The sparkling wine you’ve never heard of.

The sparkling wine you’ve never heard of.

In keeping with our love of putting local spins on classic European traditions – and our love of bubbles – we're making col fondo this spring.

That’s right. Col fondo!  

Col fondo is the O.G. of Prosecco

Prosecco is a sparkling Italian wine best served chilled and enjoyed on the patio with friends. It’s a ubiquitous go-to.

Today, most Prosecco is unfortunately mass-produced in a tank-fermented style designed to satisfy the modern demand for clear, fresh, easy bubbles. It’s become a generally homogeneous commodity manufactured by big firms. A real shame considering what it once was.

Col fondo is the real Prosecco. It’s the traditional, rustic sparkling wine made by Italian farmers for centuries prior to the tank method. And we think it’s prime for a renaissance.

Backstory

Our recent pétillant naturel (pét nat) wines have opened a path to new ideas. If you haven’t heard of pét nat, imagine Champagne’s hipster cousin. On summer vacation. It’s a naturally sparkling wine that’s handmade, raw, fizzy, a mix of clouds and sun, and thirst-quenchingly delicious. We wrote all about it last year and you can get that article here.

Experimentation is at the heart of our progression as winemakers. We set out on our journey simply imitating wines we liked. Over time, we began to develop our own style. And now, we’re evolving beyond it.

Our success with pét nat has inspired us to a new challenge: col fondo.

Col fondo, Maryland-style

If you love sparkling wine and authentic products, you’ll adore col fondo. And you’ll have a chance to get your hands on some real soon – Old Westminster style.  

Col fondo (“with its bottom” or “with sediment”), is an unfiltered, buzzy, effervescent bottle-fermented expression of Prosecco. And yep, it’s deliciously dirty.

With its second fermentation occurring in the bottle, col fondo (like Champagne) is drier and way more complex than most modern Prosecco. Unlike Champage, col fondo isn’t riddled and disgorged and never receives a dosage. Like pét nat, it’s served with sediment still in the bottom of the bottle.

It too will prove to be a summer fave. So make sure you stay in tune to get the low-down on our progress and coming release dates.

Something magical happens when history and tradition merge with locality and innovation. Like pét nat. And now, like col fondo.

Salute!