The stretch of land along the North Adriatic coast is one of the most soulful areas I’ve traveled through. The area includes the Croatian & Slovenian portions of Istria, runs through Italy. Carso is a small strip of land that hugs the sea and surrounds Trieste, Italy. It’s here that you’ll find Benjamin Zidarich of Zidarich winery.

Zidarich

Carso is one of Italy’s smallest regions and is technically part of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. What the Carso lacks in size, it makes up with quality. There are several notable producers here like Edi Kante, Skerk, Skerlj, and Zidarich.

Zidarich works with the local grapes including Malvasia Istriana, Terrano, and their signature variety Vitovska. There are no ‘fresh’ white wines at Zidarich. Their white grapes see time on the skins and are aged in large oak casks. These are amber wines, orange wines if you will, but they aren’t heavy and tannic. They show finesse and bright acidity, which isn’t always the case in this genre.

I’ve been following their wines throughout the years and am always impressed with how Benjamin Zidarich can extract so much flavor out of his grapes while keeping alcohol levels low. The new releases all show zippy acidity, making the wines lighter on the palate and never too drying.

Italy has a number of fabulous amber wine producers but prices can be a little steep for many consumers. These wines from Zidarich are every bit as good, with fair prices to match. If you’re looking to taste something out of the ordinary, you won’t go wrong with these latest vintages.

• Zidarich, Teran 2018

This grape is known as Terrano in Italy. The Zidarich, Teran is aged in large casks for a few years. I taste many examples from Slovenia and Croatia and this one is noticeably lighter in color. It has a brilliant nose of sour cherry, fall leaves, cranberry, and mandarin orange with a touch of earth and rusty nail. Complex nose. The grape is known for its wildness but that’s kept in check here. The acidity is high (but not searing) and the tannins are pretty chewy. Most examples of this grape are too extreme for most palates but this is well done. It’s going to perform better with food but it is a stellar example of the grape. Score: 90/100

• Zidarich, Malvasia 2018

This Zidarich, Malvasia is macerated for a few weeks and aged in large casks for two years. Bright notes of dandelion, apricot, peach, and a touch of flint. It’s a floral orange wine that’s elegant, not big & burly. There’s a touch of wildness here accompanied by ripe, chewy tannins that slowly build on the palate. High alcohol and low acidity can be a problem with this grape, that’s not the case here. It comes in at 12.5% ABV and drinks well. Score: 92/100

• Zidarich, Vitovska 2018

This is the signature wine from Zidarich. The Zidarich, Vitovska is macerated and aged in large casks for about two years. Gorgeous nose of yellow peach, white flower, and crushed limestone. I can almost smell the sea in this wine. It’s a lighter orange wine and has the body of a bigger, classical white. There’s a rush of vibrant acidity that stretches out the finish. The tannins are chewy at first before the acidity washes them away. This is brilliant now and has the gumption to develop and improve in the bottle. Score: 92+/100

You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.

Zidarich provided tasting samples. The opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.

The post Zidarich: Soulful Italian Wine from the Carso appeared first on Wine Travel.

I’ve long been a fan of Ronchi di Cialla. This small, family-run estate is tucked away in the hills of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. They are responsible for single-handedly saving the grape Schioppettino from extinction. They are also home to their own subzone, Cialla.

The Cialla subzone sits at the northern edge of where grape growing is possible in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It’s also home to Schioppettino. Brothers, Ivan and Pierpaolo Rapuzzi look after this ancient variety that their parents brought back to life. You can hear their story more in detail in the podcast ‘I’ll Drink To That’ below.

Schioppettino or Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso?

The Schioppettino di Cialla (Schioppentino from the Cialla subzone) is the flagship wine of Ronchi di Cialla. It’s a fine, medium-weight wine but I’ve often thought that their Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso di Cialla is their best red wine.

The reds made from Schioppettino are more delicate. Ronchi di Cialla makes both a young (stainless steel only) and a matured version. Both examples are unique, I often think of them as an imaginary blend of Pinot Noir, Nerello Mascalese, and Blaufränkisch. They are wines that I should like the most, low in alcohol, medium-bodied, and loaded with crunchy acidity.

Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso (Refosco with red stems) is a different animal altogether. The grape is known for making rustic wines that are high in tannin with searing acidity. In the hands of a great producer/grower, I believe that it’s capable of making wines that are similar to Northern Rhône Syrah.

The Ronchi di Cialla, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso di Cialla is just that. It’s dark, dense, and savory. Ronchi di Cialla ages the wines significantly before putting them on the market. In this set of wines, I tasted the 2012 which is the current release. A friend pulled a 2006 from his cellar to help with this article.

Wine Recommendations:

• Ronchi di Cialla, RiNera 2018

Ribolla Nera is the older term for Schioppettino. The Ronchi di Cialla, RiNera is made from young vines and is aged only in stainless steel. Notes of raspberry, cranberry, pepper, and earthy tones. Juicy acidity and soft tannins. Medium-bodied and not fussy with a good degree of complexity and capacity to improve with age. A strong black tea note on the finish adds to the complexity. Ronchi di Ciallia has built their reputation on their Cru Schiopettino di Cialla, but this is a lovely effort. Score: 90/100 

• Ronchi di Cialla, Schioppettino di Cialla 2015

The Ronchi di Cialla, Schioppettino di Cialla is 100% Schiopettino aged in oak for just over 30 months. Another good vintage of this wine. Notes of black raspberry, pepper, leather, earth, and a touch of tobacco. There’s some bottle development but it’s a good thing. Medium-bodied and suave on the palate. Firm tannins. I still think that this grape tastes a little like Nerello Mascalese. Score: 92+/100

• Ronchi di Cialla, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso di Cialla 2006

The Ronchi di Cialla, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso di Cialla is an excellent example of how this grape ages. It’s full of blackberry, meat, dried violets, pepper, and earth. Delicious and wild with developed tannins and high acidity. It’s got a little Bordeaux flair, mixed with the wildness of Syrah, and the tanginess of Tuscany. This all adds up to something good and the wine is in a fine place now, drink it up. Score: 93+/100

• Ronchi di Cialla, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso di Cialla 2012

The Ronchi di Cialla, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso di Cialla is aged in wood and a whopping 50 months in bottle before its release. The nose has a lot of similarities with fine Bordeaux. Notes of leather, black cherry, tobacco, and pepper. This is a full-bodied, savory beauty. It’s the type of red to sip on in meditation. It finishes with chewy tannins. Score: 93/100

You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.

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Rochi di Cialla provided tasting samples. The opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.

The post Ronchi di Cialla: Schioppettino or Refosco? appeared first on Wine Travel.

Hello! Welcome to As Drunk by Exotic Wine Travel, a weekly column where we feature interesting wines that we encourage you to seek out. The reviews featured in this series may be written by either one or the both of us. The featured wines can be from obscure or well-known wine regions. We hope that these wine recommendations will keep you gastronomically curious and your palate invigorated.

Marco Felluga & Russiz Superiore

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is an ear-shaped region located in the northeast corner of Italy. Thanks to its location, the food and wine of the region has been shaped over the years by Italians, Slovenians, and Austrians. Dating back to the 1960s, it’s a region that is largely responsible for the quality revolution of Italian white wines.

