| The Forgotten Wines Of Friuli | | | | By: Ron Kapon | << back  Page 2 of 3 next >> |
My home for 5 nights was the restored 18th Century castle/hotel Castello di Spessa that was built on the remains if a 13th Century building (Spessa is derived from the Latin “spissu” meaning thick, referring to the woods originally encircling the area). It is situated on a hill in Capriva del Friuli, an hour plus from the Venice airport and a ½ hour from the Trieste airport. The castle is surrounded by a 18 hole golf course and clubhouse, a soon to open spa, the vineyards of the Castello & its wine cellar, with a production of about 15,000 cases of wine. Less than ¼ mile down the road is the La Tavernatta al Castello with 10 rooms and a restaurant. Rates average $150-$200, including breakfast. A few miles away is his other winery La Boatina, which produces La Boatina & I Roncati, both less expensive brands with 25,000 case production as well as having 5 rooms and a restaurant. They also distribute a locally produced Grappa. Loretto Pali, the owner, is in the children’s furniture business and has been coming to the US for over 30 years selling his wares. He purchased the Castello in 1981 and began restoring it using art, antiques and furniture from the 17th and 18th Centuries. There is a reception room, banquet rooms, a chapel, conference rooms and a small museum, with the capability to seat 150 for dinner. Giacomo Casanova was a guest here for three months in 1773 and Mr. Pali has named one of his red wines Casanova. There are now 9 rooms with 6 more being added this year. While constructing the wine cellar he found an underground bunker used by the Germans and the Americans during World War II that he has converted into a barrel storage room.
I also visited the Cantina Produttori Cormons, a cooperative located in Cormons, the capitol of the Collio wine district and home to the famous “Wine of Peace” or “Vino della Pace” made from the blend of almost 600 species of vines (I didn’t realize there were that many) from all five continents planted in the “World’s Vineyard”. Director Luigi Soini sends three bottles of each vintage to over 80 heads of state as a symbol of universal brotherhood. Rumor has it that only one world leader never acknowledged the gift and his dad was President. Since 1985 the labels have been produced by contemporary artists and include the writings of poets and authors. There is also a wine and food shop plus a trattoria on premise.
I had lunch at Zidarich Azienda Agricola located a few minutes from the Slovenian border. They are building a magnificent underground wine cellar hand carved from the side of a rock filled hill for their very small 1,500 case production winery. We had lunch at their Agriturismo, the Italian version of a local diner, with excellent food and very reasonable prices.
The Abbazia Di Rosazzo was founded around 1070 by Augustinian and Benedictine Monks from Austria. Now owned by the Archdiocese of Udine and leased since 1981 to the Vinai dell’Abbate they are set in a mild microclimate with the sea only 12 miles away. Its position at the top of a hill provides ventilation and sunlight especially important for their red wines.
Why don’t Americans know more about the wines of Friuli? Perhaps there are just too many other regions in Italy that they know and have read about. The food and wine is great; the prices very reasonable; Delta flies non-stop from JFK to Venice; the historical sites rival anywhere in Italy; the roads are good; there are very few Americans yet English is spoken everywhere; you can visit casinos less than ½ hour away in Slovenia; the sea is less than an hour’s drive.
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