Foss Marai Spumanti

The story of Foss Marai was born from a man and a woman and their passion for their land. In 1986 Carlo and Adriana Biasiotto founded Foss Marai Spumanti in Guia di Valdobbiadene, in the province of Treviso, an area with a centuries-old winemaking tradition. Their children Andrea, Cristiana and Umberto later helped the company become known in Italy and abroad.

The winery lies in the heart of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, on hills that are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Generations of local growers cleared and terraced these steep slopes by hand. Altitude, sun exposure, wide swings between day and night temperatures and soils rich in carbonates, iron and manganese give the grapes their aromatic character.

The family motto is "Leniter in itinere", slowly on the journey. It stands for a slow and steady path towards quality, with respect for nature and its rhythms. Foss Marai works with natural, indigenous yeasts, and a panel of experts and oenologists tastes the wines blind.

Visitors can enjoy the view over the vineyards and follow the wine from the vineyard to the glass. The visit leads through the areas where the grapes are pressed, the wine ferments and gets its bubbles, and the bottles are filled and labelled. It includes the story of the family and ends with a guided tasting of the Valdobbiadene DOCG and special sparkling wines.

Foss Marai makes sparkling wines with the Charmat method. The core of the range is Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, made from Glera grapes grown on the hills of Valdobbiadene.

The top wine is the Superiore di Cartizze Dry Millesimato. It comes from the Cartizze cru, a small area of 108 hectares with steep, sunny slopes, old soils rich in minerals and a mild, breezy microclimate. Guia Brut Millesimato comes from historic high-hill vineyards and is the most refined wine of the Brut range. Nadin Dry Millesimato is made from selected grapes from historic vineyards in the upper pre-Alpine zone. Strada di Guia 109, named after the winery's address, comes as an elegant Extra Dry and as a Brut with aromas of yellow fruit and acacia flowers.

The special sparkling wines include Tilio Dosaggio Zero, an Extra Brut from Chardonnay with some Bombino Bianco, with a very fine perlage. Surfine Cuvée Brut is soft and round, with part of the wine lightly aged in small oak barrels. Marai de Marai, Brut and Extra Dry, is made from old local grape varieties of the Treviso hills and is fruity and light. Roös Brut Rosato comes from rare native grapes rediscovered at Masseria La Sorba, the company's estate on the Alta Murgia plateau in Puglia. This estate also produces the red wines Nirò, from Aglianico, and Fumac, from Nero di Troia, Merlot and Cabernet.