Villa Sandi

Villa Sandi

A villa from 1622, a family that also gave the world Geox shoes, and a range that runs from everyday Treviso to the top of Cartizze.

The villa came first. Villa Sandi dates from 1622 and stands at Crocetta del Montello, in the province of Treviso. Beneath it run underground galleries where the house ages its Opere Trevigiane, a traditional-method sparkling wine made in the bottle like Champagne. The family that owns it arrived much later, and they arrived in instalments, which is how most good Italian stories work.

In the early 1920s Mario Polegato bought vineyards. After the Second World War his son Divo ran the business with his wife, Amalia Moretti. Their sons, Mario and Giancarlo, bought the villa itself in the late 1970s. Mario went on to found Geox, the shoe company. Giancarlo stayed with the wine, and as Giancarlo Moretti Polegato he is the company's president. His children Diva and Leonardo are the fourth generation, and Diva is vice president.

At a glance

The story

Villa Sandi is the rare Prosecco house that covers the whole map. The DOC wines come from the broad Treviso area. Then there are both Superiore zones, which carry the stricter DOCG label: Asolo, the smaller one, on the hills around Asolo and the Montello, and Conegliano Valdobbiadene, the steep hills to the north and east. Inside Valdobbiadene the family makes a Rive, which means a wine from a single named hillside with a vintage on the label, and a piece of Cartizze, the most famous slope in Prosecco.

That Cartizze vineyard, La Rivetta, is where the reputation was made. The producer says its La Rivetta Brut won Gambero Rosso's top Tre Bicchieri award twelve years in a row from 2010. Gambero Rosso also named it its sparkling wine of the year. Cartizze is usually made Dry, which in Prosecco language means sweet. A Brut Cartizze is a statement that the hill can stand on its own without sugar to help it.

The company was once called La Gioiosa SpA, before it took the villa's name. It holds "Biodiversity Friend" certification, an independent label for farms that look after the life around their vines. For a house whose everyday wine is called Il Fresco, the slow bottles under the villa are a nice private joke.

What to drink

Il Fresco Prosecco DOC Treviso Brut. The everyday bottle. Brut is the dry style. €9.00 at the winery's online shop (roughly $10).

Il Fresco DOC Rosé Millesimato Brut. A pink Prosecco made with some Pinot Nero, according to Decanter. Richard Baudains gave the 2020 93 points (October 2021) and called it "an irresistible aperitif wine." €9.50 at the winery (roughly $11) for the 2025.

Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut. The family's flag for the smaller Superiore zone. Wine Enthusiast gave it 90 points (vintage not stated), according to vino.com. €10.00 at the winery (roughly $11).

Rive di San Pietro di Barbozza Extra Brut (DOCG). Extra Brut is drier than Brut. A single-hillside wine for €12.00 at the winery (roughly $14), a very fair price for a named slope.

Cartizze La Rivetta Brut (DOCG). The award winner. €29.00 at the winery (roughly $33); vino.com lists it at €28.90. The Cartizze Dry, the sweeter and more traditional version, is €22.00 (roughly $25).

The shop gives no tasting notes, and we found no current US shelf price.

Prices: euro prices are what the winery or an Italian retailer charges, with a rough dollar figure at about $1.14 to the euro (October 2026). In the US, expect more on the shelf once shipping, the 15% tariff on EU wine, importer and distributor margins and taxes are added.

Where it fits

If you want to understand how Prosecco's zones differ without driving between six wineries, put the Asolo Brut, the Rive and La Rivetta side by side: the whole argument about place, in three glasses. Smaller families such as Gemin go deeper on one hill. Villa Sandi goes wide, and does it with a villa.

Where to buy

• At the winery: the online shop sells the full range in euros.
• Europe: vino.com lists the same price tiers.
• US: Demeine Estates was announced as US importer from January 2024. We could not confirm the current arrangement.
• UK: we found no importer. If you know one, tell us.

Visiting

Villa Sandi takes visitors Monday to Saturday, by reservation, with tours in English, German, French and Spanish. The Esperienza Classica pours two wines for €15, the Esperienza del Territorio four wines for €25, and a Masterclass Prosecco costs €40. There is also a candlelight tour and a cooking class at Locanda Sandi in Valdobbiadene. Book on the website or at visite@villasandi.it.

Quick answers

Is Villa Sandi in Valdobbiadene? The headquarters and the 1622 villa are at Crocetta del Montello. The family also has an estate and the Locanda Sandi inn at Valdobbiadene.

Is Villa Sandi connected to Geox? By family. Mario, who bought the villa with his brother Giancarlo, later founded Geox. Giancarlo runs the wine company.

What is Villa Sandi's best-known Prosecco? Cartizze La Rivetta Brut, from the family's own vineyard on the Cartizze hill.

Sources

• villasandi.it: history, estates, experiential tours, shop
• prosecco.it: Villa Sandi
• Veneto Around Me: Locanda Sandi
• Wine Industry Advisor, 28 September 2026 and 26 September 2023
• Decanter: Il Fresco Rosé 2020
• Gambero Rosso: La Rivetta
• Meininger: La Gioiosa renamed
• vino.com: Villa Sandi

Last checked: October 2026

The Prosecco Desk: the Proseccotists behind Bella Principessa Prosecco. We love this region and write about the families who make it. Producers do not pay to be listed.