Bellenda: The Essence Of Valdobbiadene Prosecco In Every Pour

28.11.2023 - 18:27 / forbes.com

Umberto Cosmo, co-owner and co-founder of Bellenda wines, describes himself as a perpetual, restless traveler. As a wine enthusiast and successful entrepreneur, he is curious, inquisitive, and adventurous—willing to take risks and try new ideas.

These character traits permeate his family-owned winery in the prestigious Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG wine appellation as well as the family’s fun-loving approach to wine tourism and hospitality.

The Bellenda winery is located in Carpesica, a tiny hamlet with just over 1,000 residents close to Vittorio Veneto, a small city in northeast Italy (both in the province of Treviso in the Veneto region).

Venice, the region’s capital only one hour north, has become one of the most glaring examples of tourism gone awry. But sitting in its shadow, Carpesica offers visitors a counterpoint with its relaxed ambiance and unspoilt natural setting.

Historically, this area is famous as the site where the last battle between the Italian army and Austro-Hungarian troops took place during World War I.

Now the rolling hills are probably best known as part of the Prosecco Wine Road (Strada del Prosecco e dei Colli Conegliano e Valdobbiadene). This UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises 15 municipalities in the area that have been linked to viticulture and enology since ancient times.

This region is one of the most important producers of high-quality sparkling wines, producing some eight million cases (100 million bottles) of Prosecco annually. Compared to the Champagne region in France, it is seven times larger in size.

An eye-catching photo of Umberto, atop a sidecar with his brothers Luigi and Domenico by his side, is prominently displayed on the Bellenda website.

Umberto explains it helps to capture the philosophy of the winery.

“I brought this concept back from my travels in the Orient,” he says. “It originally derives from the adage of the Tre Scimmie (three monkeys): Do not look at what is contrary to fairness; do not listen to what is contrary to fairness; and do not say what is contrary to fairness.”

The Cosmo family translated these thoughts into the world of Bellenda wines: “Accept challenges, break molds, always research, and never settle.”

Prior to 1986, the Cosmo brothers’ father and grandfather sold their grapes to the local collective of winemakers. Since that time, this third generation of owners decided to grow their own grapes and to make wines, but also to maintain their close and long-standing relationships with the local growers whose grapes they now purchase.

The brothers made another bold decision to return to the classic method of producing Prosecco, with secondary fermentation taking place in the bottle rather than in tanks, a method once widely used but