TERRITORY

Vineyard

All grapes come from our own vineyards. The oldest vines are cultivated with the Sylvoz training system, with a planting density that ranges from 3,000 – 3,500 vines per hectare.
New vines are cultivated with a bilateral Guyot training system, with a planting density of 4,000 vines per hectare. The yield per hectare and the quality characteristics of the grapes fully meet the strict regulations governing the production of D.O.C.G. Conegliano e Valdobbiadene wine.
The various vineyards on our estate alternate with wood and meadow areas. Vineyards are surrounded by olive trees and shrubs so that they are deliberately located in the most integral and diverse environmental context possible, where the use of anti-parasite treatments is kept to a minimum and the products used always respect the environment and protect consumers.
The wines from these areas are free from plant protection product residues, safeguarding the health of consumers. The assistance of a group of agronomists ensures that Riva di Rocca devotes meticulous attention to its vineyards and production of quality grapes.

Vocation

The vineyard and oenological suitability of the Riva di Rocca estate

The ESAV (Agricultural Development Agency of the Veneto region), in collaboration with the University of Milan and the Higher Institute for Viticulture of Conegliano, have identified Riva di Rocca as an area with a greater vocation within the D.O.C.G. Conegliano and Valdobbiadene Prosecco territory.
The Riva di Rocca estate is classified as a privileged site for the production of grapes for sparkling wines, for the following reasons:

  • the favorable slopes for better reception of solar radiation, resulting in a higher sugar content than the average;
  • day/night temperature fluctuations, pronounced during the grape ripening phase, enhance the aromatic spicy and mature notes and increase the aromatic complexity of Prosecco;
  • the presence of soils with a high limestone content (marl mixed with conglomerates and gravels) provide a good supply of minerals, giving the wine high sapidity and fullness.

Soils

The hills in the Susegana area are primarily composed of blue clays and conglomerates, dating back mostly to the Pliocene era (around 5 million years ago), which were later uplifted during the Quaternary period (Pleistocene).
During this later phase, warmer periods (interglacial periods) alternated with colder periods that led to the formation of extensive ice caps (glacial periods). As the ice advanced, it altered the landscape, changing the course of rivers, modifying the existing topography, and destroying vegetation. Outside the glacial fronts, melting rocks created new pathways for rivers and covered plains with debris.
The nearest glacial formation to us was the Piave glacier, which occupied a basin much larger than the current course of the river, at the location of Ponte nelle Alpi. The glacial front split into two branches, with the major branch diverting southwest, occupying the entire Val Belluna, while the minor branch descended into the Val Lapisina, where on one side it invaded the Valle del Soligo (present-day Longhere, Revine, Lago, and Follina) and on the other side crossed the narrow pass of Serravalle, spreading towards the plain, forming, upon melting, the morainic amphitheater of Vittorio Veneto and the neighboring municipalities of Conegliano, also affecting the territory of Susegana.
The hills of Susegana are the result of phenomena that began in the Miocene epoch and continued until the glacial period. Only through the morainic process of glacier movement could the gentle hills of this area form, consisting of clayey soils with high calcium carbonate and trace element content, which give the wines characteristics of finesse, sapidity, and elegance.