History
Cultural commitment since 1969
Bellussi Valdobbiadene began supporting the Toti Dal Monte International Competition for Opera Singers in 1969. This association established the cultural patronage that would later become central to the Belcanto range and the Bellussi Prize, a scholarship intended to encourage young singers to continue their artistic training.
Enrico Martellozzo’s acquisition in 1993
Enrico Martellozzo acquired the winery in 1993. He came from a family with longstanding traditions in the wine trade and set about relaunching Bellussi through an emphasis on the quality of its territories and wines. The programme included collaboration with oenologist Francesco Adami and a focus on researching and selecting grapes capable of expressing aroma, elegance and freshness.
Belcanto: 1996 and 1999
The first Belcanto sparkling wine was created in 1996 to support the Toti Dal Monte competition. The entire range, including its name, was dedicated to opera.
In 1999, the “Belcanto di Bellussi” project received the Premio Guggenheim Impresa e Cultura. The Bellussi Prize connected with the singing competition was itself conceived as a scholarship for emerging opera singers.
Venice partnerships from 2009
Bellussi became an official supplier to La Biennale di Venezia in 2009. Its Valdobbiadene wines were served at official lunches and cocktails associated with the Biennale’s exhibitions and festivals. The winery also created a recurring Bellussi red-carpet event for the Venice International Film Festival.
This relationship inspired the Lido 1932 range. “Lido” referred to the location of the festival, while “1932” recalled the year of its first edition. A later range presentation identifies Natöra as Bellussi’s newest family of white wines.
Events and patronage in 2016
Bellussi supported the 2016 International Architecture Exhibition, “Reporting from the Front,” directed by Alejandro Aravena and organised by La Biennale di Venezia.
That year, soprano Roberta Mantegna received the Premio Bellussi Valdobbiadene for her performance as Norma. The prize continued the company’s support for the Toti Dal Monte competition and its objective of assisting young singers in their artistic development.
Teatro La Fenice and the present ranges
Belcanto subsequently became the official wine of Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and Bellussi supplied the opening of the theatre’s 2019/2020 opera season.
The current presentation groups Bellussi wines into three principal ranges: Bellussi, Belcanto and Natöra. Natöra is described as the newest Bellussi range and comprises five white wines associated with Valle Isarco–Alto Adige. Its name means “nature” in Ladin.
Terroir
Valdobbiadene
Bellussi’s principal sparkling-wine territory is Valdobbiadene, part of the historic Prosecco production area together with Conegliano. The area has held DOCG status since 2010 and forms part of a UNESCO-recognised landscape. Prosecco made within the DOCG zone may use the designation “Superiore.”
Valdobbiadene is characterised by an especially high concentration of hillside vineyards. For the Belcanto range, Bellussi selects grapes and rive within this landscape. The combination of hilly morphology, solar exposure and a distinctive microclimate is associated with structural elegance and aromatic finesse.
Valle Isarco–Alto Adige
The Natöra range is linked to Valle Isarco–Alto Adige. Its vineyards are presented as being immersed in an unspoilt environment where natural elements alternate from season to season. The range encompasses five whites with different fruit profiles and a shared identity rooted in their place of origin.
Winemaking
Bellussi’s production approach begins with research and grape selection designed to preserve and enhance aromatic expression, elegance and freshness.
Belcanto represents the most selective tier of Bellussi sparkling wines. Grapes and rive are selected within the Valdobbiadene territory. Charmat-method fermentation and maturation take place in autoclaves, with the cycle extending to as long as six months for this range.
The core Bellussi portfolio also includes sparkling wines made by the Charmat method. The broader catalogue contains a Metodo Classico Blanc de Noir, although no estate-wide technical protocol is defined for traditional-method production.
Philosophy
Bellussi centres its wine programme on the quality and character of its territories. Its stated objectives are aromatic clarity, elegance and freshness, pursued through research and careful selection of grapes.
Belcanto applies this approach to selected Valdobbiadene grapes and rive, combining territorial selection with extended autoclave maturation. Natöra frames its five Valle Isarco whites through their shared origin, seasonal natural elements and distinct fruit profiles.
Cultural patronage is treated as part of the company’s identity. Long-term relationships with the Toti Dal Monte competition, Teatro La Fenice and La Biennale di Venezia connect Bellussi’s ranges with opera, visual art, architecture and cinema.