One of those pioneers is Marco Felluga, who founded the winery in 1956 and then bought the Russiz Superiore estate in 1967. Between the two estates, 80% of the production is white wine. They work with international varieties in addition to local grapes like Ribolla Gialla, Refosco, and Friulano.

A small portion of the production at Marco Felluga & Russiz Superiore is aged in barrel. These wines are bigger, richer, and substantially oakier than their fresh siblings. If you’re a fan of full-bodied barrel age whites, look no further. These two Marco Felluga bottlings offer tremendous value for money in the world of fine, barrel-aged whites.

• Marco Felluga, ‘Molamatta’ Collio Bianco 2017

The Marco Felluga, ‘Molamatta’ Collio Bianco is a blend of Pinot Bianco, Friulano, and Ribolla Gialla. The Pinot Bianco is barrel fermented. You can feel the wood here but it’s not overpowering. Full and round with notes of white peach, golden apple, lemon curd, and hazelnut. It’s a wine with a persistent finish and potential to develop further in the bottle. Score: 90+/100

• Marco Felluga, ‘Mongris’ Pinot Grigio Riserva 2017

Around 30% of the Marco Felluga, ‘Mongris’ Pinot Grigio Riserva is barrel fermented with the rest made stainless steel. This shows a lot of oak now as it’s just released. Notes of melon, white peach, bread, and vanilla. It’s full-bodied, round, and creamy on the palate. Sweet finish with impressive length. The oak is a bit heavy now but it should melt into the wine with time in the bottle. Score: 91/100

• Russiz Superiore, Pinot Bianco Riserva 2015

The Russiz Superiore, Pinot Bianco Riserva is a barrel-fermented Pinot Blanc. This shows little to no development, it’s still very very fresh. It smells like a big Chardonnay with notes of melon, peach, grass, and a touch of yogurt. It’s full-bodied and very rich on the palate. It’s not a high acid white but there’s enough to keep it bright. Rich and long finish. Score: 92/100

• Russiz Superiore, Sauvignon 2019

Most of the Russiz Superiore, Sauvignon is aged in stainless steel and 15% is barrel fermented. The 2018 vintage was named ’25 of the Best Sauvignon Blancs for 2020′ by Vinepair. Notes of kiwi, white pepper, grass, green herbs, and a hint of lime. This is pungent and racy without being over the top. It’s a nice balance between French style and New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc. Good weight on the palate and snappy acidity. Score: 90+/100

You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.

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Marco Felluga & Russiz Superiore provided tasting samples. For more information on their wines, check out the interview with Roberto Felluga on Grape Collective. Please note that the opinions expressed are our own and have not been paid for in any way. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.

The post Rich White Italian Wines: Marco Felluga & Russiz Superiore appeared first on Wine Travel.

We love the wines of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Earlier in 2017, we did a weeklong tasting trip through the region, visiting some iconic producers. After that trip, we became hooked on these wines.

After six weeks touring through the wine regions of Hungary and Slovakia, our friend Vedran drove up from Zagreb to meet us in Budapest. We tasted through the Hungarian regions of Szekszárd and Somló together. After the trip, Vedran told us, “I don’t want to go back to Zagreb yet, going back to Italy is more interesting for me.”

Goofing around with Wayne from Bastianich.

That being said we made the long drive to Friuli. This time we didn’t have any visits scheduled and we were worn down from our crazy schedule in Hungary and Slovakia. We visited a few producers and tasted some new vintages. Check out our thoughts in the video below (~8 mins).

The wines of Friuli-Venezia Giulia don’t take a backseat to many places in the world. Here are some of our favorites from the most recent trip.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

(You can find out more about our scoring system on the START HERE page.)

• Bastianich, Vespa Rosso 2013

Find or Buy at Wine-Searcher.

This is the first vintage of a new blend of this wine. The Bastianich Vespa Rosso 2013 is a blend of Merlot, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, and Schiopettino. Flavors of plum, raspberry, blackberry, and black pepper. It’s full-bodied with developed tannins, a joy to drink now but it can go the distance in the bottle.    4.2/5

• Borgo del Tiglio, Friulano 2015

Find or Buy at Wine-Searcher.

When we first visited Borgo del Tiglio in January of 2017, we tasted through older vintages of the Gran Selezione wines. On this visit, we stopped by and tasted the entry-level (white label) wines of Borgo del Tiglio.

This isn’t as profound as the Borgo del Tiglio Ronco Della Chiesa but it’s still a fine wine. It has wonderful ripe flavors of pineapple, yellow peach, yogurt, and minerals. It is rich in body from the lees contact. Acidity isn’t high but the wine is flavorful and full with a long finish.    4.2/5

• Collavini, Pignolo 2009

Find or Buy at Wine-Searcher.

This grape is known as the Nebbiolo of Friuli. The Eugenio Collavini Pignolo 2009 is aged two years in oak and five years in the bottle. Full of wild berries, chocolate, and tobacco. It’s a big, dense, and highly structured. The tannins are developed but still firm. A great wine to go with meat. Despite the age on this, it still tastes like a baby.    4.2/5

• Colle Duga (Damien Prinčič), Merlot 2015

Find or Buy at Wine-Searcher.

Plush and delicious Merlot. This effort from Colle Duga tastes like a well-executed minimal intervention red wine. It’s full of plum, graphite, earth, and tobacco. It’s rich and ready to drink now.   4.0/5

• Magnás, Collio Bianco 2015

Find or Buy at Wine-Searcher.

The Magnás Collio Bianco 2015 is a blend of Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, and Friulano. This is a typical Collio blend. It’s big and rich, high in alcohol yet balanced. Flavors of white peach, pineapple, apricot, and chestnut. It’s built up with lees contact and shows an impressive level of complexity for a wine matured only in stainless steel.   3.9/5

We are pairing this unoaked vino bianco, which has typical Friulian white blend’s flavors, with homemade root vegetable soup & Croatian kulen. The ripe fruit flavors and bitter, phenolic finish of the wine cut through the soup. For a 14.5%-alcohol wine, Magnás Collio Bianco 2015 is perfectly balanced; there’s no heat in the throat or empty, ‘flavorless’ spot on the palate at all. Great value for an €11 wine! If you like a big white that isn’t oaky or too yogurt-y, this is your friend.

A post shared by Exotic Wine Travel (@exoticwinetravel) on Dec 29, 2017 at 2:43am PST

• Meroi, Vigna Dominin Chardonnay 2015

This is a show stopper. The Meroi Vigna Dominin Chardonnay 2015 is saline and soft Chardonnay with beautiful wood integration. Full in body with notes of melon, stone fruit, and vanilla. Long finish, this is a spectacular rendition of Chardonnay. It’s another great wine from Meroi.   4.6/5

A trip to #friuliveneziagiulia would not be complete without some Meroi wine. The 2015 Meroi Vigna Dominic Chardonnay is easy to drink and easy to like. Gentle salinity runs through the core while crystalline fruit fills the form. The oak integration is perfect. Ready to drink now but has the potential to evolve beautifully for a decade. One of our favorite Chardonnays from this region!

