Vineyard

GRAPES USED / wine produced from Schioppettino (“Ribolla Nera”) grapes, as befits an ancient indigenous Friuli vine, to preserve all its original and traditional characteristics.

POSITION / the hills of the Sottomonte Estate in the municipality of Buttrio (Udine), with their fantastic landscape, provide an ideal wine country for excellent wine making. The C. D.O (controlled denomination of origin) area is the Friuli Colli Orientali (Eastern Hills of Friuli). Exposure is south – southeast.

TERRAIN / hill and foothill area, soil composed of marl and sandstone with a predominantly clayey component.

TRAINING SYSTEM / Sylvotz and double bending canes (called cappuccina). Traditional training techniques in Friuli, optimised by our winery’s agronomists for quality production through reduced vine vigour and a lower number of buds.

PHYTOSANITARY CROP PROTECTION / low environmental impact focussing on traditional products with a short persistence, distributed according to the agroalimentary programme for crop protection of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.

Cellar

HARVESTING / manual harvesting by a qualified, suitably trained workforce from the first ten days in October with selection of the best grapes in the field and fast transfer to the cellar.

VINIFICATION METHOD / red wine fermentation with prolonged maceration of the must and skins in modern steel wine makers at a controlled temperature (26 °C) to encourage development od the typical characteristics of this wine. This is followed by pressing and completion of the alcoholic fermentation process.

MATURATION AND AGEING / first in a “sur lies” tank and in the bottle, stored horizontally in our sixteenth century underground estate cellar for about four weeks after bottling.

Wine

SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS / intense ruby red colour with purple hues. A fragrance with sensations reminiscent of walnut husks and small forest berries (wild blackberry, raspberry and blueberry). The wine appears to take its name from the thin and taut skin on this grape that, when ripe, “scoppietta” or “bursts” when eaten.

FOOD AND WINE PAIRINGS / an excellent wine to accompany regional cooking and game dishes (hare and wild boar). Ideal with red and cured meats: San Daniele ham and salamis that are still produced locally.

LONGEVITY / reaches maximum expression of the vine in the first two years and can easily exceed six years in the bottle.

SERVICE / serve at 18 °C to fully appreciate all of its sensory characteristics.