Luxury Italian Prosecco Vintner David Noto

By Isaiah Negron

Flowing from the foothills of the Italian Dolomites comes Italy's newest and most elegant Prosecco, Altaneve. Originating in the town of Valdobbiadene in Treviso, Italy, an area known for producing the highest quality of sparkling wine for centuries, Altaneve is composed of 100% glera grapes that are hand-picked and hand-selected on the steep hillsides on which they exclusively grow. Altaneve, which literally translates to "high snow," possesses a distinct fruity and floral bouquet with notes of peach, pear and honeysuckle. An extended secondary fermentation gives the wine its signature smooth and crisp finish.

David Noto, the owner and importer of Altaneve, comes from ten generations of Italian winemakers and became a Prosecco connoisseur while he lived and worked in Italy as an engineer doing European Community projects. His family heritage caught up with him when he moved to the United States in 1999. Over the course of the last decade, David saw the popularity of Italy's legendary sparkling wine surge. "I love Prosecco and I would drink it often," David says, "What really inspired me to do this was, when I moved to New York, I realized that good Proseccos were not available. So when the idea came to me to get back into the wine business, it was an ideal arrangement for me."

He returned to Italy and traveled to the Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. region where the highest quality of Prosecco is made. This area dates back to 30 B.C when Prosecco was called "Pucino" and was the preferred wine of the Empress Livia Augusta. Out of the 14 blends that are offered in Italy, David selected the noblest one to bring across the Atlantic and present to America. "These hills and vineyards have been providing Prosecco for over 2,000 years," explains David. "I wanted to create a new luxury brand of Prosecco for wine connoisseurs in the United States, in terms of taste and quality." And at under $30 a bottle, Altaneve's superior blend and refined taste and is doing just that.

The cork of the first bottle in the United States was popped in August 2012 at his father's 70th birthday celebration, but Altaneve was not widely available to the public until May of 2013. The sparkling wine has garnered superlative reviews from the critics and is being appreciated by both wine aficionados and adventurous social drinkers alike. David is looking towards an exciting future. "This coming summer, we hope to have a glera-based sparkling rosé," David says. "We have a number of blends that we are testing to find the right one for the U.S. market. We will taste them in the spring and launch it in the summer." The cognoscenti have already started placing their orders for this important new spumante. For more information about Altaneve and where to buy it in NYC go to altaneve.com or email the company directly at info@altaneve.com. •

David Noto
info@altaneve.com
altaneve.com