The Lost Wine of Dorona

It all started when Gianluca Bisol, a Prosecco producer, saw four grapevines on an island in the Venetian lagoon and discovered they were a forgotten and near-extinct variety called Dorona. He planted the grapes on the island of Mazzorbo, across from Venice, in 2007, and the tiny production from his 2.5-acre vineyard received international acclaim. It also caught the attention of Fabrizio and Ingrid Aielli, who were getting ready to open an Italian steak house as their third Naples restaurant.

“You could say that Dorona discovered us,” says Ingrid, whose husband is a native of the Venice region. “We were looking for a concept for the restaurant, and we became fascinated with how the vines were brought back to life. It’s a story of rebirth.”
The couple contacted Bisol at his Venissa winery on Mazzorbo, and they became friends. Bisol was the first person to walk through the door of Dorona when the restaurant opened in January, and the Aiellis visited him at the winery this summer.

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