Gianluca Bisol has developed a taste for exotic wines close to his home in Italy’s Veneto region. After making his fortune in the Prosecco boom with his family’s historic winery in Valdobbiadene, Bisol has taken on some off-the-wall side projects with vineyard ventures in places few (or no) others dare to go.

Fifteen years ago, he began his tiny Venissa estate on the Venetian island of Mazzorbo—just inches above the level of the temperamental lagoon. There he propagated cuttings of Dorona, an heirloom white grape variety, within an old walled convent; a small wine resort and gourmet restaurant followed.