Vigne nel Tempo: Medieval Harvest Reenactment at the Azienda Agricola Conte Collalto
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Vigne nel Tempo (Vineyards in Time) |
In fact, recently in the vineyards at the foot of the castle and in the courtyard of the castle itself, visitors found themselves immersed in evocative medieval scenes: harvesting, peasants stomping the grapes with their bare feet, knights hunting with the help of a falcon, busy artisans minding their storefronts, clowns, musicians, and parades of iron clad foot soldiers.
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Vigne nel Tempo (Vineyards in Time) |
We are referring to the third annual Vigne nel Tempo (Vineyards in Time), the historic re-enactment of the harvest season in medieval times, which took place on September 30, 2007, in the small town of Susegana, in the beautifully cared-for vineyards of the Counts of Collalto, which show great public participation.
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Castello di San Salvatore (Saint Savior Castle) |
In fact, the Counts of Collalto (High Hill) have produced wine since the middle ages. The Collalto family has ancient Lombard ancestry, but the family history is deeply rooted and interwoven with that of the Marca Trevigiana area. Around the year 1000, the family reigned the province with the title of Counts of Treviso. Between the 12th and 13th century they built the Castello di Collalto (Collalto Castle) and the Castello San Salvatore (Saint Savior Castle). To this day, the Saint Savior Castle hosts various cultural events and, in more recent years, Vino in Villa, that is, the major event organized by the Consorzio di Tutela del Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene (Consortium for the Protection of the Prosecco Wine from Conegliano Valdobbiadene). Lately the Consortium also took the event overseas, to the United States.
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Castello di San Salvatore (Saint Savior Castle) |
The Azienda Agricola Conte Collalto (Count Cololalto Commercial Farm) owns 250 hectares (over 617 acres) of land, 142 (about 350 acres) of which are vineyards, while the rest is used for pasture, growing produce and includes ancient woodlands. The whole production, from vine growing to winemaking in the cellar is managed by the estate. Current average production is of 850,000 bottles per year, 550,000 of which are Prosecco DOC in its various traditional versions, and 300.000 are white (10 varieties) and red wines (7 varieties). The estate is one of the largest producers of Prosecco. Other varieties include the Incrocio Manzoni, made with grapes selected for decades, and the rare Wildbacher, brought by the Collaltos themselves from Austria
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Castello di San Salvatore (Saint Savior Castle) |
In addition the farm produces grappa and extra virgin olive oil. In this mountainous area the olive trees, which are a typical Mediterranean plant needing temperate climate, found its micro-climate amongst the vineyards and the woods.
The cellar and grape crushing facility are an extraordinary example of exceptionally well preserved industrial architecture from the beginning of the 20th century. Beside state-of-the-art winemaking equipment, in the cellar there are hundred-years-old barrels, preserved as in a museum, testifying the long-lasting vitivinicultural tradition of the house.
Azienda Agricola Conte Collalto, Via 24 Maggio 1, 31058 Susegana, Treviso, Italy Tel. 0438 738241 Fax 0438 73538 |
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In 2006 the Azienda Agricola Conte Collalto sold over 4 million Euros of wine, 69% of which in Italy and the remaining 31% abroad. About 70% of the product is sold through the HO.RE.CA, or the high end hotel, restaurant and catering market segment, and the remaining 30% is sold directly to the visiting public at the tasting room.
Germany represents the top foreign buyer, followed by North America, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, England, and Japan. Princess Isabella Collalto de Cro˙, who took the lead of the estate in July this year, plans to increase production to one million bottles per year in the near future.
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