November 20 , 2008
Dorona: A Venetian Varietal Revisited

He's been referred as the Indiana Jones of the lost varietal. The varietal: a local Venetian white grape known as Dorona, presumed to have been long lost, remembered only by the elderly and on the city’s archives, was recently found in small traces in the city’s lagoon on the Isle of Mazzorbo. The producer: Gianluca Bisol, 42 years old, head of marketing for his family’s estate, Bisol, with a long and successful winemaking history dating back to 1543, today a major producer of Prosecco di Valdobbiadene in 100 hectares located in the hills surrounding the city of Treviso.

A lover of the simple things in life, Bisol, in 2007 found an abandon vineyard on the Isle of Mazzorbo and there much to his surprise is where he found the Dorona grapes, still thriving on their own. His decision to purchase the 2 hectares of land and bring back the varietal to its original glory was not unjustified and somewhat providential, considering that in previous years Bisol had commissioned a study on the historical varietal—the reason, he believes, why the land was assigned to him in the first place over fierce competition with 12 other interested parties, including the local chamber of commerce and environmental association Legambiente.

The ambitious project involves making Mazzorbo an Isola del Gusto, an island of taste comprised of an affordable B&B and restaurant, named Paola Budel per Jada, which will be run by Bisol’s wife, Laura, and Chef Budel, who’s been collaborating for quite some time with the Bisol estate in Treviso. The wine will be called Venissa, the name given to the city of Venice by the famous local poet Andrea Zanotto, thus chosen to pay homage to the intricate bond between the Treviso hills and the Venetian lagoon. The first harvest will take place in 2010, expected to produce 8,000 bottles that will be released in 2011—many already reserved by collectors.