Taste the red wines of Friuli, including noble grapes such as 100% Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon, and local grapes such as Refosco and Pignolo. Explore the entire selection of these remarkable Italian red wines.
This winery is located in Faedis, a town northeast of Udine at the base of the eastern hills of Friuli. It is a small, family business and the Refosco di Faedis vines (also known as Refosco Nostrano) are approximately 80 years old. This wine is fruity, but full bodied with a light acidity which belongs to the Refosco di Faedis, and can be sipped before dinner or to conclude a wonderful meal. This reserve version, with black label, is aged two years in oak casks, and six months in the bottle. We bring to you the reserve version to introduce this varietal in a special way.
Typology: Red Wine Production area: Rosazzo Grape variety: 100% Refosco Harvesting: by hand in 10 kilogram boxes. De-stemming and soft crushing Fermentation and refinery: RESERVE version, with black label, aged two years in oak casks, and six months in bottle. Alcohol content: 13.5% vol. Temperature for serving: best expressed when served at room temperature Tasting notes: Intense purplish red color, scent of violets, rose hips, and berries; it has a dry, full, warm taste, and a good texture. Ideal for medium to long-term aging. Serving Suggestions: It goes well with fatty meats, game, and traditional dishes from the Friuli region including cotechino sausage, pappardelle with duck sauce, wild boar, and lamb chops.
'Pignolo' means 'finicky' in Italian, as these grapes are particularly difficult to grow and vines are low-yielding, making it an especially exclusive varietal, which dates back to 1398. It originated in the vineyards of the Rosazzo Abbey, but low yield and sensitivity to disease made put it at a disadvantage with respect to more resistant varieties and it was pushed to the brink of extinction. Thanks to two priests, who found the last two remaining plants, new plants were created and this varietal was able to continue its journey. Pignolo needs dry soil with maximum sun exposure. The grapes are rich in tannins, offer high sugar concentration and excellent color. This wine is one of the great red wines from Italy and can be nobly aged for 20 years.
Typology: Red wine D.O.C. Production area: Rosazzo Grape variety: 100% Pignolo Soil composition: Marl, sandstone and clay Harvesting: by hand in 10 kilogram boxes followed by de-stemming and soft crushing Fermentation and refinery: 14 days of maceration in oak vats and fermentation with indigenous yeasts. 50% of the wine is aged in oak barrels of 500 liters, while the remaining 50% is aged in oak barrels of 225 liters. The period of aging is 36/38 months, bottling takes place in January. After bottling, without filtration, the wine is aged in the bottle for a year before its release. Alcohol content: 14% vol. Serving Temperature: 18°C Tasting notes: Deep ruby red color with purple shades. The aroma is expressed to its full potential, with notes of plum, violet, cherry, mulberry, cocoa, coffee, leather, vanilla and spices in a combination that translates seamlessly to the taste. The taste of fruit, tannins and balanced acidity makes the Pignolo a true, noble exemplar of red wines from Friuli. Serving Suggestions: Pairs excellently with main courses of wild game animals such as wild boar, deer, also great with beef and pork. Also pairs with cheese plates after dinner.
This wine is a blend of three grapes: Merlot, Cabernet, and Refosco (an ancient Italian varietal native only to Friuli). It is easy to drink and can be sipped as a pre-dinner “aperitivo” – the Refosco really gives this blend a distinct and wonderful flavor and body. A great way to introduce you to the Refosco variety, this wine can be enjoyed now, or aged for a few years. If you are looking for something new without venturing too far away from the classics, this wine is sure to win you over!
Typology: Red wine blend Production area: Dolegna del Collio Grape variety: 50% Merlot, 25% Refosco, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon Harvesting: By hand Fermentation and refinery: Once the grapes have been separated from the stems, the cool temperature maceration / fermentation phase is completed within around 20 days. The wine is left to settle after the pressing process, then it is racked into stainless steel tanks where it goes through the natural process of malo-lactic fermentation, which is the conversion of harsher Malic acid to a softer Lactic acid. The presence of Lactic acid promotes a subtle rounder wine that is pleasantly mellow and less abrasive to the palate. The wine is drawn off the lees and then aged for 12 months in small American oak barrels. Alcohol content: 13% vol. Temperature for serving: 23°C Tasting notes: Intense ruby red, the palate reveals a wealth of soft, fine-grained tannins; great breadth of flavor, mouth-filling weight and superb intensity. Serving Suggestions: A fine accompaniment for haute cuisine meat dishes, white and red meat roasts, poultry, and furred or feathered game. Recommended serving by 2019 (it won't be unopened that long in your cellar anyway!).
