History
Ancient background
Altaneve presents its identity within the long history of Prosecco. More than 2,000 years ago, a wine known as Pucino was appreciated in the Karst hills above Trieste, where Glera was native to the village of Prosecco and its surroundings. Pucino was reputedly favoured by Empress Livia Augusta and was also associated with Italian royalty and nobility.
Eighteenth century
Cultivation of Glera expanded through the hills of Veneto and Friuli, particularly during the eighteenth century. Over this period, the name Prosecco became established in place of the older name Pucino.
Twentieth century
The modern form of Prosecco emerged during the twentieth century, largely through the development of secondary fermentation. Subsequent refinement and experimentation with this process became central to Altaneve’s own approach to sparkling-wine production.
2009: DOCG recognition
Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore received DOCG status in 2009. Altaneve subsequently built its principal range around Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, alongside a Prosecco Treviso DOC and sparkling rosé.
Launch of Altaneve
David Noto launched Altaneve as a micro-production Italian sparkling-wine company. The launch is described as having occurred more than a decade ago, without a precise founding year. The company presents the project as the culmination of more than ten generations of Italian winemaking knowledge, supported by multigenerational oenologists and agronomists.
Production was established in the hamlet of San Pietro di Barbozza, in the heart of Valdobbiadene. Altaneve assumed oversight of the complete production sequence, from harvest through bottling, and combined inherited experience and established methods with contemporary winemaking techniques.
2013: United States launch
Altaneve entered the United States market in 2013. From that launch onward, every Altaneve wine was made as a vintage wine so drinkers could compare the effects of the weather and growing conditions of individual harvest years. Because changing labels and completing a separate United States label registration for every vintage was considered disproportionate for such limited production, the company developed a separate system for recording vintage, bottling year and bottling lot.
Development of the range
The range came to include Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG wines, Prosecco Treviso DOC and a sparkling rosé made from Pinot Nero and Glera. Altaneve Z was developed as a micro-production Prosecco Superiore DOCG from the Il Bacio plot below San Pietro di Barbozza. Its oenologist spent more than a decade refining the wine and its extended secondary fermentation. The finished production cycle occupies approximately one year, including seven months of secondary fermentation, and annual production is limited to 1,500 bottles.
Altaneve also began hand-bottling very small quantities of its DOCG Prosecco and Rosé in 3-litre Jeroboam, or Double Magnum, bottles.
Terroir
Altaneve’s principal production setting is San Pietro di Barbozza, a hamlet in the heart of Valdobbiadene in northeastern Italy. The vineyards occupy the steep foothills of the Italian Alps and Dolomites, whose snow-covered peaks can be seen from the upper parts of the hilly vineyards.
The terrain is repeatedly characterized as steep, hilly and, within the DOCG area, markedly inclined rather than flat. Altaneve associates these foothills with a temperate mountain microclimate. The combination of altitude-related mountain influence, steep terrain and local microclimate is connected with the minerality, floral character and exotic-fruit notes found in its Glera grapes.
The most specifically identified site is Il Bacio, a small hillside micro-plot beneath San Pietro di Barbozza. Its terroir is particularly associated with pronounced minerality. No individual soil composition, geological profile, elevation, aspect, rainfall figure or temperature range is supplied for the estate vineyards or Il Bacio.
Winemaking
Altaneve describes its wines as sustainably produced and all natural. Glera for the DOCG wines is naturally grown on the steep foothills of the Dolomites and is both hand-cultivated and handpicked. The Pinot Nero and Glera used for the sparkling rosé are likewise hand-cultivated in the Alpine foothills.
At Il Bacio, an old-clone parcel of vines more than 60 years old is harvested by hand in late September. The timing is chosen to obtain healthy sugar development while preserving the material required for the wine’s floral character, elegance and complexity.
No named sustainability standard, organic or biodynamic certification, conversion date, soil-management programme, cover-crop regime, disease-control method, irrigation practice, pruning system, vine-training method, planting density, yield figure or biodiversity programme is specified.
Production oversight
Altaneve manages the production sequence from harvest through bottling. Multigenerational oenologists and agronomists assist the project, while renowned oenologists monitor the winemaking process for taste and composition. A master oenologist is credited with applying generations of experience to the DOCG wines, although no individual is named.
Martinotti Method
The wines are made using the Martinotti Method. This involves a closely controlled secondary fermentation intended to retain the freshness of a young wine while forming a fine, persistent perlage. Altaneve extends both secondary fermentation and the subsequent fining process beyond the durations commonly employed for Prosecco, using this additional time to develop bouquet, balance, texture and a velvety bubble.
Altaneve Z
Altaneve Z has an overall production cycle of approximately one year. Within that cycle, secondary fermentation lasts seven months; the comparison supplied for ordinary Prosecco is approximately 10–20 days. The oenologist responsible for the wine spent more than a decade refining this approach. The extended process is intended to add depth, complexity, balance and a particularly fine perlage while retaining Prosecco’s freshness. The finished wine is Extra Brut, with 5 g/L residual sugar.
Sparkling rosé
Altaneve Rosé blends Pinot Nero with a smaller proportion of Glera. Pinot Nero supplies minerality and body, while Glera rounds the profile, softens the sharper acidity and helps produce a clean, bright style. Maturation and extended secondary fermentation develop its crisp body, delicate perlage and finesse.
Vintage identification
Every Altaneve wine has been vintage-specific since the 2013 United States launch. The printed front and back labels themselves are not changed for every harvest because the small production volume makes annual label printing and registration uneconomic. Instead, production information is added separately between the front and back labels: the first four digits identify the harvest year, the following two identify the bottling year, and the final two or three give the lot number within that bottling year. An earlier journal description places the same information on the foil or capsule.
The bottling year is treated separately from the vintage because freshness is calculated from bottling. Altaneve Prosecco and Rosé are considered best within two years of bottling, while Altaneve Z remains fresh for approximately twice that period as a result of its extended secondary fermentation.
Bottling formats
DOCG Prosecco and Rosé are offered in 750 mL bottles and in very limited, hand-bottled 3 L Jeroboams, also called Double Magnums. Altaneve attributes slower loss of freshness and improved development to the larger format. DOC Prosecco and Altaneve Z are offered in 750 mL bottles.
Across the range, the wines are described as vegan, gluten-free, low in sulfites and no more than 500 calories per standard 750 mL bottle.
Philosophy
Altaneve’s guiding principle is the combination of tradition and innovation. The project draws on more than ten generations of Italian winemaking experience, centuries of regional heritage and established production methods while also adopting contemporary techniques and continuing to refine secondary fermentation.
Vintage variation is treated as meaningful rather than something to conceal. Each harvest is intended to retain the nuances created by that year’s weather, allowing successive vintages to be compared and giving the production team information with which to refine its winemaking.
The production philosophy also emphasizes direct control: every stage from harvest through bottling is curated as part of one process. Extended fermentation and fining are used even though they are unusual for the category, with the goal of developing bouquet, depth and fine perlage without sacrificing freshness.
Environmental and product principles include sustainable production, naturally grown fruit, vegan and gluten-free wines, low sulfite levels and hand work in both the vineyards and limited large-format bottling. No formal environmental certification is identified.