The Vineyards - Laguna nel bicchiere

The primary purpose of l’associazione Laguna nel bicchiere (The Lagoon in a Glass Association) is the recovery of the vineyards located in the historic centre of Venice and in the Estuary.

Therefore, over the years the association has taken care of vineyards in several parts of the region, without ever being the owner. Many vineyards were used in collaboration with the owners and eventually returned to them. This occurred at the convents of San Francesco della Vigna (Saint Francis of the Vineyard) and of the Scalzi (barefoot brothers and nuns), at the vineyard of the restaurant “Corte Sconta”, at the pergola of the Tana and at the vineyard of Malamocco. The Tana Sconta wine was produced with the grapes from the Tana vineyards, while the Arcangeli Scalzi (Barefoot Archangels’) wine was produced with the Scalzi grapes..

Currently the association cultivates the vineyards of the former Camaldolese convent on the island of San Michele, those near the church of Sant’Elena, those at the rest home of the IPAV (formerly I.R.E.) in Giudecca and a vineyard on Vignole. It also produces Bacò wine thanks to grapes harvested from the vines of the pizzeria “Alle Streghe” in Barbaria delle Tole.

A special thanks goes to those who, in recent years and with their technical knowledge, have ensured that the quality of our wines has significantly improved. In particular, we remember the Dalla Ore Winery in Trissino (VI), Luigi Antonioli “Miracol”, Gianantonio Posocco, Alfio Lovisa and Arte della Vigna di Pavia di Udine.

Map of the Vineyards

San Michele

The vineyards of San Michele in Isola are in the novices’ garden of the Camaldolese convent which is near the city cemetery. The convent was managed for the past two centuries by the Franciscan friars.

The agreement with Veritas and the Municipality of Venice allows the association to hold the vineyard and the ancient cellar used by the Franciscans and which Father Andrea kept active until 2008. The vines, arranged in pergolas along the paths of the garden, are of malvasia, dorona and prosecco grapes. The name of the saline wine produced is In vino Veritas, San Michele in Purezza (In Wine there is Truth, Saint Michael in Purity); a sacramental wine.

The cellar of the convent, designed by Codussi, has four large rooms and is equipped with ancient barrels and vats. It is the last remaining testimony to the tradition of wine making in the lagoon.

Vignole

Vignole is an island just a few minutes from Murano and the name testifies that the cultivation of vines was widespread here.

Alle Vignole siamo arrivati per sostenere giovani agricoltori giunti qui per coltivare la terra. While exploring the island, the last remaining vineyards were discovered, particularly those of Luigi Di Prinzio and Stefano Corazza, who had acquired the land cultivated by Bepi Catarin. With Alfio Lovisa’s help, part of the old vines of golden verduzzo and prosecco were recovered, and the dead plants were replaced with cuttings of dorona, bianchetta and malvasia. The 2014 harvest allowed us to make the first barrel of wine called Turgide Vignole al Vento (Turgid Vignole in the Wind).

Sant’Helena

In 2020 a new adventure began. In collaboration with l’associazione Chiostro Sant’Elena (The Association of the Cloister of Saint Helena) care for the ancient vineyard attached to the old convent and the beautiful church dedicated to Sant’Elena commenced. According to tradition the body of Sant’Elena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, arrived in Venice from Constantinople in 1211.
White and red grapes from this vineyard will provide the association with two new wines that will be born overlooking the lagoon; a view extending from the island of Certosa out to the islands of the northern lagoon.

Our pleasant and well-balanced wine, Sant’E ’- Rosso di S. Elena, is aged in charming historical cellars and is made from red grapes of Cabernet and other vines, the nature of which is still uncertain.
The white grapes grown in the vineyard are instead used for table wines and directly consumed by the parishioners.

Giudecca

The vineyard on Giudecca, of about 3000 square meters, is located on land owned by the I.P.A.V. (Public Institutions of Venetian Assistance, former I.R.E.) and is protected by an environmental constraint that guarantees its agricultural use. It is located on the eastern side of Giudecca, behind the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Presentazione (Church of Saint Mary of the Presentation). Built in 1581 and better known as the Chiesa delle Zitelle (Church of the Spinsters), it is part of an ecclesiastical complex built by the Jesuits to assist poor girls of marriageable age.
It is a classic Venetian walled vineyard, surrounded by high walls and buildings.

It has the characteristics of an old vineyard; built on chestnut wood poles, divided into two different adjacent fields and crossed by a walkway. Plantings include a variety of black grape vines such as lambrusco marani, carmener, merlot and cabernet franc as well as a few malvasia white table- wine types.
In this vineyard a red wine called Rosso Gneca – Le Zitelle Fertili(Red Giudecca – The Fertile Spinsters) is produced in a completely natural way, using organic protocols and black berried grapes. Gneca is the name residents use to refer to their island of Giudecca.

The vineyard has many historical and environmental peculiarities and as documented in the detailed map of Venice by Jacopo de Barbari, a vineyard has existed in this area since the sixteenth century. The vineyard is 1 km from Piazza San Marco and 500 meters from the island of San Giorgio, whose bell towers can be seen from the vineyard when looking towards the sky.

Il vigneto è curato dall’Associazione dal 2010.The vineyard has been cared for by the association since 2010.

Vineyards Where the Association Worked in the Past

Malamocco

The “Lido vineyard” is located between Malamocco and Alberoni on the island of Lido, within an agricultural area planted as a vegetable garden. It faces the lagoon and is also close to the sea as it is located in the narrowest part of the island. It was planted in the mid-1970s.
It was in a state of total abandonment when, in the summer of 2015, it was entrusted to the association which took immediate steps to free it from brambles and weeds. It consists of seven rows of about 20 meters each: four of white grapes (trebbiano and luviana) and, three of red grapes (merlot). The plants were very productive, but some were old and needed to be replaced. We inserted dorona cuttings for the white and decided to keep the merlot grape variety for the red.
In 2016 the white grapes were mixed with grapes from San Michele to create the wine San Michele in Moeca (Saint Michael of the Soft-Shelled Crab). From 2017 Luviana Liberata (Luviana Liberated) was produced (free from the weeds mentioned above). It is characterised as a full-bodied wine, with an intense yellow colour and very aromatic.
In 2018 and 2020 the association produced a Merlot, Malamocco’s red Merlocco. Partly aged in amphora, 2018 vintage is a very pleasant mature wine, with fine tannins, medium body, good persistence and 12.5 ° alcohol. (Previously, the red grapes were merged into the Rosso Gnèca).
Unfortunately, the association was not granted the use of the vineyard after the 2020 harvest, and 2020 was the last year of production.