Astoria

Astoria is a family-owned winery from Refrontolo, a small hilltop village in the Treviso province of Veneto, founded in 1987 by brothers Paolo and Giorgio Polegato. The Polegatos come from a long line of Venetian viticulturalists, and Astoria has grown into one of the more prominent private producers in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG zone, a region synonymous with Italian sparkling wine. Today the business is run by the next generation, with Paolo's son Filippo at the helm alongside him.

Astoria's main business is Prosecco and traditional wine production, with around 40 hectares under vine across Veneto. The winery makes a broad portfolio spanning Prosecco Superiore DOCG, still whites and reds, rosé, and grappa. Their Millesimato Prosecco has picked up medals at Vinitaly, one of Italy's most prestigious wine competitions.

The alcohol-free range is called ZEROTONDO. Rather than dealcoholising finished wine, Astoria uses a cold maceration process on organically grown white grapes from their Refrontolo vineyards. The must is soft-pressed and held in refrigerated tanks at temperatures low enough to halt fermentation entirely, so no alcohol ever forms. Carbon dioxide is added before bottling to create the characteristic sparkle. The result is closer to an artisan grape juice than a dealcoholised wine, which gives it a different flavour profile. It pours straw yellow with a fruity, floral nose and a clean, gently sweet finish. The ZEROTONDO range also includes a Rosé variant and a lower-sugar 9.5 Cold version.

ZEROTONDO has found its way into UK specialist retailers and online AF stores, sitting at the more accessible end of the premium imported sparkling category. For a winery of Astoria's size and reputation, it's a modest but competent entry into the alcohol-free category rather than a passion project.

The Collection

ZEROTONDO Sparkling