Accademia Prosecco Authentically Italian, Uniquely Vibrant

Tucked away in the scenic countryside, the province of Treviso lies in northeastern Italy’s Veneto region, about 40 kilometers / 25 miles north of Venice. It’s a land of rolling hillsides, winding streams, and sweeping vineyards, interspersed with quaint farmhouses, Venetian-style villas, and ancient castles. With a rich winemaking tradition dating back centuries, Treviso has distinguished itself as the home of many top-quality Proseccos — including Accademia, of course. The Accademia winery is housed in an 18th-century farmhouse, which the Bottega family has modernized with state-of-the-art equipment. It’s a perfect representation of how Accademia marries authentic Italian culture with inspired innovation.

With the Prealps of Belluno to the north and the Adriatic Sea to the south, the Treviso province offers an ideal location for growing glera grapes (the signature white grape variety of the Prosecco DOC). Cool mountain breezes flow down along Treviso’s gently rolling hillsides, helping to keep vines healthy and their fruit fresh. The mild Mediterranean climate provides gentle rainfall, key to balancing acidity and sugar in the grapes, and a long growing season, which allows grapes to ripen steadily and develop concentrated flavors. At the root of it all, alluvial soils rich in clay and minerals nourish the vines and yield grapes with greater complexity. All these factors combine to yield beautifully fresh, ripe, and distinctive glera grapes — the first step in crafting Accademia’s elegant Prosecco.

The Bottega family and the Accademia winery team know that brilliant Prosecco begins in the vineyard. They carefully tend the glera grapes, harvesting around mid-September when the fruit reaches optimum ripeness. In the winery, the team de-stems and gently presses the grapes. This keeps the stems and skins out of the juice, as their presence could make the wine taste bitter. Then, the first fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks.

To give the wine its joyful bubbles, the team follows the Martinotti or Charmat method. They add yeast and sugar to the base wine, then it undergoes a second fermentation in a pressurized tank at the cool temperature of 15°C / 59°F to preserve the primary aromas of fresh floral notes, green apple, peach, and citrus fruits. Finally, the wine is cold stabilized, filtered, and bottled in the colorful blown glass bottles that set Accademia Prosecco apart from its peers.

The Bottega family has tended grapevines in the Treviso countryside since 1635. Current proprietor Sandro Bottega proudly carries on that long legacy today. With help from his siblings Steffano and Barbara, Sandro started running the family business in 1983, at the age of 19. His youthful passion and enthusiasm marked a new era for the Accademia winery. Under his leadership, the family began exporting their wines abroad, as well as bottling them in their now-iconic blown glass bottles. Sandro also oversaw the winery’s move into its renovated, 18th-century farmhouse and the all-important implementation of organic farming and sustainability practices, which will safeguard the vineyards and winery for the next generation.

The Accademia winery has committed to sustainability at every step of the winemaking process. The team uses organic farming practices — including natural fertilizers and absolutely no pesticides — in their 14.5 hectares / 35 acres of vineyards. They’ve also introduced 300,000 bees into their vineyards to act as natural pollinators and promote biodiversity.

At the winery, solar panels generate most of the electricity, with the remainder purchased from 100% renewable energy sources. Geothermal air conditioning cools the building and reduces carbon emissions. Water recirculation saves an estimated five million liters of water from going to waste each year, while the purification of the winery’s limited wastewater protects the land from harmful chemicals. The wine bottles consist of 50% recycled glass, and the labels are made from 100% recycled plastic retrieved from the oceans. Altogether, these efforts make Accademia sparkling wine truly sustainable from vine to bottle.