A post shared by Exotic Wine Travel (@exoticwinetravel) on Dec 19, 2017 at 5:49am PST

• Meroi, Zitelle Barchetta 2015

The Meroi Zitelle Barchetta is an outstanding single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. Charine puts it best in the post below.   4.7/5

• Miani, Palis 2015

The Miani Palis Chardonnay 2015 is made of fruit that didn’t make the cut for the premium Miani Barraca bottling. It is full of melon, pineapple, sweet clove, and vanilla. Big yet refined on the palate, it’s a powerful white wine with bright fruit and a long finish. Not at the level of the Miani Chardonnay Barraca but this is still very good stuff.    4.4/5

• Miani, Zitelle Sauvignon 2016

Find or Buy at Wine-Searcher.

The Miani Zitelle Sauvignon 2016 is big and powerful with flavors of white peach, kiwi, minerals, asparagus. Great wood integration with powerful fruit and a long finish. The fruit is so powerful and bright that it’s almost ethereal. Sweet oak is highlighted on the finish – in just the right amounts. For those that don’t like Sauvignon Blanc, one taste of this may change your mind.    4.8/5

• Paraschos, Ribolla 2012

Find or Buy at Wine-Searcher.

We first tasted this at the Orange Wine Festival 2017 in Vienna. The winery intrigued us and this time we paid them a visit.

This is a solid orange wine with a high level of tannins. Full of apricot, dried peach, fall leaves, and a touch of fish oil that we associate with Ribolla Gialla. Don’t expect juiciness from this wine, think structure, structure, structure.    4.1/5

Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.

The post Revisiting Friuli-Venezia Giulia appeared first on Wine Travel.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is arguably the source of Italy’s most exciting white wines. We were impressed with the whites when we visited, but beyond just the whites, we were also astonished by the diversity of the wine region. There are a shocking number of excellent red wines being made in Friuli. A good number of those wines were made with Merlot but there are also some interesting local red grapes like Schiopettino, Tazzelenghe, and Pignolo.

In the past, Friuli was home to hundreds of indigenous grapes. After many generations of turmoil, the devastation during World War I, and the grape louse phylloxera, few of those grapes survive today. Friuli’s surviving indigenous white grapes Tocai Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Verduzzo, and Picolit grab a lot of headlines. Four local red grape make some exciting wines as well; they are Refosco dal Punducolo Rosso, Schiopettino, Tazzelenghe, and Pignolo.

Ronchi di Cialla

Our first sight as we walked into Ronchi di Cialla.

In 1970 Dina and Paolo Rapuzzi founded the estate in the hills of Cialla, Italy. During that time, many Italians were moving to the cities but the Rapuzzi’s wanted to move to the countryside. Being an avid historian, Paolo read many old books and papers of the region. This inspired him to restore the grape-growing glory to the war-ravaged area. Paolo hunted down vines of Schiopettino after searching for two years, the grape was considered to be extinct. He planted Schiopettino, Refosco, Ribolla Gialla, Verduzzo, and Picolit on the property.

Ronchi di Cialla is the only winery in a small valley. The winery has its own subzone within the Collio Orientali del Friuli DOC, appropriately named Cialla. Today Paolo’s sons, Pierpaolo and Ivan, head up the winemaking part of the property and have started to plant Pignolo.

We were referred to Ronchi di Cialla from our friend Nenad who runs the Croatian wine blog vinopija.com. Nenad did one harvest at the estate. We pulled into the beautiful valley and drove up to the winery, which is right next to the Rapuzzi household. Dina and her sons Pierpaolo and Ivan welcomed us into the house as we all sat at the family dinner table.

It was our first appointment in Friuli and we were excited to try Schiopettino, which the winery is famous for. After a quick tour of the cellar, a few bottles were uncorked. Ivan, who spoke perfect English, chose a selection of three different vintages of Schiopettino for us to taste. We also tasted two white wines and purchased a bottle of his Refosco. Later in the week, we also had another vintage of their Schiopettino at the restaurant La Subida.

Ivan Rapuzzi of Ronchi di Cialla. The bottle on the far right is the estate’s first vintage ever of Schiopettino, 1977.

All of the wines from Ronchi di Cialla are excellent. Tasting Schiopettino for the first time was special. The grape makes wine that gave me brand new nuances in flavor that I haven’t experienced before. Tasting new grapes and new fine wines are exhilarating for me and Ronchi di Cialla Schiopettino wines delivered on both counts. The low alcohol content is welcomed, Ronchi di Cialla reds clock in at 12.5% abv.

These wines deliver a lot of value for the money in the world of fine wine. If you haven’t discovered them yet, you owe it to yourself to try them. Fans of lighter reds like Pinot Noir, Nerello Mascalese, and Cabernet Franc from Loire, France will be in love with Schiopettino.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

• Ronchi di Cialla Schiopettino di Cialla 1996

Light garnet in color and this is beautiful for a wine that is over 20 years old. It tastes extremely fresh and has a lot of life left in it. It is full of earth, meat, menthol, pine, red cherry, dried strawberry, and mineral notes. The wine still has bright acidity and soft tannins with a long finish. This is a beauty. Easy-drinking, and food-friendly.  4.6/5

• Ronchi di Cialla Schiopettino di Cialla 2011

This wine has a wonderful nose. In a time where red wines are high in alcohol, this grape delivers a wonderful drinking experience with 12.5% ABV. This is full of raspberry, white pepper, grass, rubber, tobacco, and cherry. The acidity is lively and makes you want to eat. The tannins are fine-grained and the finish is long. This is fruity, serious, and complex. We can’t see a lot of people not liking this.   4.7/5

• Ronchi di Cialla Refosco del Penduloco Rosso di Cialla 2010

We took a bottle of this with us and paired it with Charine’s home cooking. Medium ruby in color and a beautiful nose and palate with flavors of meat, leather, tobacco leaf, black cherry, and white pepper. The wine is bone dry with easy-going tannins and zippy acidity. This is extremely elegant for a Refosco as many examples of this grape are angular. This wine is round and feels great in the mouth.   4.4/5

Moschioni

In this region of great white wines, Michele Moschioni decided to go against the grain. He wants to make great red wines that are big, rich, and loud with indigenous varieties. People have taken notice. The famous wine critic Robert Parker described Moschioni wines as “kinky” and “pornographic”.

Michele Moschioni in the cellar.

In 1989, Michele founded the winery. He farms organically and uses only natural yeast during the fermentation process. The vineyards include local grapes Refosco, Tazzelenghe, and Pignolo, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. All of the Moschoini wines are fermented in large, open-top oak vats and are not fined or filtered before bottling. Michele also utilizes the appasimento method of drying harvested grapes on racks to concentrate sugar levels—just like Amarone wines. The result? Humungous red wines with fruit and texture for days.

