There are names that are already a statement of intent. Audace is one of them. It is Serena Wines 1881’s first Metodo Classico, and to understand why it bears this name, you have to start with who signs it.
Serena Wines 1881 is one of the most historic names in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hills, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A hundred and forty-five years of history, five generations, a surname that around here is synonymous with Prosecco. A winery that could easily stay within the groove of what it already does brilliantly. And yet, for its first Metodo Classico, it chooses to step outside its own home.
The destination is the Monti Lessini, hills of volcanic origin stretching between the provinces of Verona and Vicenza, precisely on the Veronese side, between Soave and Montebello. This is no random choice, but one of the most suited terroirs in the Veneto for Metodo Classico, so much so that it is precisely from these hills that the first regional appellation entirely dedicated to this style is now emerging. Basalt soils, good diurnal temperature range, natural acidity that stays alive even in warm vintages: the perfect profile for a thoroughbred sparkling wine base. Serena Wines understood this and invested in it.
Audace is a blanc de noirs: 100% Pinot Noir, vinified white. A choice that says a lot, because Pinot Noir gives a sparkling wine something rarely found elsewhere: body, breadth, an underlying vinosity that adds substance to the sip. The grapes are hand-harvested into bins, cold-pressed to extract only the free-run must, and fermented in steel. Then comes the second fermentation in bottle, following the Metodo Classico, with at least twelve months on the lees before disgorgement and a further six months of rest.
In the glass, Pinot Noir makes itself known through breadth and substance. The nose opens on mandarin and cedar, white peach and apple, with a floral touch of hawthorn and linden; then come the more mature notes of aging, brioche, hazelnut, sourdough, and in the background a smoky, almost flint-like trail that betrays the volcanic origin of the soil. On the palate it is taut and vertical, as an Extra Brut demands, but Pinot Noir gives it broad shoulders: there is structure, there is breadth, and a pronounced sapidity that extends the finish. The mousse is fine and enveloping, the finish returns to citrus and a hint of almond. Not a slender, freshness-only Metodo Classico, but a wine with character and substance. Audace, bold in name and in fact.
At the table, we put it to the test with a seafood risotto, and the pairing worked beautifully. The wine’s structure and sapidity stand up to the risotto’s creamy mantecatura and the iodine-tinged sweetness of the shellfish, while the drive of the Extra Brut and the fine, persistent mousse cut through the richness with every spoonful, readying the palate for the next. And that smoky, almost briny note seems custom-made to converse with the sea. A pairing that works through both affinity and contrast at once: it cleanses and enhances flavor, without ever taking over.
Company profile
Serena Wines 1881 is located in the heart of the Prosecco region, in Conegliano, a land to which it is deeply connected, as evidenced by its historic residences scattered among the rolling hills embroidered with vineyards.
The company, always family-run, has reached its fourth generation with Giorgio Serena and its fifth with his son, Luca Serena, who is now at the helm. The family boasts a centuries-old tradition in the world of wine, combined with a profound oenological passion and tenacity in their daily work. Over time, respect for winemaking laws has merged with innovation, while the strong bond with the territory and the Veneto region remains alive.
SERENA WINES 1881
Via Camillo Bianchi, 1 – 31015 Conegliano (TV)
info@serenawines.it – + 39 0438 2011
https://www.serenawines.it
