Vineyard

GRAPES USED / wine produced from Verduzzo Friulano grapes (gold). This ancient indigenous vine has survived through times of great notoreity (18th century) in the European courts that enjoyed its unique characteristics: the balance of tannic and sweet elements, the softness, the high level of residual sugar, the roundness combined with a pleasant astringency, the fantastic golden colour and the perfect amalgamation of aromas and fragrances. Today, a functional return to traditional vinification practices and a critical reading of the biological phenomena involved has led to an adjustment of yesterday’s practices to meet current demands. The result of this is the Tore delle Signore wine; deeply rooted in the Friuli tradition but wisely adapted to today’s tastes and able to satisfy ever more demanding paletes.

POSITION / the hills of the Sottomonte Estate in the municipality in Buttrio (Udine), Friuli Colli Orientali (Eastern Hills of Friuli) D.O.C (controlled denomination of origin) area. Exposure is south – southeast.

TERRAIN / hills area, soil composed of marl and sandstone.

TRAINING SYSTEM / Guyot method, with a lower number of buds.

PHYTOSANITARY CROP PROTECTION / low environmental impact focussing on traditional products with a short persistence.

Cellar

HARVESTING AND VINIFICATION / manual grape harvesting that takes place from October to the first days of November and a must that reaches a natural sugar concentration. This follows raisining of the grapes on the vine to concentrate the sugars and aromas to more than 300g/litre. After a brief cold maceration, fermentation occurs spontaneously and continues at low temperatures until December.

MATURATION AND AGEING / in a tank, resting on the fine lees, kept at a low temperature to prevent fermentation from restarting. At the end of this period, the wine is bottled and refined further in a bottle laid horizontally in the underground estate cellar.

Wine

SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS / golden yellow colour that takes on amber undertones with ageing. Fine, varied bouquet rich in honey with sharp undertones of dried and candied fruit. The flavour is full and deliciously sweet. This wine achieves a balance of sweet and tannic sensations with an intense and persistent aftertaste.

FOOD AND WINE PAIRINGS / This is much more than a dessert wine. It is ideal with hors d’oeuvres such as foie gras, Gorgonzola cheese, seasoned Montasio cheese and shavings of Parmesan. This wine is the perfect accompaniment to dried fruit or biscuits to finish off a meal. It is also excellent on its own, served at a temperature of 10-12 °C.

LONGEVITY / this is a long lasting wine that is highly drinkable at every phase of its development: reaches maximum expression of the vine in the first three years and can easily exceed six years in the bottle (not incorrectly, this wine is known as “the reddest of white wines”).