VENICE REDISCOVERS ITS ANCIENT WINE HERITAGE. AFTER THE BISOL EXPERIENCE ON MAZZORBO ISLAND, HENRI DARNAT, VIGNERON OF MEURSAULT (BURGUNDY) IS ON TH E ISLAND OF SANT'ERASMO, BETTING HEAVILY ON THE LAGUNA

The history of Venice has always been linked to wine and vines, narrated by the traces left on the topography of the city, from the island of Vignole to Via della Vigna. Yet, today the Venetian lagoon is not that famous for its wine history.
Its past is being revived thanks to the dedication and investment of a handful of wine producers, as the "Wine Searcher" (www.wine-searcher.com) site indicates. The latest is Henri Darnat, vigneron of Meursault, Burgundy (his Domaine Henri Darnat produces Chardonnay and Pinot Noir). Together with an anonymous partner, he has bought a piece of land on the Island of St. Erasmus, where he will plant three acres of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.
Darnat’s neighbor in the Venetian lagoon is his famous fellow countryman, Michel Thoulouze, decades-long creator and producer of some of the most popular programs on French television, who has made wine for several years on the island of St. Erasmus – his wine, "Garden" is a blend of native Italian grapes dominated by Istrian Malvasia, balanced with Vermentino and Fiano.
Venice is rediscovering its ancient wine heritage thanks also to those who know the city well, like Gianluca Bisol. Bisol, head of the Prosecco brand has been on the island of Mazzorbo for 15 years and through his tenacity and passion has brought to light the splendid Venissa and its rows of Dorona grapes, the most widely planted variety in the lagoon at the time of the Doges.