Casa Belfi Frizzante Rosso 2021

Casa Belfi is a project run by winemaker Maurizio Donadi and producer Albino Armani from their estate in San Polo di Piave, in the Marca Trevigiana (province of Treviso). The Naturalmente Frizzante Rosso is made from 100% Raboso grown on 1.5 hectares of medium-textured, pebble-rich, well-draining alluvial soils along the Piave plain. Vines are trained using Guyot and Sylvoz systems, farmed organically and biodynamically with certification from both Suolo e Salute and Demeter. All vineyard and cellar work follows the Maria Thun biodynamic calendar.

Winemaking is built around the col fondo method, a traditional technique of in-bottle refermentation without disgorgement. After hand-harvesting, whole clusters undergo carbonic maceration for approximately one month, followed by destemming and continued skin maceration for around 15 days with native yeasts. The wine is then racked into stainless steel tanks with regular battonage to keep yeasts in suspension. In spring, rising ambient temperatures re-activate the residual yeasts in bottle, completing fermentation and producing natural carbonation. The wine is bottled with its lees, unfined, unfiltered, and without added sulfites (total SO2 under 15 mg/L).

The result is a lively, slightly cloudy purple-red wine with a fine, soft mousse. Aromas of plum, raspberry, and rhubarb lead into notes of licorice and black pepper. On the palate it is dry and fresh with balanced tannins and a pleasantly bitter finish — characteristic of Raboso, a late-ripening, thick-skinned grape native to the eastern Veneto that historically carried the nickname rabbioso (angry) for its bold acidity and grip. At 10.5% ABV it is light in body and built for drinking, not cellaring.

Serve well-chilled at 50-54°F. Gently invert the bottle before pouring to incorporate the lees, or pour carefully and save the last cloudy pour for a richer, yeastier glass.