DIRUPO, ANDREOLA'S VALDOBBIADENE DOCG THAT TRANSLATES HEROIC VITICULTURE INTO A GLASS

"Dirupo" is a name that immediately conjures up a precise image: that of the steep hills of Valdobbiadene DOCG, where Andreola has cultivated its vineyards since 1984. It's no coincidence that the same idea appears in the company's slogan for over ten years, "Eroico in Valdobbiadene": there's a direct, almost cause-and-effect relationship between the two. Dirupo is, in fact, made from the steepest vineyards owned by the winery, where manual labor remains the only viable option and where, in the most extreme sections, transporting the grapes for harvest still requires the use of pulleys. It's a label that embodies, right from its name, the idea behind Andreola's entire production: the vine governed by human hands, in a territory recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.

While the wine range has gradually expanded, now including seven Rive Line labels and, more recently, the Vigneti delle Dolomiti wines, made from a 9-hectare vineyard acquired in 2017 in Sedico, in the heart of the Belluno Dolomites, Dirupo remains the starting point from which that philosophy radiates. It is the label with which most people first encounter the Andreola style, which is why the winery considers it a true manifesto: in the glass, it conveys the aromatic intensity and balance that characterize the entire production, from the entry-level Valdobbiadene DOCG to the more distinctive Rive wines and Cartizze. Straw yellow in color with greenish highlights, Dirupo features a fine, persistent perlage and a creamy foam. On the nose, it opens with notes of hawthorn, acacia, citrus, and fresh fruit. A Brut with a strength of 8 g/l that offers a balanced, savory, and smooth palate, combining freshness and roundness. Perfect as an aperitif or paired with fish and white meats.

“ Dirupo is one of the wines that best represents what we do here: it comes from the steepest vineyards in our winery, where manual labor remains the only option, ” says Stefano Pola, owner of Andreola . “ The best parcels of those vineyards, those that most accurately express the character of Dirupo, are also the starting point for the bottle dedicated to our Founder. It is a tribute to a wine that, since the first harvest, has been able to translate into a glass all the hard work and care we put into the vineyard every day .”

This sentiment is echoed by Mirco Balliana , the winery's head winemaker since 2011, who grew up among the Col San Martino vineyards and studied at the Cerletti School of Winemaking and the University of Padua. For Balliana, who has closely followed the winery's growth over the past fifteen years, Dirupo is the most complete synthesis of the relationship between terroir and winery: a label that, while appealing to a broad audience, does not compromise on precisely describing its origins.

The decision to use grapes from the steepest vineyards for a highly versatile wine therefore responds to a specific logic: to make the experience of heroic viticulture that Andreola practices across all 110 hectares of vineyards accessible from the very first approach. This is a principle the winery has maintained throughout its years of greatest growth, when the winery evolved from a family-run business selling locally to a business with sales in over eight foreign markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Belgium, where 35% of its production is currently spent.

Harvest after harvest, Dirupo continues to represent the first chapter of a story that unfolds along the slopes of Valdobbiadene DOCG: that of a winery that has made hard work in the vineyard and manual care its hallmark, expressing it in a glass designed to be, above all, an invitation to discover Andreola's philosophy and style.