Italian Wineries

Cascina Morassino

Cascina Morassino is a small reality of authentic winegrowers with deep roots in the Langa territory. I had the pleasure to visit it and to meet Mauro and Roberto Bianco, who have been running it for generations, during an in–depth visit to the Langa Hills, starting from Barbaresco and the near Roero, last year, with a cheerful company of sommeliers on the pursuit of tastes and flavors.

Casa Vinicola Antonutti

It is 1921: grandfather Ignazio founded the winery.

The Antonutti family became part of the history of wine in Friuli.

Franco followed in his father’s Ignazio footsteps with foresight and a sense of the future: the horizons of the market of the company become more extensive, the production processes most modern and efficient, the quality of the wines recognized and rewarded.

To Franco, Adriana succeeded: in her, the same creative and visionary spirit of her father, and also the passion of winemaker who shares with her husband Lino and their children Caterina and Nicola: together they form a cohesive team that brought the Antonutti Wine House to be recognized as one of the most interesting and innovative companies in the Friulian winemaking.

Azienda Cantarutti Alfieri Soc. Agr. Semplice

The company is located in the eastern hills of Friuli, one of the valuable DOC of Friuli Venezia Giulia, in one of the most beautiful hilly areas that embrace the Abbey of Rosazzo. You are captivated by this landcape: many terraced vineyards, not far from the sea, that receive gentle breezes and filtered brightness.

The Cantarutti company was founded in the late 60s, just at the time when the viticulture and the oenology of Friuli began to talk about themselves. It was the foresight of Alfieri Cantarutti which convinced him to believe and invest in these now famous hills; thanks to the enthusiasm of that period and to the bond to traditions, the company now boasts 54 hectares, all planted with vines; those same feelings were transmitted to his daughter Antonella, who together with her husband Fabrizio runs the company; Antonella deals with determination and perseverance with the commercial and administrative tasks, while Fabrizio engages in production, harvesting and winemaking. In addition to careful and cautious varietal choices, very accurate works in the countryside are implemented, combined with sophisticated winemaking techniques that lead the company to the production of wines of particular value, appreciated on the national and international markets. The style is increasingly recognized and the personal strong mark, along with an enthusiast, knowledgeable and motivated staff, allows the company to grow and constantly improve.

Among the wines, in addition to the already known Pinot Gris, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, together with the native Ribolla Gialla, Tocai Friulano, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Schioppettino and Pignolo, you can find Pinot Noir, real pride and untouchable gem of the company, with which they obtain, in alternate vintages, stunning red grapes for red wine making or the sparkling wine making of two vintages: EPILOGO and PROLOGO. In 1999, while in the markets the presence of POEMA (a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) had already established, there was a first sign of change: Antonella launched in the national and international market her wine: CANTO, consisting of the union of Tocai Friulano, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon. Since June 2003, other two selections Grand Cru were produced: PINOT GRIS RONCO SAN MICHELE and MERLOT RONCO SAN MICHELE, flagships on the international scene. In 2006 it was the turn of THE SPIRIT OF GHOST. Not to forget, and to remember, one of the best white wines from Friuli: TOCAI FRIULANO.

The philosophy of producing more and more personal and extraordinary wines went on with the 2005 vintage, when the collaboration with an American company specialized in the use of refrigeration and its applications began: the result of this project, the TERRE DI ROSAZZO line of excellence, was presented to the market and to the press in the early spring of 2008.

The annual production is of about 130,000 bottles; the domestic market is maintained by a network of agents, while the international one (Canada, U.S., Japan, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Scotland, Switzerland), takes advantage of the collaboration of attentive and capable importers, which ensure a steady growth and an increasing and more and more prestigious presence.

Azienda Agricola Foffani

The estate has belonged since the 17th century to the family of Maria Teresa Calligaris, mother of Giovanni Foffani, now sole owner and manager of the winery, that has been producing wine since 1789.

The country house, in the square of the medieval village of Clauiano recognized as an example of pre Venetian architecture in Friuli, continues with the adjacent agricultural buildings and a park towards a vineyard in the countryside behind.

Giovanni Foffani, engineer, is now totally devoted to agriculture and takes all decisions directly in relation to the production. His wife Elizabeth, Woman of Wine, deals with Public Relations and welcoming. His sons Guglielmo and Lorenzo collaborate in the technical tasks and in communication.

In January 2008, his grandson Diego was born, who in the picture with his father Lorenzo and his mother Giulia is close to his first Christmas tree.

Georgio Gregorat and Katia Gardel cooperate in the management.

Azienda Agricola Valentino Butussi

In the 18 hectares of vineyards which, in Pra di Corte, mark the boundaries companys, the daily work is an effort, but at the same time a pleasure. Because making wine in a land with a high vocation to viticulture like Corno di Rosazzo is not everyone’s cup; but the beautiful result of a constant commitment, which from the vineyard, with the harvest, arrives at the winery. Without ever losing sight of the dictates handed down by the family tradition, first of all the harmony and the overall mood.

