In an ancient Cistercian convent of Vittorio Veneto, 26 nuns coming from every corner of the world they follow the Benedictine motto "ora et labora". Every morning, they wake up at 5 for prayers and then dedicate themselves with passion to taking care of the vegetable garden, the lavender field, the orchard, and the vineyard. In fact, at the Cistercian Monastery of Saints Gervasio and Protasio in Vittorio Veneto, the nuns lovingly produce syrups, essential oils and three different types of creams, including honey among the ingredients, which is produced directly in the convent. But the crown jewel of their production is undoubtedly the natural prosecco that comes from their vineyard.
Under the guidance of dynamics Mother Aline – graduated in Economics and with decades of experience in communication -, explains the Gambero Rosso website, these nuns have transformed the monastery into a small wine miracle. In collaboration with the entrepreneur Sarah Dei Tos, they cultivate an organic, zero-mile vineyard, where each vine grows on uncontaminated soil. It all began two years ago, when the entrepreneur proposed a collaboration to create a unique wine, thus leading to the birth of Prosecco Superiore Docg from Abbazia La Vigna di Sarah. An almost obligatory choice, dictated by the latest electricity and gas bills: the increases have caused them to rise so much as to put the very sustainability of the structure at risk. So the nuns decided to focus on bubbles to survive the energy crisis.
The Prosecco Superiore of the Venetian nuns
The Prosecco DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene vineyard, hidden between the ancient walls of the monastery and planted for the first time way back in 1700, is today a testimony of pride for the nuns. The vines, rooted in calcareous and shallow soil, give life to a organic prosecco with a straw yellow colour, a very fine and persistent perlage and a mineral scent that is intertwined with notes of white flowers and white fruit. With a manual harvest carried out during the full moon nights, followed by a controlled fermentation process and refinement on the noble lees, the Prosecco Superiore Docg of Abbazia La Vigna di Sarah is ideal for accompanying dishes based on white meat but also fish. With particular attention to natural and earth-friendly care, the nuns have achieved the prestigious Award for Organic and Heroic Viticulture for their work.
In addition to prosecco, the monastery is also home to honey, produced by bees that buzz among the monastery's flowers, and a range of aloe-based products, made with expert craftsmanship. Every bottle of prosecco, every jar of honey or cream, is a tribute to the patient work and love for the land that permeates every aspect of monastic life.
