The enormous fairy-tale like castle of Santo Salvatore with its magnificent tower, its serrated parapets along huge stone walls, its  beautiful villas and palace and its series of carefully tended gardens, has been in Count Collalto's family for hundreds of  years. It dominates the hillsides in the commune of  Susegana rising up out of the countryside that slopes down toward the bank of the Piave river. The Collalto nobles of old produced poets and warriors to protect and nurture the culture of the region. Today, Count Collalto, from his vast holdings of vineyards, produces a wide range of wines and has even  developed new grape  types through grafting, but it is his wine, made from the ancient Prosecco grape that has brought the estate its greatest popularity. Prosecco  flourishes  in the moderate climate of  the  Conegliano hills which are protected by the Alpine wall to the north and open out onto the warm plains of the east. The pebbly, calcareous terrain there producers a softer, fruitier Prosecco than the crisper, drier  version produced in Valdobbiadene. Prosecco is normally produced through the Charmat method. This means that the bubbles are produced through natural fermentation and retained in the  wine through  the use of an autoclave. The grapes are harvested young to maintain good acid levels and the first perfume, which in Conegliano is delightfully appley. To keep this youth and to build up the right amount of CO2 requires a  careful and swift hand as the wine must be bottled as soon as it achieves the  desired pressure.  Prosecco can legally be bottled after six months in tank. Collalto uses the Charmat method and his Prosecco is refreshing, soft and fruity with hints of golden delicious apples in the bouquet and taste. It has a lively sparkle and a pleasant, bitter almond finish. It is the perfect aperitif and yet goes well with white meats and seafood. Its low acidity, easy drinkability and reasonable price make it a wine that is perfect to dress up even the most ordinary occasion. It has become one of the most popular wines in Italy and is  frequently served to clients when they enter a restaurant as a welcome drink on the house. It  is the favorite drink on verandas at sunset, at  the beach or poolside and especially at a gathering of friends, not least because it has an alcohol level of 11,5% by volume.