Pignolo means "finicky" in Italian and this wine is rare due to the difficulty in growing these finicky grapes. This wine is powerful, with a full body and a backbone loaded with well-ripened and quality tannins. An outstanding wine, this Pignolo stands up to any beautiful meal.
Typology: Red wine Production area: Colli Orientali del Friuli Grape variety: 100% Pignolo Harvesting: Manual harvest from early to mid-October. Fermentation and refinery: It ages 48 months in barriques, 24 months in large oak barrels followed by 24 months of bottle-aging. Alcohol Content: 15% vol. Tasting notes: Solid ruby red with purple shades. Deep and fruity nose gorgeously layered with plum jam, blueberry, and black cherry as well as floral hints of rosehip and violet. It has a delicate and balsamic note of eucalyptus and tobacco leaf. Serving Suggestions: Pair it with aged blue cheese or with ground game and game bird.
The market is finally ready for a 100% Cabernet Franc! The beauty of this grape is it takes on the characteristics of the territory it is grown in. While we may be accustomed to Cabernet Franc from California or France, the production coming out of North Eastern Italy creates a whole other experience. The herbaceous note that characterizes this red wine of great class fades with aging, becoming ethereal, with composite tonalities. The initial famous ruby color melts with time into silken aristocratic reflections. The bouquet maintains the herbaceous fragrance of the wooden barrel even in the bottle. The taste is generous, soft, and velvety.
Typology: Red Wine Production area: Carso Grape variety: 100% Cabernet Franc Fermentation and refinery: Ruby red with aristocratic almost silky reflexes. Alcohol content: 13.0% vol. Tasting notes: Ruby red with aristocratic almost silky reflexes. The bouquet maintains a certain herbaceous fragrance accentuated by the wooden permanence that gives a spicy note. On the palate, it is full, velvety, and spicy with long persistence. Serving Suggestions: Pairs perfectly with white roasted meat and wild game fowl.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the most structured and important wine of the Castelvecchio winery and comes from the last grapes harvested at the end of October.This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon captures the essence of Friuli and Castelvecchio's unique location between the Gulf of Trieste and the Julian Alps.
Typology: Red Wine Production area: Carso Grape variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Fermentation and refinery: First 4 months in stainless steal containers to complete the malolactic fermentation and to favor tartaric precipitation; 1 year in small barriques of 225/350/550 litres of Franch, Californian and Austria oaks; 1 year in 7,5, 15 e 25 Hl barrels of Slavonian, Franch and Austrian oaks; 4/6 months in bottles before being traded. Alcohol content: 13.0% vol. Tasting notes: Intense ruby red color with brown almost dark nuances, which improve the wine structure. On the nose this wine expresses vanilla, raspberry, mature fruits and spices flavors of strong intensity. On the palate, this wine is warm, velvety, soft and complex, with long persistence and great structure. Serving Suggestions: This cabernet sauvignon perfectly accompanies meats of every kind.
Terrano belongs to the family of Refosco d'Istria, a red native varietal from Friuli. Terrano is a typical grape of the Carso region, which has always produced this varietal with “wild” notes and a unique personality! This wine can be aged for 7-10 years when the bottle is kept properly.
Typology: Red Wine Production area: Carso Grape variety: 100% Terrano Fermentation and refinery: After 9 months in stainless steel containers (without malolactic fermentation), the wine remains other 3 months in bottles before its sale starts. Alcohol content: 12.0% vol. Tasting notes: Intense ruby red color when young, with violet undertones; by maturing, the color tones down. Wild scents of black-berry, bilberry, wild-cherry and plums. Rather acidic (from the presence of malic acid), exuberant and lively. Temperature for Serving: 16-18 °C Serving Suggestions: The limited tannins and the moderate alcohol content, even if with a steady acidity, make this Terrano appropriate for delicatessen and salted meat. When young, this wine is a perfect accompaniment to fish.
In a region famous for its whites (Friuli), Michele Moschioni has been daring enough for the past 40 years to only make reds. A pupil of the godfather of Amarone, Giuseppe Quintarelli, Moschioni's reds are legendary. This blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, and Tazzelenghe mixes the classic varietals with the native ones, giving you an easy introduction into the archives of Friuli's great native grapes.