We pulled into the estate on a sunny January afternoon and were impressed immediately. The winery is built within an old horse stable. It is spacious and wide open. The tasting room is above the cellar. It is filled with refurbished prosciutto-slicing machines and an old jukebox. We sat down on a large dinner table that looked eerily similar to the one Michael Keaton and Kim Bassinger ate dinner at in the 1989 film Batman. (skip ahead in the video below to 0.54)

These red wines are unlike any you will come across in Friuli. Moschioni reds are extremely fruit-forward and loud on the palate. Some may call these wines fruit bombs, but we feel like there is plenty of refinement and balance in the wines despite the high levels of fruitiness. That being said, these are wines that beg for meat to be eaten with them.

Moschioni wines are not for the faint of heart but they are delicious. To us, the textures are like a bridge between big Napa red wines and central Italian wines. Keep in mind they don’t have the flavors of these two regions, they are distinctly their own. Michele makes Friulian wines that are loud and proud.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

• Moschioni Rosso Reâl 2009 

The Rosso Reâl is a blend of 50% Tazzelenghe, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Merlot. This is a wild and delicious red wine. It is the leanest in body of the Moschioni offerings. Full of brambleberry, blackberry, cedar, chocolate, and soft oak flavors. It is distinctly Italian with nice acidity. The medium body adds to the drinkability. The finish is long and powerful.   4.2/5

• Moschioni Schiopettino 2009

This is made from Schiopettino grapes that are picked and partially dried in baskets. High in alcohol at 15.5% but doesn’t show up in the nose or mouth. Raspberry, mineral, earth, forest leaves, cedar, chocolate, and pepper notes. It is much leaner than what we would expect from a wine that is made in a quasi-Amarone style. This nose is awesome but the body suggests that the wine needs more age to really sing.   4.2/5

• Moschioni Pignolo 2009

From this rare Friulian red grape Pignolo. This is extremely well-made, a great wine period. Full of dark plum, raisin, mineral, and pepper notes. This is rich, firm, and big bodied. The tannins are sweet and while the wine has a lot of life ahead of it, it tastes great now. We would love to pair this with a steak. This is massive, structured, and magnificent.   4.5/5

You May Also Enjoy 
Gravner and Radikon: Italian Wines Without Compromise
Bastianich and Jermann: Iconic Friulian Wine
Classic Wines from Borgo Del Tiglio and Meroi
Miani: The Stuff Wine Dreams are Made of

Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this article are personal opinions and are not associated with any sponsors or business promotions.

The post Ronchi di Cialla and Moschioni: Wines of Friuli’s Indigenous Red Grapes appeared first on Wine Travel.

Gravner and Radikon have been high on our “must visit” list for a long time. We are huge fans of the natural, macerated, qvevri wines in Georgia. While the Georgians have been making this style of wine for thousands of years, these two Friulian producers were the ones that pushed this style of wine into the forefront during modern times.

Gravner is credited for bringing qvevri (amphora) into the visibility of contemporary wine drinkers. Radikon is credited for his fervent stand against adding sulfites to wine. Love or hate them, they are synonymous with the current “natural wine” buzz. Both producers believe in making their vineyards into sustainable living systems and condemn the use of artificial fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.

Gravner

When we arrived at the Gravner cellar, the sun was shining but the Bora winds were at full force. The Bora comes off the Alps in the north and the Dinaric Range in the east. The winds blow down the Adriatic Sea during the winter with impressive force. Charine was knocked down by the wind and struggled to get up three times before our friend Vedran helped her up.

Joško Gravner and his daughter Mateja Gravner are the winemakers here. For our tour, Mateja took us out to the beautiful vineyards. Gravner has developed a way to prune the Ribolla Gialla vines differently. We think of it almost like a modified triple cordon system. Mateja explained that they feel the berry clusters need to be closer to the old wood in order to bear good fruit.

Gravner’s Ribolla Gialla vines.

After visiting the vineyards, Mateja walked us through the cellar. She told us about the family history and why her father Joško started making wine in this fashion. More than a decade ago, Joško Gravner traveled to Georgia to see how wine was being made there. He was astounded by the method of making wine in buried clay vessels, known as qvevri in Georgia.  He came home and decided to get rid of his stainless steel tanks and began importing Georgian qvevri. Half of his first shipment of qvevri was delivered to him in broken pieces but that didn’t discourage him.

After spending a lot of time in Georgia, we have seen plenty of qvevri cellars. Yet we are never sick of seeing another. There is something peaceful and calming about being around wine “born” out of mother earth.

Buried qvevri (amphora) filled with Ribolla Gialla in Gravner’s cellar.

Mateja took us through the more traditional cellar, where the élevage takes place in large oak casks for six years before bottling. She continued to share the stories about her father’s winemaking journey. Gravner winery moved all of their fermentations to qvevri in 2001. After the 2013 vintage, Gravner will be fully dedicated to the indigenous varieties of Ribolla Gialla and Pignolo.

Mateja Gravner showing us the cellar.

We stepped into the beautiful tasting room. Gravner had special stemless glasses designed for their wines (which you can see below). At first, we were disappointed because the tasting pours were small and the wine was difficult to evaluate in the large glasses. The tasting went to the next level when Mateja opened the Gravner reserve wine, a macerated Pinot Grigio.

Gravner’s wines are extremely well-made and are as clean as amphora wines can get. The flavors on the nose and palate are intense. They are serious amber wines that are massively structured and take a lot of concentration to understand. We feel that the potential for Pignolo is limitless and their flagship wine made out of Ribolla Gialla is popular for a reason. All of Gravner’s wines have higher acidity for macerated wines, which can ease newcomers into this style of wine.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

You can read more about our scoring system on our START HERE page.

• Gravner Ribolla 2008

Some of the Ribolla Gialla grapes that went into this wine were infected with botrytis. This is deep amber in color. It has flavors of orange peel, apricot, and spice. The nose and palate are pronounced yet elegant. The wine has some savory characteristics like a chicken broth. The tannins are firm and guide a long, cognac-like finish.   4.4/5

• Gravner Pinot Grigio 2006 

This is the reserve wine from Gravner and after the 2013 vintage, they will cease production of Pinot Grigio. A brown-orange color, this is what we expect from macerated Pinot Grigio. This wine is incredibly complex with significant depth. It is full of orange peel, earth, caramel, brown sugar, forest floor, and maple syrup notes. The wine is tangy, savory, and complex – extremely delicious for those willing to open themselves up to this style of wine. The tannins are firm but sweet.   4.4/5

• Gravner Rosso Breg 2004 

Made from the local variety Pignolo, this spent five years in the oak cask and five years in the bottle. The wine has a rocking nose with plum, rose petal, black licorice, and brown spices. At first, the wine is more earthy on the palate. After time in the glass, the dark fruit emerges. This is big in body and the tannins are big and round, they possess a lot of grip. While the wine is firm, the tannins are ripe. The finish is long and complex, it feels great on the palate but make no mistake, it is a thinking wine.   4.5/5

Radikon

In September of 2016, Stanislao “Stanko” Radikon passed away. He was a pioneer in the natural wine world. Stanko wanted the local Ribolla Gialla grape to be respected and well-known. His innovations include three-month skin maceration with Ribolla Gialla, the half-liter & liter bottles, as well as bottling his wine without sulfur. We never got a chance to meet Stanko, but when we visited the Radikon estate, his presence was felt.

