WHERE OUR LANDS ARE LOCATED
Savorgnano del Torre.
Consisting of around eight hectares of vineyards and four of woods, our lands are located in Savorgnano del Torre in the municipality of Povoletto, in the westernmost and coolest part of the Colli Orientali del Friuli area in Savorgnano del Torre, between 175 and 300 metres above sea level.
Here we find the Julian Alps and Prealps behind us which shelter the vines from cold northern air currents and the Adriatic Sea to the south (about 45 km as the crow flies) which ensures a beneficial air flow.
The climate is cooler here than in other parts of the Colli Orientali area: summer temperatures are never excessively high and there is a good temperature range, creating wines whose zesty flavour is a very recognizable feature.
In pursuing the terroir’s maximum expression, we have chosen, as a company philosophy, to grow native grape varieties that were born here or acclimatized hundreds of years ago on Friulian soil.
THE VINEYARDS
Two interpretations of terroir within the territory
Monte della guardia
4 hectares (2 to be renovated) 300 m above sea level
The vineyards located in this area of Savorgnano have Monte della Guardia behind them, a small promontory that closes off the village to the northwest. Some have belonged to our family for quite some time (Roncut), while others have been recently acquired (the year 2000 ).
A part of these vineyards, with an old farmhouse from the early 1900s, must still be renovated.
SURFACE AREA: 4 hectares (2 to be renovated)
ALTITUDE: 300 m asl
EXPOSURE: southern
VINEYARDS: 4 different tracts of land
CULTIVATED GRAPE VARIETIES: Friuliano, Picolit, Schioppettino
YEAR PLANTED: the vineyards date back to the 1960s and 1970s and were explanted in the 2000s to rationalize the various tracts of land and make room for only native varieties that previously coexisted with varieties such as Merlot and Gamay.
Rive Colviere / Riu falcon
3,5 hectares 250 m asl - 350 m asl
This area’s vineyards are located at the opposite end of Monte della Guardia. A few kilometres separate the two areas but different microclimates and diversity in the soil bring different nuances to the wines.
SURFACE AREA: 3.5 hectares ALTITUDE: 300 m asl
ALTITUDE: 250 m asl – 350 m asl
EXPOSURE: southeastern
VINEYARDS: 3 different tracts of land
CULTIVATED GRAPE VARIETIES: Friulano, Picolit, Schioppettino, Verduzzo, Ribolla Gialla
YEAR PLANTED: the vineyards date back to the 1960s/1970s
Riu Falcon, which has belonged to our family since the 1960s, has recently been renovated by planting only native varieties which are able to adapt best to the climate and soil here: Schioppettino and Picolit and Friulano.
Another 2 hectares are for rent where the older plants are kept: there you will find Friulano, Schioppettino, Verduzzo and Ribolla Gialla (recently planted)
HOW DO WE WORK OUR VINEYARDS?
The farming practices we carry out are able to regenerate the land, stimulating plants and producing fruits with a strong bond with the territory.
The key points of our work:
– The vineyards are located in the most suitable positions. If wine is territory, great grapes must come from great territories. For us this is an essential starting point: it is useless to practice organic or biodynamic farming in vineyards located in unsuitable areas (because they are too humid, with the wrong soil, poor exposures). Starting from a suitable position, work in the vineyard functions well with few interventions: the plant regulates itself, treatments are less frequent and invasive, the fruit ripens even in the most difficult years.
– Almost all the vineyards are located near woods, a very important aspect for promoting biodiversity.
– The vineyards are derived from massal selections; we like to keep the old clones that were born and acclimatized in these lands.
– To revitalize the soil we use autumn green manure (red clover, for the most part) and under-vine movement to ventilate and consequently recreate conditions favourable to microbiological life.
– Our vine-growing system is the traditional “cappuccina”, very popular in this area for grape varieties such as Friulano and the vigorously growing Picolit, and guyot for Refosco and Schioppettino.
An agronomist assists us offering advice and technical explanations but it is the daily contact with the vineyards that gives us the measure of everything: we have learned over the years to understand the land, which ones are weeds and which ones are useful, a shift of clouds that forebodes rain.
A fundamental part of the work is knowing how to observe.
ORGANIC CERTIFICATION AND OUR VISION
In 2011 we embarked on the organic certification process, even if our vineyards have not been treated with synthetic products since 2005.
Being certified organic simply means adhering to a European viticulture and winemaking protocol which provides for or prohibits the use of certain products.
But we like to think that the organic farmer concentrates more on trying to cultivate a healthy vineyard that is able to withstand pests and feed itself naturally than on interventions which could damage it.
This means the farmer focuses on developing a terrain rich with humus and a balanced ecosystem within the vineyard.
A LOOK AT THE TERRITORY.
THE COLLI ORIENTALI DEL FRIULI DOC CLASSIFICATION
The Colli Orientali del Friuli extend along a hilly belt in the province of Udine; it is one of the 9 Protected Denomination areas in the Region and one of the few to be found in a hilly area.
Areas of D.O.C. wine production
1- Friuli Grave
2 – Lison Pramaggiore
3 – Friuli Latisana
4 – Friuali Annia
5 – Friuli Aquileia
6 – Isonzo del Friuli
7 – Colli Orientali del Friuli
8 – Collio
9 – Carso
These are elevated areas between 100 and 350 metres above sea level that are homogeneous as per their geological origin.
Up until 35 million years ago the Friulian territory was invaded by the sea and the coasts were almost against the present-day Julian Prealps; over the millennia, a slow sedimentation process took place on the bottom of this archaic lagoon giving rise to formations which, when the sea retreated, emerged from the waters.
The good pedoclimatic conditions (the Julian Alps which from behind protect the vines from the cold northern winds and the Adriatic Sea in front which guarantees beneficial and constant ventilation) have made it possible to cultivate native vines, born in and acclimatized to the Colli Orientali area or which have been cultivated here for a very long time (such as Friulano, Picolit, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Ribolla Gialla, Verduzzo Friulano, Schioppettino). However, there are infinite microclimates within the area: cooler and more humid in the north against the mountains, milder and drier in the south.