Friuli boasts a history of vine-growing and winemaking whose roots have origins in the remote past. Having arrived – probably from Turkey – vines were cultivated and appreciated also by the Celtic peoples who lived in these zones some 400 years before Christ. From 181 B.C. onwards it was the Romans who gave an impulse to viticulture, establishing one of their first colonies in the countryside around Aquileia.
Julius Caesar then founded Forum Julii (the Cividale of today), giving his legionaries the chance to transform themselves into peaceful settlers and cultivate these sunny slopes.
Over the years, one could witness this zone becoming one of the most famous for wine production in Friuli, and the heart of the Friuli Colli Orientali D.O.C..
Terroir
The terroir is made up of sediments of Eocene origin, which take the form of alternating layers of marls and sandstones; lower down the valley there are also alluvial limestone deposits.
The estate covers a total area of about thirty hectares, eighteen of which are planted with vines, subdivided between various zones: Godia, Madonna d’Aiuto, Dolegnano, Lucchitta, Gramogliano and Braida.
Harvest
The Valentino Butussi estate can boast a great many harvests and, apart from recent plantings, one can find vineyards that date back to the 1960s.
The Valentino Butussi estate can boast a great many harvests and, apart from recent plantings, one can find vineyards that date back to the 1960s.
Here, white grapes are cultivated, such as Friulano, Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Ribolla Gialla, Chardonnay, Verduzzo Friulano and Picolit, as well as red ones: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso and Pignolo.
The chosen training system is that of mono- or bi-lateral double-arched canes, which allows one to limit yields and improve the quality of the fruit: this system takes into account the particular characteristics of the grape varieties as well as local tradition.
Certified Organic Estate
The estate is certified organic. This choice stems from a project begun almost twenty years ago, from a small vineyard of three thousand square meters. Gradually it has been extended to all the vineyards, resulting in complete conversion to organic farming in 2008 and official certification, obtained in 2013.
In the winery, our stainless steel tanks are destined for the wines for drinking young, whereas for the special selections we prefer to use concrete tanks and large untoasted casks (of between three and sixty hectoliters), and for the white “reserve” wines we use the traditional 700-liter barrels of Friuli.
