There, where our gaze follows the lines of hills and green terraces, oft-times lingering on verdant woods then sweeping across the plain to the far horizon and the glittering contour of the sea. There, where vines are gently caressed by a sweet breeze, protecting them from the old north wind. There, where acacia, chestnut and ancient oak grow, silent witnesses to ancient wine-making traditions matured slowly in technique and wisdom. There, where over the millennia clay marl and sandstone forged gentle hills whose soil is ideally suited, for its position and composition, to vine-growing.
Amidst the rolling hills of Friuli Colli Orientali DOC zone, famous for the prestigious Ramandolo and Picolit DOCG wines, these magical places are home to the La Roncaia vineyards, highly select hectares nurtured by the loving care of people who cherish precious jewels. Ordered rows ideally define boundless spaces where the air is filled with deep silence and our thoughts ramble free along the dusty tracks leading to the estate farmhouses.
These evocative lands exude the true Friulian spirit in natural landscapes and artistic wonders, indelible marks of a fascinating history.
From the little 15th-century church of Ramandolo, that “garden vineyard” that is the source of unparalleled wine excellence, the vista widens to embrace Nimis, with its Lombard parish church and the massive structure of its mediaeval castle; Attimis with its stone-built hamlets and 17th-century complex; Tarcento, the invisible hinge between the upper Valle del Torre, the Julian Pre-Alps piedmont and the plain. Unique landscapes filled with the same deep passion for wine which drives the Fantinel family – wine-makers through three genera- tions – in their pursuit of excellence through the distinction of full-bodied reds, the rare characteristics of elegant whites and the richness of sweet passitos.
