col Fondo’ Prosecco that Nonnas and Nonnos used to drink in the ‘old country’. Costadilà ("the hillside over there") was founded by Ernesto Cattel and a group of partners in 2006 in Tarzo, Veneto. Ernesto was the brainchild of the whole operation with the goal to highlight and rejuvenate Tarzo's rich agricultural traditions by reintroducing farming to the region. The scope was truly ambitious - a farm where vines, fruits, vegetables, cereals and livestock coexist on the same plots of land. Produce grown at Costadilà is even used in local restaurants! Although we sometimes joke that Prosecco is the vodka-soda of sparkling, like fine, but kinda basic and not that interesting, Costadilá is one of a handful of producers redefining the category. Each cuvée is named after the elevation of the site on which the grapes grow. 330 SLM is 330 meters above sea level and made entirely of high-yielding Glera grapes (once known only as Prosecco). Direct pressed with no maceration, the pale golden juice ferments with wild yeasts until bone dry. It’s then bottled with a little ‘must’ (unfermented grape juice sometimes with chunks) from passito grapes (dried in the attic) for a secondary fermentation. Talk about expressive! Fresh, crisp, ‘health-drink’. Like a cocktail from the mid 20-teens using fruit + vinegar shrubs from prime summer produce. Quince marmalade, brunch juice, and obscure European sodas. Pair with icebreaker games and first impressions.