The history of the Ruggeri winery is deeply rooted in the winemaking tradition of the Valdobbiadene region. Indeed, anyone looking over ancient maps of the area will see Case Bisoi or Bisol Houses right in the heart of the Cartizze area.
As early as the mid 19th century Eliseo Bisol owned a small winery in Santo Stefano and his son Luigi built another one in Montebelluna around 1920. Luigi was one of the first winemakers in Valdobbiadene. In 1950 Giustino Bisol founded a new winery together with his cousin, whose surname, Ruggeri, was adopted as the brand name for their company. In the early days Ruggeri was one of only a handful of producers around Valdobbiadene focussed on sparkling wine. Giustino’s son Paolo and granddaughter Isabella have since taken the company forward with the same pioneering spirit.
In 2017 Ruggeri became part of Rotkäppchen-Mumm, a successful partnership centred around shared vision, trust in common values and a mutual commitment to providing ever higher quality.
Just like the grapevines on our hills, they are eager to grow, innovate and express the full potential of the region with an unwavering spirit of exploration. Their intimate links with tradition, combined with extensive know-how gathered from the experiences of a great many generations, has endowed them with a sense of freedom and levity needed to try new things. Ruggeri was the first winery to produce a sparkling wine using only the grapes of century-old vines (Vecchie Viti).
It was also the first winery in D.O.C.G. area to make an Extra Brut sparkling wine, before it was accepted by the appellation. With the Cinqueanni, Ruggeri was the first to attempt a project never before tried in the entire Prosecco Superiore area: to entrust the protective womb of the autoclave with the task of keeping vigil over the quiet, intimate, silent resting of the wine on the lees for a full 48 months. Other projects are underway… On ancient maps, the Romans used to write ‘hic sunt leones’ to indicate wild lands beyond those already conquered and unexplored: journeying into the unknown and pushing the boundaries is part of what makes us who we are and is an innate characteristic that inspires our enduring quest for quality.
The Golden Triangle
Within the Prosecco denomination, the limited area around Valdobbiadene which became a D.O.C.G. area (Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin) in 2009, stands out for the excellent quality of its wines. The wine produced here takes the name Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G.
Ruggeri produces its fine sparkling wines from grapes grown in the Golden Triangle, a splendid hilly area delimited by the hamlets of Santo Stefano, San Pietro di Barbozza and Saccol. This area enjoys a unique blend of climate, soil and exposure and has forever been known for producing the highest quality grapes in the entire denomination. These distinctive traits are so strong and significant that they have been adopted as a symbol of the winery itself, representing the ancient and indissoluble link between Ruggeri and this the most highly-prized and famous area in the entire Prosecco region.
At the centre of the Golden Triangle stands the Cartizze hill, the region’s most prestigious area, and the one to which they have always dedicated the utmost care and attention. This is reflected in their company logo, which depicts a heart pierced by an arrow symbolising passion. Cartizze, or more precisely Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze D.O.C.G., represents the very pinnacle of the region’s winemaking. It is in this small but highly-prized area that one finds the ultimate expression of the finesse and elegance of the delicate, fruity and floral aromas of the Glera grape.
The ideal slope aspect and unique composition of the soil, formed mainly of limestones, clays and sandstones, are the foundations that contribute to creating this highly distinctive and refined wine.
In 2019 the hills of Valdobbiadene became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The are is a true cultural landscape where the work of the winemakers has contributed enormously to creating a unique environment that is to be protected and promoted.
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