Laguna nel Bicchiere is not a commercial operation – they can"t sell the wine, only give it away – and the vineyards are staffed by enthusiastic volunteers, motivated purely by the revival and preservation of Venetian winemaking. In the name of research, amid the mighty oak barrels of the monastery"s cellar, I tried a couple of ombras myself. The wine was the colour of honey, rich and robust – tangibly imbued, even to my dilettante palate, with the salty taste of the lagoon.