The family misses Stanko dearly, you can feel it when talking to them. Stanko’s son Saša Radikon is the head winemaker now and Stanko’s wife Suzana is still deeply involved. They continue to fulfill Stanko’s legacy.

We pulled in about half an hour early for our appointment and the family was eating lunch. All three of us felt a little embarrassed interrupting their meal but Suzana assured us it was fine. We parked our car and waited for 15 minutes, staring out into Radikon’s beautiful vineyards. Suzana finished up her meal and then joined us outside, officially starting the tour.

Suzana walked us through the cellar which is full of old Slavonian oak casks. Radikon produces a little over 30,000 bottles per year. Since they age the wines for a long time, a lot of the cellar space is taken up by wines that are patiently resting. The main line of Radikon wines spends three to four months on the skins and six years in cask before bottling. Stanko’s son Saša started his own “S” line of wine that spends 10 days on the skins and 18 months in the casks before bottling. They were made to be a user-friendly introduction to this style of wine.

Suzana walking me through Radikon’s catalog of wines.

Suzana lit up like a light bulb when she showed us a few older vintages, perhaps they were making her feel more connected to Stanko. We walked into the bottling room where we tasted through the wines, including several vintages of their Ribolla, a Pinot Noir, and their Grand Cru white wine.

The wines are alive and do not hold back. They are like a strong, quirky person that walks into a party and doesn’t care what people think. Radikon wines are uncompromising and bursting with life. This holds most true with the Ribolla wines, we tasted the 1998, 2001, 2003, and 2009 vintages. Charine describes Radikon Ribolla as a “wild child!” The wines from the “S” line show a lot more restraint and are easier to understand. The Grand Cru wine, Fuori dal tempo is…well just read the notes below.

We wish the Radikon family all the very best. Their reputation is well deserved and tasting the wines can be an exhilarating experience for those who are open to it.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

You can read more about our scoring system on our START HERE page.

• Radikon “S” Pinot Grigio 2014

From the S-Line from Radikon, which is made in the same style as the main line but ages 18 months in oak cask instead of six years. This is a very bright interpretation of a macerated Pinot Grigio. Flavors include rose petal, orange peel, lemon, forest leaves, and dried pineapple. The acidity is very lively and the mouthfeel is gritty with a beautiful finish.   4.6/5

• Radikon Oslavje 2009  

A blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Sauvignon Blanc. This cuvée is named after the village where the Radikons reside. The flavors include autumn leaves, pumpkin, lemon, dried banana, and almonds. The wine has bright and bouncy acidity on the palate with gritty, fine-grained tannins. This is wild and yet elegant at the same time.   4.6/5

• Radikon Fuori dal Tempo 2001 

A blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Sauvignon Blanc. This name translates to “out of time” which is appropriate for this wine. This is the cru wine of Radikon made from a meticulous selection of grapes. This is ethereal and like no other wine we have ever tasted, conventional or amber. Charine teared up after taking a sip of this. It is full of tomato leaf, orange peel, herb, and cinnamon flavors. The mouthfeel is what sets it apart, it has this interesting cotton candy note but the wine dances over the palate. It is rich and concentrated yet old and elegant. Although we never met Stanko, we feel we know him and what he was always striving for by tasting this wine. Wow, what a beauty.   4.7/5

You May Also Enjoy:
Miani: The Stuff Wine Dreams are Made of
Classic Wines from Borgo Del Tiglio and Meroi
Bastianich and Jermann: Iconic Friulian Wine
Amber Revolution by Simon Woolf

Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this article are personal opinions and are not associated with any sponsors or business promotions.

The post Gravner and Radikon: Italian Wines Without Compromise appeared first on Wine Travel.

When we selected wineries to visit during our Friuli-Venezia Giulia trip, we wanted to taste the best that the region had to offer. Most of our trip focused on visiting small producers. Several larger producers have left their mark on the wine scene and we wanted to visit a few of them as well. Our schedule was full, so we had to choose between producers Bastianich, Livio Felluga, Marco Felluga, Villa Russiz, Jermann, Schiopetto, and Vie de Romans. In the end, we chose Bastianich and Jermann.

Bastianich 

The Bastianich family is credited for bringing Friulian food and wine to the world. Lidia Bastianich owns a restaurant empire in the USA with her daughter Tanya and her son Joe. Their group owns the Michelin Starred restaurant Del Posto in Manhattan and the now famous Eataly marketplace. In the early 1990’s, the family bought a few vineyards in their homeland of Friuli. In 1998 they released their first vintage.

Bastianich winery produces between 250,000 and 300,000 bottles per year, depending on the vintage. They use only fruit from their vineyards in Cividale del Friuli and Buttrio.

Bastianich winery is just outside the UNESCO-listed village of Cividale del Friuli.

The winery sits just outside of Cividale del Friuli and has an excellent restaurant on-site named Orsone. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed for the season when we arrived. We did get a good look at the vineyards and the production facilities. The winery is very well organized and the tasting room is spotless and well presented.

Our visit with Bastianich was the least intimate and shortest of our visits in Friuli, but our guide Federico did a good job. He allowed us to taste through the whole catalog, including all of the Bastianich Cru wines. The Cru wines are distinct and packed with rich flavors.

All of the Cru wines had indigenous grapes in the blend in some way, shape, or form. The Vespa Bianco was delicious and distinctively different. The Bastianich Plus gave us new flavor nuances that we enjoyed tremendously. These are among the most unique wines made in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

EXOTIC WINE TRAVEL’S PICKS

• Bastianich Vespa Bianco 2014 

A blend of 45% Sauvignon Blanc, 45% Chardonnay, and 10% Picolit.  This is a crazy-cool white wine from Bastianich and is their signature label. The nose and flavors are so interesting, yet well put together. The flavors include vanilla, brioche, honey, apricots, and peach. The wine is creamy on the mouth, big bodied, and rich, with a kiss of vanilla. It’s hard to tell that this is a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is unique and the barrel gives the wine soft yet palpable tannins.  4.4/5

The Cru wines from Bastianich, from left to right. Plus is the third from left and Vespa Bianco is the fourth.

• Bastianich Friulano Vini Orsone 2014

Made from the Tocai Friulano grape, this is one of the entry level wines in the Bastianich portfolio, but don’t let that fool you. This was aged for seven months on the lees in stainless steel inox tanks. It has lemon-green color and honey, pear, and honeydew melon flavors that fill the glass. The wine has a touch of a bitterness in it and the mid-palate bursts with flavors. The wine has a long, delicious finish. This is a great entry-level effort.   3.8/5

• Bastianich Plus 2012

This is 100% Tocai Fruilano with 8 g/L of sugar. It is really golden and dandelion in color and the berries have some botrytis on them. This wine did not go through malolactic fermentation. It is full of honey, grass, caramel, and cantaloupe melon flavors. This is rich, big, and delicious with just a touch of sweetness and a long finish. A great wine for someone who likes big and explosive flavors.   4.2/5

Jermann

The Jermann family moved to Italy from Slovenia. Prior to Slovenia, they were originally from Burgenland, Austria. Silvio moved to Canada when he was a young man to study winemaking in the new world. He came back to Friuli with fresh ideas that helped take his family’s winery to the next level. Jermann now produces close to one million bottles a year and the winery is one of Friuli’s flagship white wine estates.

