Contrà Soarda (which means “on the slope”) is located in an area famous for wine production, thanks to the uniqueness of its volcanic soil, the nice microclimate, and the good sun exposure, since the time of Ezzelino da Romano, between the 10th and 11th centuries.

Its story begins in 1904 when the Gottardi family founded a farm with a small wine reseller, evolved in the 90s into the Pulierin restaurant and pursued today with the dream of Mirco and Gloria Gottardi, together with their sons Marcello and Eleonora, to continue the family restaurant tradition, enriching it with a wine production made of love for nature, aesthetic sensitivity and international vision.

The sky gives, the earth receives and grows, the man brings to completion. We believed that by planting dreams we could pick grapes and olives.

(Gottardi family)

The gem of the estate is the winery, enclosed by a wonderful valley made up of over 60 thousand vines and 1000 olive trees which, born in 2003 on a project by architect Henry Zilio inspired by the technique of the Spanish genius Gaudì, in 2006 was awarded with the International Prize Dedalo Minosse for Architecture.

Completely designed in green building, exploiting geothermal energy to obtain constant temperature and the force of gravity to transport the grapes, it has its unicum in the barrel aging room which opens with a scenographic vault in stone coming from the Asiago plateau which, with a double wave sinusoidal game, stands on itself without the use of columns.

You can not reach the supernatural without passing through nature.

(Gottardi family)

Here, with particular attention to the native vines, all certified organic cultivation with a biodynamic vocation, renowned and award-winning white wines are born such as Vignasilan Vespaiolo or Soarda Vespaiolo and reds such as Terre di Lava Merlot, Gaggion Marzemino up to Pinot Nero VignaCorejo and the Saggio from Carmenere and autochthonous grapes.

In 2011, the family moved the historic Pulierin restaurant from the center of Bassano to the estate, creating a panoramic restaurant with a terrace framed, like a painting, by huge windows overlooking the surrounding hills.

Here you can taste superb farm-to-table products, as well as the excellent wines from the cellar, as everything served on the menu is self-produced by the Gottardi family: from the meat – such as ribs, rooster or Torello (bull) Rendeno – to cold cuts, from vegetables to oil and grappa. An extraordinary genuine raw material that is reworked with a contemporary touch, as evidenced by one of the most popular dishes: the tartare served on stone and prepared on a trolley in front of the guest, a real treat.

In fine weather, you can have an aperitif or a wine tasting among the vineyards or on the terrace with a splendid view of the valley, cheered by the friendly pets that stroll free around the estate; like the donkeys Burrito, Oliva, Poméa and Serafino who help the Gottardi family in running the farm. They inspired Musso, which in Venetian dialect means “donkey”, a limited-edition wine made from Carmenere, Groppello and Marzemino grapes, the latest product launched by the Contrà Soarda family.

The Secret

The current eatery area was the tractor shed of the old farm. While recovering the means after a long working day, contemplating the wonderful panorama, the family thought that this beauty should have been made it available to their guests and so they decided to open in these premises their new restaurant.

Useful Info

Vignaioli Contrà Soarda
Strada Soarda 26
36061 San Michele di Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza
Tel. +39 0424 505562

Starters & first courses: 10 — 14 euro
Second courses: 13 — 24 euro