Heroic Viticulture Shapes Winery's Strategy In the steep hills of Valdobbiadene, where manual labor is non-negotiable, Stefano Pola has built Andreola's identity around the premise that shortcuts don't work—and neither does generic branding. Since taking the helm of the winery, founded in 1984, Pola has pursued a deliberate path away from mass-market positioning. Most notably, the producer has gradually removed the term "Prosecco" from its labels, beginning in 2007 and making the shift definitive, to emphasize instead the Valdobbiadene DOCG designation. The move reflects a strategic choice to distance Andreola from commodity perception and anchor the brand to the UNESCO-listed terroir of its origin. "More than ever, our work is about finding a balance between what the land gives us and what we can improve without altering it," Pola said.

Rive Wines and Terroir Expression The winery now operates 110 hectares of vineyard across the region and sells nearly 900,000 bottles annually to over 35 countries. A significant part of its portfolio focuses on Rive wines—single-hillside expressions that showcase micro-variations within Valdobbiadene. Andreola produces one of the widest ranges of Rive wines in the denomination, a project designed to communicate the territory's complexity through precise interpretations rather than blended generality. Pola's philosophy emphasizes minimal intervention in the winery and maximum respect for the land's natural expression. Production centers on the Glera grape variety, with small percentages of native vines from older vineyards.

Recent Initiatives The producer has invested in circular practices to manage winemaking by-products and launched the Vigneti delle Dolomiti project, extending operations to higher-altitude vineyards. Both initiatives maintain the core principle: exploring new possibilities while preserving connection to origin.

Why It Matters

As Prosecco continues to dominate global sparkling-wine markets, Andreola's choice to emphasize DOCG designation and terroir specificity signals a broader shift among premium producers seeking to differentiate through provenance and precision rather than category commodity. For operators, the move underscores growing consumer receptivity to origin-focused positioning in a category historically driven by volume and price.

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Written by FBM Publications Editors