Silvio Jermann is an iconic winemaker in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. He created his famous Jermann Vintage Tunina wine at the age of 21. He is an artist who paints the designs for all of his labels. His artistic flair is evident in all of the wines. For such a large production, the wines exhibit a lot of pizzazz.

We arrived at Jermann on a Saturday morning, a time when the winery is normally closed to the public. Our guides Martina and Elisa took us through the beautiful new facility in the village of Ruttars. This new facility focuses on the production of the Cru line of wines. Everything was neat and organized and there were signs that reminded visitors that photos are forbidden – so we didn’t get shots of the inside. We can just tell you that the cellar is beautiful and there are interesting pieces of art scattered throughout the space.

Jermann blew the top off our expectations and Where Dreams Have No End may be one of the finest Chardonnays that we have ever tasted. There is a reason that they bring this wine to compete against great White Burgundies. Kudos to Silvio and the team at Jermann, we hope to be back soon. Their reputation is well deserved.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

• Jermann Where Dreams Have No End 2014

A blend of 97% Chardonnay and 3% of Silvio’s secret recipe. The inspiration for this legendary white wine is U2’s hit “Where The Streets Have No Name.” When we posted a photo of this wine on our Instagram account, a friend commented that she remembered this wine from the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. We did some research and low and behold, she was right! 

This is a wine that was aged in 300L French oak for 11 months, six of those months were on the lees. This is a truly special wine. W…Dreams… is very complex with flavors of soft vanilla, caramel, pineapple, peach, lemon and flint notes. The wine has high acidity and is full bodied but not overly buttery. Sandy texture on the mouth from the oak, but everything comes together nicely here. World class Chardonnay from this impressive producer in a tough vintage.   4.8/5

• Jermann Capo Martino 2014

This is a field blend of Tocai Friulano, Malvasia, Ribolla Gialla, and Picolit. The Capo Martino is the least well known of Jermann’s Cru white wines, but that needs to change. It was aged in oak casks and is extremely complex. Full of perfume, honeycomb, vanilla, pear, apricot, and yellow flower notes. The wine is full-bodied, smooth, and elegant with a nice sense of tanginess. The wine finishes with a touch of sweetness and bitter flower notes. Another great effort from the rainy and tough 2014 vintage.   4.6/5

• Jermann Lonzblau 2013

Silvio Jermann loves Pinot Noir. For many years he has made an entry-level Pinot Noir wine named Red Angel. Red Angel is a good wine and the Lonzblau takes Friulian Pinot Noir a step further. Aged for one year in French oak. The production is limited to a 1500 regular-size bottles and 200 magnums. This has a seductive nose of raspberry, forest floor, strawberry, cedar, and white pepper. This has a pronounced nose and the aromas burst out of the glass. Wonderful structure and bright fruit notes. It reminds us a lot of extremely well made Pinot Noir from Yarra Valley, Australia.   4.4/5

You May Also Enjoy:
Classic Wines From Borgo Del Tiglio And Meroi
Miani: The Stuff Wine Dreams Are Made Of
A video recap of our Friuli tasting trip –

Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this article are personal opinions and are not associated with any sponsors or business promotions.

The post Bastianich and Jermann: Iconic Friulian Wine appeared first on Wine Travel.

Nice white wines and a few amber wine producers.

That was our impression of Friuli-Venezia Giulia before we visited the region. It turns out that both of our initial impressions are correct, but there’s more to Friuli than that. It’s a dynamic region with so many different styles of wines being made. Some may see it as negative; a recent article on GuildSomm stated, “Friuli has never settled on a winemaking identity, one with a clear, coherent definition that can be understood and expressed far beyond its borders.”

I personally find the diversity of wines in Friuli very exciting. The wide offer of excellent wines in the region is similar to Santa Barbara County in the USA. There are more wine grape varieties and different styles of wine that I thought.

Two wineries producing balanced, classic wines in Friuli are Borgo del Tiglio and Meroi. Both of these wineries exemplify classically styled wines that can compete with any other that we have tasted around the world. Both wineries are run by a father-son team and have a solid track record.

Both wineries were welcoming and memorable. Of the nine wineries in Friuli-Venezia Giulia that we visited, Borgo del Tiglio and Meroi were the only ones that weren’t shy about opening a large selection of archive wines. Fans of French-style wines would be more than happy to drink from these two producers.

Borgo Del Tiglio

This winery is very well received by wine lovers and critics alike. Nicola Manferrari, the owner, has eight hectares in Fruli and six hectares in Le Marche. From those plots, Borgo Del Tiglio produces around 40,000 to 50,000 bottles per year. Renowned wine critic Antonio Galloni wrote, “Borgo del Tiglio is one of the world’s greatest estates. Proprietor Nicola Manferrari crafts brilliant, chiseled whites built on saline-infused minerality and energy that capture the essence of some of Friuli’s most compelling terroirs.”

We pulled into the small village of Brazzano and parked our car. The Borgo Del Tiglio estate was unassuming. It took us several minutes of walking around the small village Brazzano before we found it. Nicola’s son Mattia was welcoming and showed us the nearby vineyard and cellar. The winery was simple and humble. It is amazing that such great wines are birthed there.

Walking into the barrel room revealed the secrets of Borgo Del Tiglio. In contrast to the humble winery, the barrel room looked extremely high-tech. We felt like we were walking on board a Star Destroyer with the sliding glass doors and funky cut openings.

Three of us sat down in the tasting room, which looked more like a family dining room. The proprietor, Nicola Manferrari, walked in and immediately our friend Vedran whispered, “That guy looks like the real deal.” Mattia and Nikola asked us what we’d like to taste. We answered, “Whatever you think is the best representation of your winery.”

Nicola went to the cellar and returned with four white wines and two red wines. The four white wines were from the Selezione series, which are the estate’s top white wines. The two reds were riserva wines. At Borgo Del Tiglio, white labels are designated for the entry level wines while the green labels don the bottles of the Cru and Riserva wines.

All of the white wines are barrel fermented. Precision, tanginess, and length are the themes that tie all the white wines together. The four white wines we tried were all so exceptional that it was hard to gauge major differences between them. As happy as we were with the whites, the reds were also showstoppers. Both of the reds had nice fruit, structure, and fine-grained tannins.

Is Borgo del Tiglio justifiably one of the world’s great white wine estates? Was Antonio Galloni correct? We cannot claim to have tasted at all of the world’s greatest estates. But we can say that all of the wines at Borgo Del Tiglio are excellent and rank among the best whites that we have sampled.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

You can read more about our scoring system at our START HERE page. 

