Once upon a time in a far away land, there lived a beautiful princess. The princess lived in a majestic castle that was perched high upon a hilltop. On the slopes surrounding the castle the princess and her helpers produced aromatic, elegant wines for all to enjoy. I know this sounds like a corny fairytale but it's actually true.

Princess Isabella de Croy Collalto is the owner of the Collalto wine estate in the Veneto region of Italy. She can trace her family's wine making tradition back to the year 958AD. Today Princess Isabella, the heir of the family tradition, directs with passion and dedication the 370 acres of the estate vineyards.

Princess Isabella in front of the oldest part of the Castle of San Salvatore.

Perhaps the most amazing part of the story is that her wines can be purchased right here in Florida. The price to quality ratio of the Collalto wines is outstanding. Look for  Collalto Pinot Grigio, Collalto Prosecco and Collalto Spumante Rose in your local ABC store.

Vineyards sourrounding the Castle.

You can find a more in-depth report on this historic estate in the May issue of the ABC Wine Journal [available in our stores].

Paul Quaglini, SE Florida wine supervisor   

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinepaulq