Tenuta Venissa | FINE+RARE

About the producer

Tenuta Venissa is a remarkable winery based in the Venice lagoon on the island of Mazzorbo. The winery is owned and run by the Bisol family (of Prosecco fame) which has pioneered the winemaking revival in the region.

Gianluca Bisol was inspired to establish the winery after he discovered the last few vines of Dorona di Venezia – an indigenous white-skinned variety that was almost wiped out by the floods of 1966. Armed with these rare cuttings from a private garden, Bisol planted a vineyard on the island of Mazzorbo in the early 2000s. He produced the first vintage of Venissa Bianco (100% Dorona) in 2010.

The resulting wine is made in tiny volumes and unlike any other. Dorona isn’t an aromatic variety but time on skins gives it grip and texture. The wine ages beautifully, sitting somewhere between mature white Burgundy, white Hermitage and Chardonnay or Savagnin from the Jura.

Venissa Bianco is the estate’s flagship cuvée, but Venissa also produces a more entry-level bottling of Dorona, made with fruit from the same vineyard on Mazzorbo, called Venusa Bianco (introduced in 2017).

In 2011, the estate started producing a red, Venissa Rosso, which is mainly Merlot blended with a portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the nearby island of Santa Cristina.

The wines come in bespoke, hand-blown glass bottles from the neighbouring island of Murano (all 50cl, rather than the standard 75cl), labelled with individual gold-leaf designs created for each vintage.

Gianluca’s son Matteo Bisol is now in charge of the project. Volumes of all the wines are tiny, with only 5,000 bottles of Venissa Bianco made each year, and even less of Venissa Rosso.

In the vineyard

Venice’s lagoon might seem an unlikely location for fine wine production, however the Dorona grape has adapted to these unique, wet conditions – and the high salinity of the soil adds stress, forcing the vines to produce more complex fruit.

It’s thought that vines have been grown in the region since the 12th century, however the floods of 1966 wiped out almost all agriculture in the area – including its vines. Gianluca Bisol stumbled on a handful of Dorona di Venezia vines that had survived on the island of Torcello. The variety is a cross between Garganega and Bernestia Branca, and has adapted to handle the region’s humidity, resisting fungal disease and dilution.

Dorona di Venezia is planted on Mazzorbo (for Venissa Bianco and Venusa). The vines are ungrafted and planted at high density. The Bisol family has invested in irrigation channels to improve drainage.

Despite the Mazzorbo vineyard being just one hectare, the estate has identified 28 different micro-zones which differ in the levels of salinity in the soil. It is the salinity in the soil that naturally reduces the yields and concentrates the flavour. The highest saline content within these micro zones go into the Venissa Bianco, the rest become the Venusa – producing two different expressions of this singular site.

Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, for Venissa Rosso, come from nearby Santa Cristina. Until recently, this picturesque private island was the Swarovski family’s private retreat. Now it’s a luxury spot for hire, and the vines planted by Gernot Langes-Swarovski around 50 years ago (along with olive groves, orchards and beautiful gardens) are thriving.

Currently Venissa is focused on increasing biodiversity in its vineyards.

In the winery

For Venissa Bianco, the fruit spends 30 days on skins before being pressed and fermented in stainless steel. The wine is then aged for 48 months in glass.

Venusa undergoes a shorter maceration on its skins (just a week), is fermented in stainless steel and then aged for 24 months in concrete.

Venissa Rosso is fermented in stainless steel and spends 12 months in oak (a combination of new and second-fill French barrique) and several years in bottle prior to release.

The wines are only released when they are deemed ready to drink.

About the producer

In 2011, the estate started producing a red, Venissa Rosso, which is mainly Merlot blended with a portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the nearby island of Santa Cristina.

Gianluca’s son Matteo Bisol is now in charge of the project. Volumes of all the wines are tiny, with only 5,000 bottles of Venissa Bianco made each year, and even less of Venissa Rosso.

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2017 Venissa Bianco