In the heart of Conegliano-Valdobbiadene

The winery Sanfeletto is situated in San Pietro di Feletto, a charming village located at the heart of the hilly ridge which links the cities of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the North-East of Italy.
On these slopes, the cultivation of the grapes «Glera» and the production of the sparkling wine «Prosecco» were first initiated, centuries ago. It is exclusively here that Prosecco achieves the peak of its quality, deserving the highest certification for an Italian wine, the «Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed origin».

Between Venice and the Dolomites

The area of the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene is characterised by steep hilly ridges which run East to West at the foot of Pre-Alps, halfway between the Venice lagoon and the Dolomites. These hills trace back to very ancient times: first, they originated from the lift of the seabed; then, they were successively moulded by Dolomites glaciers.

The man and the hill: a challenging harmony

People have been adapting to live on these steep slopes for centuries, developing agricultural techniques which allowed them to exploit the soil without compromising the morphology of the area.
These methods were later denominated “heroic”, due to the huge physical effort that is required to work here. Nowadays, little has changed and most of the tasks in the vineyards are still carried out by hand.

The man and the hill: a challenging harmony SanFeletto

A centuries-old equilibrium between the woods, the village and the vineyard

Along the 17th century, the Conegliano Valdobbiadene area started to develop the appearance that still nowadays characterizes it: this landscape has been described as “patchwork”, since small Glera vineyards are interspersed with wooded areas, hedges, rows of trees and small villages. The vineyards run along these hills perpendicularly to the slope, following a technique called “a ciglione”, a particular kind of terracing that achieves stability thanks to the dense grassy soil, as opposed to the stone walls used in other regions.

A centuries-old equilibrium between the woods

The UNESCO seal on the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene

Since 2019, the hills of Prosecco Conegliano-Valdobbiadene has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a “Cultural Landscape”.
This prestigious recognition highlights the peculiarity of the harmonious relationship that people have been shaping with the environment throughout the centuries in these hills, a relationship which has been judged peerless in the world.

THE FELETTO: a unique terroir, known for its great wines since forever

The area of the Feletto is geologically different from the rest of the Denomination as here the soil, derived from the seabed’s lift, evolved over time achieving a peculiar composition, called “ferretto” (from “ferro”, iron). Over time, the slow and continuous water infiltration transformed the iron minerals contained in the ground in oxides, featuring a typical bloody red appearance. The result is a layer of red soil which is characterised by a marked acidity and lack of nutritional elements. This poor and acid substratum is responsible for stimulating the vines to absorb some specific micro substances which contribute to the creation of extremely peculiar and elegant aromas in the wine.

THE FELETTO in ancient documents

The Feletto is the area in which the vines have been grown first inside the Denomination. This can be appreciated in ancient documents and scrolls which can still be consulted in the historic archives of Conegliano and Venice. In particular, some texts from the 16th century report that the wines known as “from Feletto” (or “from the mountains”) were highly appreciated by the Doge in Venice and by the kings of Poland and Bohemia.

The ”Pieve” and Feletto’s millenial history

The symbol of San Pietro di Feletto is definitely its “Pieve”, a wonderful religious complex raised on the top of a hill where the view embraces almost the entire area of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Denomination.
Its origin traces back to the 6th-7th century, in the Langobards period, but only between 1200 and 1500 it was adorned with those beautiful frescoes that we can still admire nowadays. The most impressive painting is undoubtedly the “Cristo della Domenica” (“Sunday’s Christ”), an incredible art piece whose equivalent can be found only in a dozen other sites in Europe. In this fresco, Jesus Christ is symbolically “offended” by the work tools, reminding that Sundays shall be devoted exclusively to rest and prey.

The ”Pieve” and Feletto’s millenial history