Typology: Red wine blend Production area: D.O.C. Colli Orientali del Friuli Grape variety: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Refosco dal peduncolo rosso and Tazzelenghe. Harvesting: Manual harvest from mid to late September. Fermentation and refinery: It ages 12 months in barriques, 12 months in large oak barrels followed by 6 months of bottle-aging. Training System: Guyot Alcohol Content: 13.5% vol. Tasting notesA brilliant ruby red color with purple shades. Aroma: a striking aromatic profile with fruity scents of blueberry, mulberry, and crunchy plum. A delicate floral hint of rose is intermixed with smoky notes of coffee and leather. On the palate: Full-bodied, with a high tannic profile yet nicely melted in the whole texture. Serving Suggestions: A youthful wine with a remarkable freshness, it is best expressed when paired with grilled meat and medium-aged cheese.
Real, in the Friulian language means true; this wine is so called because 50% of the grapes are Tazzelenghe (meaning "tongue cutter" due to its fantastic acidity), a native varietal, rather difficult to tame, a bit like the land in which it is born. Since 1989, Michele Moschioni has devoted himself to the production of red wines in a territory famous and known in the world for the quality of its white wines; Michele does it because he wants to enhance these indigenous vines.
Typology: Red wine blend Production area: D.O.C. Colli Orientali del Friuli Grape variety: Tazzelenghe with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvesting: Manual harvest from early to mid-October. Fermentation and refinery: It ages 12 months in barriques, 48 months in large oak barrels followed by 12 months of bottle-ageing. Training System: Guyot Alcohol Content: 15% vol. Temperature for Serving: 16-18°C (61-64°F) Tasting notes: The aromatic profile is focused on ripe fruit. Strawberry, raspberry and blackberry jam along with floral scents of mountain cyclamen and red rose intermixed with a spicy note of cinnamon. On the palate there is plenty of high but sweet tannin hiding beneath the fruit. Very pleasant balsamic ending. Serving Suggestions: Pair with important pasta dishes and grilled red meat.
Looking for a fresh, elegant, and flavorful Merlot? This is the answer! Aging in stainless steel tanks gives a unique freshness to this international grape and Friuli - with its mineral-rich soil - gives this wine distinguished characteristics, defining it from other Merlots.
Typology: Red wine Production area: Colli Orientali del Friuli Grape variety: 100% Merlot Harvesting: Manual in September. Training System: Guyot Fermentation and refinery: De-stemming and crushing of the grapes, maceration with the must in cement tanks for several days with frequent pump-overs. After racking and pressing the skins, the must be placed in a tank where it awaits the end of the alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation. The wine is filtered and bottled during the following July, then a long period of bottle aging follows. Alcohol Content: 13.5% vol. Tasting notes: Ruby red in color. Aromatic hints of red fruit, full and fragrant. Flavorful, mineral-rich and dry with heavy tannins. Serving Suggestions: This wine goes well with a wide variety of meals: from pasta to pork meat and grilled beef to chicken, rabbit, and roast duck.
Schioppettino, also called "ribolla nera" has been around since the 13th century in Friuli. Saved from the brink of extinction, it came back to light in the 1970s. The Prepotto area of Friuli is the most famous area for this peppery red varietal, and this 2017 vintage was given a score of 91 by Vinous Antonio Galloni.
Typology: Red wine D.O.C. Production area: D.O.C. Friuli Venezia Giulia Grape variety: 100% Schioppettino Harvesting: By hand in October Fermentation and refinery: Barrique for 18 months followed by 8 months in bottles. Temperature for Serving: 18 °C Alcohol Percentage:13% Tasting notes: Peppery, elegant, and fruity, medium-bodied with smooth tannins and bright acidity, this is a graceful wine with lots of depth and concentration. Serving Suggestions: Beef, Lamb, Aged Cheeses
A different interpretation of the Pignolo grape, this wine is a perfect, harmonious, fruit forward interpretation of this tannic and full-bodied varietal. Making their US debut, Castello di Buttrio is the winery of Alessandra Felluga, daughter of Marco Felluga, and her three daughters.
Typology: Red wine Grape variety: 100% Pignolo Harvesting: By hand, harvest date is decided on the basis of phenolic and aromatic ripeness monitored by laboratory tests and grape tasting Fermentation and refinery: Carbonic maceration in stainless steel, aging in bottle. Temperature for Serving: 10-12 °C Tasting notes: Fresh and intense in the mouth. Brilliant color, ruby red. Hints of berries: raspberries, blueberries, black cherry, wild strawberries in harmony with the tannic structure. Serving Suggestions: Excellent as an aperitif, or in combination with fish dishes and fresh cheese.
