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INTRODUCTION

Bordeaux wines are globally renowned, its famous châteaux producing remarkable reds, distinguished whites and luscious sweet wines. What may not immediately come to mind are bottles of bubbly, sparkling  white and rosé. Yet these light, wonderfully drinkable Crémants de Bordeaux are already playing a vital role in changing the image of France’s most famous wine region. Although the Crémant appellation is one of the youngest in Bordeaux (1990), the production of sparkling wines in the region is a century-old tradition.  For the curious wine tourist, tracking down different crémants opens the door not just to one region like Médoc or Graves, but lets you explore all vineyards that traverse the Bordelais, because today, everyone is making their own crémant, from a Grand Cru Classé 1855 to a smallholder cultivating a tiny vineyard. Today’s Crémant de Bordeaux offers not just quality and outstanding value for money, but a new spirit of democratisation. Bordeaux’s bubbly is made in the same age old traditional method made famous initially in Champagne, but  it can be enjoyed as aperitif or in a creative cocktail, and why not paired with oysters and fish freshly-caught in the bay of Arcachon, or even an elegant gastronomic rosé or zero dosage Brut served with a juicy entrecôte steak.

With Crémant the old rules of wine no longer need to apply, and to discover some of the diverse winemakers of this new-look Bordeaux, plan a trip around the following suggestions.

Lateyron

Just outside the vine clad hills surrounding Saint-Emilion, a visit to the tasting room of Château Tour Calon is the perfect introduction to the sparkling world of Crémant de Bordeaux. Some 700,000 bottles of bubbly are stored in a subterranean maze of cellars and tunnels, quarried out of the stone to build the grand mansions of Bordeaux, and stretching for some 2 kilometres till they come out at a secret entrance right in out vineyards. This is the home of the historic Lateyron family, who have been cultivating vines  since 1897.

They may own three châteaux producing high quality, predominantly organic reds, but their reputation rests firmly on their own flagship line of Lateyron Crémant, alongside the skill and expertise to transform the wine of other vignerons using the classic ‘méthode traditionelle ’. This is the work of the ‘élaborateur’, who ‘elaborates’ still wine into sparkling following the age-old process of double fermentation, storing on the lees, turning, disgorging and ageing. So while Lateyron produce 100,000 of their own crémants, they are also making another 500,000 for other winemakers.

Corinne Lateyron is the family winemaker and recounts how, ‘‘I studied oenology here in Bordeaux, then spent time first in Champagne specialising in sparkling then in California because it was the only place where the cellar master was a woman. Our family have always had a reputation for making crémants and even in the 1930’s,  Pomerol vignerons would turn up with a barrel and ask my grandfather to make it into a sparkling.’ While the label and style of the family’s own crémant is essentially traditional, concentrating on quality rather than following fashions, Corinne is considering launching an organic cuvée, and enthuses about her flagship Abel, a Brut Nature that is, ’an elegant blend of Sémillon grapes with a little Cabernet Franc, zero dosage of sugar, and frankly tastes like a great Burgundy or a Pessac-Léognan’.

Château Rioublanc 

When Edouard Carretero bought the romantic Château Rioublanc 58 years ago there was farmland and forest, but scarcely 3 hectares of vines. At 87, he still lives in the château, with a garden full of rose bushes, fruit trees and free-range chickens running around, while his son Philippe, along with grandson Pierre, manages what has become a formidable 55 hectare vineyard. And while they may not be located in one of the prestigious appellations, Château Rioublanc’s renown comes from being one of the pioneering Bordeaux domaines to convert to certified organic back in 2009. Although today, two thirds of the vineyard produces red wine, sparkling  crémant has always been made here, though as Paul explains, ‘it was initially in very small quantities, popular for Christmas and festivities with our loyal client base, essentially in the north of France, where my grandfather had historically established the base of nearly all our sales.’ But that is all changing today, as, ‘in the last two years, our sparkling wine production has almost tripled to over 30,000 bottles with increased interest coming from export markets. In fact, right now we can hardly keep up with orders from new markets in the UK, USA, Norway and Japan. 

What we are seeing is a clear demand for organic crémant, while the launch of our Brut Nature, which has a zero dosage of both sugar and sulphites, has also been a huge success.’ While the family follows the crémant tradition of hand-picked harvesting and selecting their own grape blends –  Sémillon and Colombard for the Brut Nature, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon for the fresh, fruity rosé –  like the great majority of Bordeaux vignerons, they then use an expert ‘prestataire’ for the ‘élaboration’ of their still wine into sparkling. This means entrusting their production to a specialist oenologue in Saint-Emilion, whose own cellar transforms, bottles and ages what becomes Château Rioublanc’s crémant.

Cave Louis Vallon 

This innovative and dynamic Cave Coopérative has played a major role in the development of crémant de Bordeaux ever since the creation of the official appellation in 1990. And today some 4 million bottles are produced in their dazzling state-of-the-art winery, a staggering 50% of all Bordeaux’s crémants. Although Louis Vallon produces red and white wines, its reputation rests as Bordeaux’s leading ‘producteur élaborateur’, controlling all elements and stages of their crémant production from the vineyard through to the winery.

The Cave is made up of 130 members, known as ‘coopérateurs’, cultivating 1,200 hectares of vines, essentially in the Entre-deux-Mers region, whose abundant plains and fertile soils are perfect for vines producing high volumes of grapes with high acidity and low concentration. What the Coopérative’s Président, Dominique Furlan, describes as ‘the perfect recipe for a crémant. In Bordeaux,’ he explains, ‘we can make use of our Merlot grape that other crémant producers do not grow, and this is perfect for rosé and blanc de noir, adding a unique fruitiness’.