• Borgo del Tiglio Ronco Della Chiesa 2013

If I had to describe this wine in one word, it would be precision. This is a single vineyard wine made from 100% Tocai Friulano. Fruit for this wine is sourced from the vineyard on a steep hill right behind the winery. This is bursting with peach, white flower, minerals, and is extremely oily on the palate. The wine is tart and flavorful. The finish may be one of the longest I’ve had in a white wine.   4.6/5

• Borgo del Tiglio Studio di Bianco 2010

An undisclosed blend of Riesling, Tocai Friulano, and Sauvignon Blanc. The title of this wine translates to “a study in whites.” Studio di Bianco is the result of Nikola’s years of experimenting with white wines. This wine is extremely smokey and oily, they are the first notes that jump out of the glass. The additional flavors include peach, petrol, mineral and a saline fishiness—which is actually pleasant. This is viscous on the palate, full-bodied, and tangy with a long finish.   4.2/5

• Borgo del Tiglio Rosso Della Centa 2006 

This is Merlot made only in the best years. The wine is complex with black plum, white pepper, Italian herbs, earth, and black licorice initially on the nose. This producer says he looks for paprika in the wine to determine if he can bottle under this label—we definitely feel it on the palate as well. It also shows a touch of pencil lead with fine grained tannins on a medium body frame. The finish is long and delicious.   4.8/5

• Borgo del Tiglio Rosso Riserva 1996

A blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a reserve red only made in good years. It spent three years in French oak before it was bottled. This wine is a beauty. Full of tomato, herb, red plum, white pepper, and earth. For an aged wine, it has a lot of tanginess with fine-grained tannins. It really reminds me of a 2001 Sassicaia that I recently had.   4.7/5

Meroi

Buttrio is a small village that lies about 10 kilometers southeast of Udine. This tiny village has been identified as a source of Friuli’s best red wines. Turning off the main drag of town onto an unsealed roads will show you why. The hills of Buttrio are beautiful and have lots of south-facing exposure. The hills sit in the middle of the Adriatic Sea to the south and the Friulian Alps to the north, which create a special grape-growing environment.

Meroi Winery really impressed us. Paolo and his son Damiano are producing about 60,000 bottles of wine per year from 20 hectares of vineyards. Many of their wines are sold directly from their family restaurant Trattoria Al Parco, which is adjacent to the winery. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed for a two-week holiday when we arrived, so we can’t speak about the food there.

A cross-section of the marl soil from the Buttrio vineyards.

Damiano took us on a small tour of his beautiful vineyards. We were shocked how much the topography of the town changed once we got off the main road. The winegrowing hills are hidden on the east side of town. The bora winds were blowing strong that day though the sun was out. Damiano even had a ski mask on.

Damiano Meroi (center) showing Matt and Vedran his Zitelle vineyard, which he shares with Enzo Pontoni of Miani winery.

Damiano is enthusiastic, full of fire and drive. He is passionate about making excellent wine and even more so about traveling the world and marketing his wines. Damiano took no time in opening up to us and pulled several wines out for us to taste.

Meroi wines are modern and clean, the whites show bright acidity and focused fruit flavors while the reds are big and luscious. Damiano started the tasting with a Riesling that he was undecided about releasing. I thought the Riesling was brilliant and it reminded me of a fuller-bodied Austrian Riesling. The whites and reds both aged beautifully and the Refosco was a showstopper.

Paolo and Damiano are making delicious, fine wine. We had not heard a lot about this producer until arriving in Friuli. These wines offer excellent quality for the money. If you get the chance to try the Refosco you are in for a helluva experience.

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

You can read more about our scoring system at our START HERE page. 

• Meroi Nestrí 2005

Meroi graciously gave us this bottle to open at home and WOW. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc aged for 18 months in used French oak. This still has a lot of life ahead of it. Flavors include ripe plum, cherry, cedar, mineral, and cedar notes. There are slight notes of forest floor and tobacco from age but this is still fruit forward. Supple tannins in the mouth with a long finish. This has aged gracefully for an entry-level red wine, kudos to Meroi.   4.3/5

The bottle of Meroi Nestrí 2005 paired perfectly with Charine’s home cooked pepper steak.

• Meroi Malvasia Zitelle durì 2015

This wine is tangy, complex, and excellent. It is full of dandelion, peach, lemon, and caramel flavors. The texture is beautiful with a mid-palate flavor spike. The acidity in the wine is great and it has a long end palate. It’s everything that I like about a white wine—clean, mineral-driven, and zippy acidity.   4.4/5

• Meroi Refosco Vigna Dominin 2011

This is a single-vineyard Refosco with a touch of age on it and aged for two years in new French oak. This is very Northern Rhone Syrah-like on the nose and the palate. It is exactly the type of red wine that I love with leather, rubber, raspberry, violet, blackberry, and black pepper. The wine is earthy and fruity at the same time with some tannic grip and a long finish. The Vigna Dominin 2011 is some serious juice, it’s perhaps the best Refosco that I’ve ever had.   4.7/5

Related:
Miani: The Stuff Wine Dreams are Made of
Bastianich and Jermann: Iconic Friulian Wine 

Here’s a video preview of the things to come: more articles, videos, and tasting notes about the best of Friuli will be released in the coming weeks!

Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this article are personal opinions and are not associated with any other sponsors or business promotions. 

The post Classic Wines from Borgo del Tiglio and Meroi appeared first on Wine Travel.

Several months ago as we were planning our trip to Friuli-Venezia Giulia, we posted on Antonio Galloni’s Vinous forum seeking suggestions for “only the best wineries in Friuli”. One member responded, “There can only be one… Miani.”

Our fate is decided.

Enzo Pontoni is the owner, vigneron, and winemaker at the garage winery Miani. The winery was established commercially in 1981. In 1989, Enzo’s father passed away and Enzo decided to give up his career as a mechanic to focus on the winery. His reputation supersedes him. Allegedly, getting a tasting at his winery is rare to the point of near-impossible because: he is always working in the vineyards; he doesn’t have a cell phone; he doesn’t have any form of contact point on the internet; he makes Italy’s greatest white wine. And unrelated to the inaccessibility, he is 7 feet (214 cm) tall.

After meeting Enzo, we can tell you that four out of these five are true.

As the trip drew closer, our appointments with the wineries that we wanted to visit were all confirmed except one because, “There can only be one… Miani.” All the mystery didn’t matter to us. We were obsessed with getting an appointment someway, somehow.

Chasing Miani

We drive into the town of Buttrio in the late morning. Buttrio is the first hill about 10 kilometers southeast of Udine and the start of Colli Orientali del Friuli (DOC). Once the hills reach the nearby province of Gorizia, the area becomes known as Collio (DOC).

One thing that puzzles us is that Buttrio and the surrounding area are pancake-flat. We’ve been told that Buttrio has the best terroir for red wines in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, but the flat vineyards don’t make sense to us.

As we turn east outside of Buttrio, something magical happens. The roads are unsealed and lead to some pristine vineyards, completed by rolling hills, marl soil, and a view of the Alps in the background. Many of the vineyards are south facing and the mountains provide cool breezes during the evening.

Damiano from Meroi winery walking us through his vineyards in Buttrio.

It is here that Miani and Meroi are nurturing grapes that morph into stellar wines. Wait a minute, Meroi? Remember, we don’t have an appointment with Miani. Damiano Meroi from Meroi winery is the one who’s showing us these stunning vineyards. In fact, Damiano shares a vineyard named Zitella with Miani. And Meroi is producing spectacular wines too, but we’re saving that story for another article.