Casa Zuliani

Between the the areas of the Collio DOC and Isonzo del Friuli, Azienda Agricola Casa Zuliani is located in one of the historic wine regions of Italy, dedicated to the cultivation of the vine since pre–Roman times.

A renowned area, where benevolent natural features combine fortunate weather conditions. Fruit of the happy meeting is the generation of noble grapes, which are sublimated in the creation of fine wines.

Founded by Zuliano Zuliani in 1923 and, nowadays, run by the direct heirs, the company fully expresses the typicality of this generous land. Wines of high level, inexplicable in words ... unforgettable in tastings.

The accurate clonal selection, obtained in collaboration with the most important Friulian nurseries, and the detection of the best suited lands translate into an annual production of 100,000 bottles, absorbed mainly by the demand of the markets of Europe, North America and the Far East.

Since 2000, Casa Zuliani shows itself with a renewed image, willing to highlight the internationalization of the company next to the high quality standard of its products, both in organoleptic and of reliability terms.

Sturm

Azienda Agricola STURM is a family-owned winery producing high-quality wines using traditional methods. They are committed to sustainability and use only organic farming practices to cultivate their grapes. The winery has a deep respect for the land and the environment, which is reflected in their exceptional wines. They offer a range of different vintages, each with its unique character and style.

Dettori

Bastianich

The objective of the Bastianich winery is to absorb the history and culture of the area, creating unique wines that tell the place but, at the same time, demonstrate to stand out for their body, structure and balance. Vespa White and Vespa Red were baptized with those names for the constant presence of wasps, attracted by ripe grapes. These blends are made in an area known for its single–varietal grapes. The focus, in this way, shifts from the vine to the terroir, namely the set of environmental and anthropogenic factors. Il Calabrone presents a red blend made ​​with only the best vintages and partially dried, de–stemmed by hand grapes. It is put on the market five years after the harvest. Native varieties, such as Friulano (formerly known as Tocai Friulano), are not assembled with other varieties, to emphasize the uniqueness. The place of honor goes to Tocai Plus, a particularly complex wine made ​​with grapes from the late harvest and dried grapes, all from a single vineyard with vines of 60 years.

Agricola Punica

In 2002, Agricola Punica purchased a plot of land of 170 hectares divided into two estates: Barrua and Narcao, located in the south–west coast of Sardinia, in an area known as South Sulcis. The wine is called I.G.T. Isola dei Nuraghi, a name that refers to the ancient stone towers built by the Nuragic civilization, present on the island since the Neolithic period, until 238 BC, when Sardinia passed under the Roman Empire.



The vineyards are located in Barrua and Narcao and are characterized by 15 hectares of Carignano, planted in 1990 and 50 hectares of a new plantings of Carignano, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The soils are very deep and stony with an average amount of clay.



The south–western corner of Sardinia is the ideal environment for the production of great wines with red berries.

Winters are mild and summers are warm and dry. The great brightness, allows grapes to reach a level of maturity in which the polymerization of the tannins begins even before the harvest.



«Exactly the amount of light makes this region unique. The sun contributes to the excellent ripening of the grapes, especially the extraordinary influence of the sea regulates the extreme heat and stabilizes the climate» Giacomo Tachis explains.

Azienda Agricola Cà de Mocenigo

The Cà de Mocenigo Farm is located in Caneva just before the hills that form the watershed between the ancient homeland of Friuli and the joyful Marca Trevigiana, in the territory of the High Livenza.

The hills of Caneva are of alluvial origin and formed from a clay–moraine soil that allows low production of high–quality specifications.

In addition to the optimal composition of the soil, the vineyards of Caneva also enjoy a "unique microclimate" determined by the proximity of the forest of Cansiglio.

This forest, (the third largest in Italy) with its more than 1000 meters above sea level, protects from cold northern winds and creates a constant ventilation, with considerable fluctuations in temperature between day and night.

These factors, combined with the favorable exposure to the south, south–east of our vineyards, allow to obtain high–value grapes and wines of unmistakable aromas.

Argiolas

In the center of Serdiana, among the streets and houses made of stone and brick clay. It has the same colors, the same volumes around the courtyard that was created to bring the carts drawn by oxen. A work by architect Savin Couelle, who has carefully preserved ancient buildings and has integrated new ones, in a respectful and consistent project. Materials and new techniques are combined with the Sardinian tiles and the plaster rough. The equipment of today unfold in the spaces of traditional agriculture. In large rooms the wine cellar becomes a place of hospitality and culture, where to hold events, meetings, courses. Here, step by step, grapes are transformed into wine that then matures in wooden barrels. Here we welcome guests, we taste, we teach. We make wine, preserve tradition and keep it alive and vital.