Prosecco is much more than a wine. It is a lifestyle, a rhythm, and a language that has managed to transcend time. A century, to be precise. In Milan, in the refined setting of Teatro Gerolamo, on March 12th Valdo chose to tell the story of its first 100 years in this way: not with a static celebration, but with a collective narrative that intertwined the memory of past teachings, today’s Italian spirit, and the vision of a tomorrow that is already here.
A century of history and enterprise
“One hundred years of Valdo. When Prosecco becomes culture” was the title of an event built as a fluid narration, between images and words, that conveyed the broader dimension of a true phenomenon symbolizing conviviality and a contemporary expression of Italian identity. A process layered in the collective imagination over the last century, which coincided with the milestones of Valdo’s evolution.
It is a story, that of the Valdobbiadene-based company, inseparable from that of the Bolla family, which over three generations transformed an intuition into a global entrepreneurial project.
It all began in 1883, when Abele Bolla, owner of the inn “Il Gambero” in Soave, produced wine for his guests and brought it to venues in Venice and Milan. It was an approach already oriented toward the customer, destined to become a distinctive hallmark.
In 1926 the Società Anonima Vini Superiori was founded, acquired in 1938 by Sergio Bolla and transformed in 1951 into Valdo. A choice that would prove strategic, this name change, as journalist Giulio Somma highlighted during the Milan event: “Valdobbiadene has always been a complex name to pronounce in foreign markets. Reducing everything to Valdo, from this point of view, was a stroke of genius.”
Since then, the company’s path has faithfully followed the evolution of the Prosecco phenomenon: from national expansion in the 1970s to international growth between the 1980s and 1990s, up to the construction of the new facility in Valdobbiadene, in the heart of a territory recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.
Valdo, today
Today, Valdo is led by president Pierluigi Bolla, second generation at the helm of the company, who summarizes the brand’s identity as follows:
“If I had to represent Valdo’s history in one definition, I would say: a lively life, a claim from an advertising campaign in the 1990s, which tells our dynamic, curious philosophy, always striving toward innovation, quality, and the development of tradition in respect of our land.”
A vision that has always translated into a constant balance between foresight and rootedness. “Valdo sparkling wines have from the beginning been the result of innovation, the desire to do something different, the ambition to stand out while always remaining within the track of tradition, never against it,” Bolla emphasizes.
This attitude has often led the company to anticipate changes in the sector, as Giulio Somma also explained during the talk under the Madonnina: “Valdo wineries have played a fundamental role because they have often been ahead of their time in their choices.”
An approach that today we would call marketing oriented, capable of building a recognizable and coherent style. A narrative in which the cultural role of Prosecco has always emerged, not only as a consumer product but as a central element of a new way of experiencing wine.
“Valdo has always looked at change with optimism, bringing, with the freshness of a unique perlage, joy and positive lightness even to many moments of everyday life,” president Bolla notes. A dimension that also finds resonance in contemporary dining: “Prosecco is very much in demand in my restaurant, even by international guests, for its fresh, light, and fragrant character,” said Michelin-starred chef and interpreter of sustainable cuisine Chiara Pavan during the Milan discussion, who also highlighted the close link between the versatility of this sparkling wine and new consumption habits. Without forgetting another key element, namely the wine’s identity value: “I also appreciate it for its strong connection to the territory, a land with a unique richness of flavors and very stimulating for those who do my job,” added the Michelin-starred chef.
And it is precisely on the enhancement of the product that president Bolla has always insisted: “I have always been against the concept of prosecchino. Prosecco must be valued for its organoleptic qualities. When it is well made, it can compete with sparkling wines from all over the world, Champagne excluded.”
For Valdo, the 100th anniversary celebration was not only a retrospective on the milestones that led it to reach the first century of life, but above all an opportunity to set its gaze on the horizon of a new strategic phase that opened in recent months, with the acquisition of the I Magredi winery in the Grave del Friuli and the development of new projects among still wines, Charmat method, and Metodo Classico: bubble culture, as in the case of the Vigna Pradase project linked to the so‑called “Prosecco library,” a living archive vineyard of Valdobbiadene biodiversity surrounding the Casa Valdo estate, and new trends to intercept evolving consumption through innovations such as Valdo Purø – Alcohol Free Blanc de Blancs, an interpretation responding to the growing demand for dealcoholized products.
With its first century of history behind it, Valdo thus confirms its nature as a brand capable of moving through time in harmony with society. Because, in the chapters of its story, Prosecco has never been just a wine, but a way of conceiving life.