As we often say, serendipity always rewards the faithful: after the visit at Meroi winery, our appointment with Miani is set for later in the afternoon.

The Cellar

When we arrive at the cellar, Enzo has just returned from the vineyard and is putting away his tractor. He shakes our hands, says ciao before leaving us abruptly to put away all of his equipment. The first impression is solidified: Enzo reminds us of Matt’s father—a true farmer with swollen and stained hands; a diligent man who has his hands in the soil every day, caring deeply about what he creates.

“The wine critics might protest, as they regularly score Miani wines in the mid to high 90-something points—that’s if they can get their hands on them.”

After about 15 minutes of settling down, Enzo walks us down to his basement cellar and we give him a copy of our book and a bottle of wine that we’ve brought from Slavonia, Croatia.

Enzo has 20 hectares of vineyards—11 are owned and 9 are rented—where he farms the varieties Chardonnay, Malvasia, Merlot, Refrosco, Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon Blanc, and Tocai Friulano. The grapes are grown organically with some biodynamic practice. The winery produces around 10,000 bottles per year. Though for the most recent vintage, the production might be up to  20,000 bottles. Enzo is known for his draconian selection of grapes that go into his wines. Just to put it into perspective, 20 hectares at higher yields can easily produce over 340,000 bottles per year!

And here’s where Bizzaro World resides: despite the high praises about his wines from all over the wine world, Enzo is incredibly humble, almost too humble. Some of the reds by Miani can fetch up to around USD400. We communicate with Enzo in our broken Italian while he tries to speak some English. He keeps saying that he doesn’t like his wines.

“So which is your favorite wine?”

“I don’t like any. The new vintages are not good. The old ones are okay.”

“Which wine of yours do you like to drink at home?”

“The reds… too strong. I mix white and red. Make rosé for myself.”

“Really?”

“Why not?” Enzo says with a smile and a shrug.

The wine critics might protest, as they regularly score Miani wines in the mid to high 90-something points—that’s if they can get their hands on them.

Myth busted: Enzo is tall, but not that 7-feet elusive phantom that many wine geeks claim.

Enzo tries to recall all the wines he has in the cellar and–of course—we say yes to trying everything that he offers. The cellar is extremely cold, close to freezing, which definitely affects our noses, but even that doesn’t stop the wines from shining. Enzo shows unrestrained hospitality and lets us taste whatever we ask for, including the unreleased wines and tank samples.

Wine with a Theme

We put down several glasses and bottles next to a small labeling machine. There’s no fancy spit bucket. No elaborate tasting room. Since it’s a cold evening and the wines are delicious, we decide to savor and swallow every sip.

“They have multiple layers of depth, which show up with so much exuberance that we feel compelled to clap with every new sip.” 

Getting Enzo to open up is a challenge at first. Every time we ask him what he likes or what we should taste next, the answer is the same, “I don’t know. It’s not good.” As we progress through the evening, he begins to open up. He gathers a sample of his newest reserve wine, the 2015 Chardonnay Barraca, from the cement tank. As he pours the wine into our glasses, he smiles and says in crystal-clear English, “This is a great wine.”

The Miani wines all stand tall but do so without hubris or fluff, like the man behind them. The wines are stuffed with ripe notes and richness but never crossing the line to being overbearing or superfluous. They have multiple layers of depth, which show up with so much exuberance that we feel compelled to clap with every new sip. Even in the frigid cellar, the wines are performing, as if putting up an elaborate bian lian show (ancient Chinese mask-changing opera) that demands every second of our attention.

If we have to use just one word to describe Miani wines, it’ll be: integrity. The wines are whole, complete, real; they have integrity. And we’ll use the same word as well to describe our impression of Enzo.

After the tasting, Enzo suggests that we bring home the sample bottles so we can consume them at our leisure.

You Don’t Say No to More Miani

The Miani wines once again move to new heights as it receive more aeration in a civilized temperature.

We conclude that this can’t be the end of it all. We need Miani. We need more of this magic. We are hooked, mesmerized, completely engaged, and trapped.

A decision is made.

Che Sarа Sarа

It’s our last day in Friuli and we have a four-hour drive to Zagreb, Croatia ahead of us. We pick up a box of profiteroles and decide to take the chance and pop by Enzo’s place unannounced, in hopes that we can buy a few more bottles from him. What’s there to lose after all? If we see him again, great. If not, we can always leave the profiteroles and a goodbye message for him at the door.

And as it turns out, our trip ends in the perfect tone: with a box full of Miani wine in our hands and smiles of gratitude on our faces.

Rocambolesco!

The collection from Miani that we are sending back to our cellar in the USA. We have not tasted the Filip Merlot or Pettarin Ribolla Gialla yet. We also tried to buy a bottle of 2013 Miani Rosso (Merlot-Refrosco) from Enzo but he declined our request because—in his words—“the wine is not ready”. The label for the wine hasn’t been printed either and he said that having the Miani label on his wine is just as important to him.

By the way, Enzo is tall but not 7 feet tall. However, it is true that he doesn’t have a cell phone and he may be producing Italy’s greatest white wines.

A post shared by Exotic Wine Travel (@exoticwinetravel) on Jan 19, 2017 at 11:59pm PST

Exotic Wine Travel’s Picks

• Miani Sauvignon Zitelle 2015

Polarity encapsulated in a bottle. High-tone aromas woven together artfully. Rich flavors of lemon, caramel, peach, white flower, and mineral. The wine is fruit forward, yet not overbearing and not shy on the earthiness either. Elegant with a long finish, the wine has the stuffing to age. Fun yet refined in ways that can keep drinkers of all level engaged. 

• Miani Merlot Buri 2013

Aged for 30 months in French oak. Dark and inky color. A dense and structured Merlot, bursting with flavors of red plum, black cherry, tobacco, chocolate, cedar, soy sauce, lilac, and pencil shavings. The 15.5% ABV leaves no traces; the wine is perfectly balanced. Great to drink now but has the power to age for at least 10 more years.

Matt thinks this may be the greatest Merlot-based wine that he has ever tasted.

Charine thinks this is a textbook-perfect, New World-style Merlot and reminds her of 2007 Jonata Fenix from Santa Ynez Valley, which means this wine will certainly be on the Exotic Wine Travel’s Best of 2017 list.

• Miani Chardonnay Barraca 2015

Tasted in January 2017. This is a sample from the concrete tanks and will be bottled in November 2017. Only three barrels are made. Ethereal and expressive. Notes of pineapple pie, banana, peach, and flint. Flint, totally flint, so much flint that holds all the rest of the flavors in a bundle. Lovely acidity that perfectly balances out the body and leads the flavors into a devilishly long finish. The last time we had a Chardonnay that is so layered, intense and structured was probably at Brewer-Clifton winery in Santa Barbara County, California.

Exotic Wine Travel in Friuli
Gravner and Radikon: Italian Wines Without Compromise
Ronchi Di Cialla and Moschioni: Wines of Friuli’s Indigenous Red Grapes
Bastianich and Jermann: Iconic Friulian Wine 
Classic Wines from Borgo Del Tiglio and Meroi

Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this article are personal opinions and are not associated with any sponsors or business promotions.

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