The Vineyards and Territory

The Colli Orientali del Friuli (Eastern hills of Friuli) is one of the historic wine regions of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. These hills are found in the North of Udine province, from the north of the city following the Slovenian border towards the Carnic Alps.

The area of the Colli Orientali around Cividale is amongst the coolest areas of this well-known terroir, and therefore ideal for the production of white wines. The villages around Cividale, Prepotto and Albana have similar characteristics and it is here that most of our vineyards are located. The soils are dominated by Eocenic Marl known locally as Ponca, a soil unique to the Friuli hills. Across the numerous vineyards we farm, there are areas with higher clay content, and some lighter, sandier soils.

The beauty of the Ponca is its capacity to support the high levels of rainfall typical in the region and still bring the grapes to full ripeness without ever losing the richness that is probably unique amongst Italian white wines.

The climate varies between the Mediterranean and continental influences, guaranteeing hot weather and sunshine, but also significant temperature differences between day and night, benefitting the grapes aromatics.

The vines our family manages are spread around Cividale and divided into often very small plots of different ages. In general they are trellised using the Guyot pruning system or the traditional double arched cane. Each plot is picked separately.