This thoughtful, innovative vigneron is a typical ‘coopérateur’, the son of Italian immigrants who came here as agricultural labourers, slowly buying plots of vines until he now cultivates 12 hectares. He is convinced that, ‘in both France and overseas, we are seeing a huge demand for crémant, following the success of Prosecco. But traditional crémant regions, like Burgundy and Alsace, simply do not have the capacity to increase production. Well we in Bordeaux have that capacity and are ready to take their place.’ And visitors for a tasting at Louis Vallon are certainly spoilt for choice, with 6 cuvées to discover, as well as a brut and rosé Pet’Nat, the funky natural fermentation bubbly that is suddenly attracting a new younger consumer.

Château de Bonhoste 

Located in the bucolic countryside just outside the Entre-deux-Mers region, this rambling 19th century manor has been home to six generations of the tightly-knit Fournier family. Beginning in the 1980’s, Bernard and Colette transformed what was a rustic cattle farm cultivating cereals and a few vines into a modern 50 hectare winery, run today by their two children, Sylvaine and Yannick. Bernard began producing crémant straightaway in the 1990’s when the appellation was created ‘and at first it was an anecdotal, seasonal wine, something fun for our loyal customers,’ recalls Yannick. ‘But in the last 5 years production has really taken off and although we only make two cuvées, a brut and a rosé, this years production of 20,000 bottles is already 10% of the chateau’s total output, with increased demand not just here in France but overseas, especially after celebrity chef Gordon RamsAy asked us to create a special label crémant for the launch of his Brasserie ‘Le Bordeaux’.

Tasting their crémants is just the tip of the iceberg of the fun wine tourism activities proposed at the pioneering Château Bonhoste. The first step 30 years ago, when they opened a tasting room, was to put a sign on the busy road running past the winery, ensuring a steady stream of curious new customers. Then for 17 years the Fourniers have organised an annual Farmers Market, attracting 1,000 visitors to showcase both their wines and local specialities from farms and artisans. They charge no fee for camping vans to park outside the cellar, with free access to toilets and showers.

And in 2014, they commissioned a Bordeaux barrel maker to construct two enormous wooden casks that are used as a unique glamping bed & breakfast right in the heart of the vineyards.

Château des Tourtes

Ready and waiting for an idyllic wine tasting picnic in the vineyards, a row of retro-style electric bikes  line up outside the wine cellars of Château les Tourtes, one of many oenotourism initiatives thought up by the owners of this lively domaine; wine blending workshops, gourmet pairing classes, cellar tours. The Château of Doves winery run by two dynamic sisters, Marie-Pierre and Emmanuelle, who describe themselves as ’Artistes du Vin’. They certainly never stop having ideas on how to create and sell their wines, insisting that , ‘in Bordeaux we really need to bring back the fun, the smiles of making wine.’ The sisters abandoned different careers to return in 1997 to manage the family estate in the heart of Côtes de Blaye. ‘Our parents always made crémant,’ remembers Marie-Pierre, ‘though let’s not forget that we had the right to call it Méthode Champenoise at the time.’   She believes that crémant can  become a flagship for Bordeaux, because, ‘our sparkling wine is made across the whole Bordelais, from Médoc to Blaye, Graves to Saint-Emilion, and market studies show that the future of global wine markets is definitely bubbly! For sure everyone is surfing on the consumer wave created by Prosecco, but with premium-priced Champagne leaving the door open, it is the moment for Bordeaux to promote its quality, affordable sparkling wine.’ For the moment Château des Tourtes produces just two crémants, a brut and an intriguing 100% Malbec rosé, but the sisters are always coming up with new ideas, so with crémant demand increasing, they are always looking to develop new wines, ‘because winemakers here need promote Bordeaux, and show  wines that can be young and fun.’

Célène 

It is quite a surprise to learn that beneath the modern winery of Célène, there lies an 18th century cellar running over 3 kilometres where some 2 million bottles of crémant are stored. This winery is one of Bordeaux’s historic elaborators of  crémant, dating back to 1947. But it has been revolutionised by new owners who have thrust it into the vanguard of contemporary sparkling wine.

Working with oenologue, Frédéric Costella, it is the dynamic, 32 year-old Céline Lannoye, whose vision is driving Célène. Her family already own several prestigious châteaux, so why crémant? ‘When I first visited in 2015,  I found the whole process of transforming still wine into sparkling totally fascinating. But I also realised that crémant is seriously underestimated here. Yes Bordeaux has superb terroir for making great red wines, but that terroir can also make superb crémants. Today, I am totally convinced about the future of crémant, especially adding in the prestige of the name Bordeaux which counts enormously overseas. Then there is the possibility of producing different kinds of crémants; different blends, single grape, different dosage, ageing, the use of sulphites. That is what makes our work so exciting.’ Céline’s passion is in the blending of the original still wine, while admitting that, ‘it can be a frustrating process, as the wines you are deciding how to blend, will only  be tasted as a crémant three years later.  People often don’t realise just how long the process is.’ Her final word of advice is that, ‘the quality of the crémant depends absolutely on the quality of the ‘vin de base’, the original still wine. I cannot emphasise this more.’ So be prepared for a lengthy tasting of 10 different crémants, and Céline is always thinking up new cuvées. 

Château Haut-Garriga

Sitting under a shady tree of the lush garden in front of his cellar, Maxime Barreau enthusiastically starts popping open his range of bubbly crémants. Although he looks after the family’s 75 hectare vineyard pretty much on his own – with a little help from Papa – he is a relaxed, smiling vigneron, even if at just 32 years of age, he is the 6th generation, inheriting a 200 year old history of winemaking. ‘Like many wineries in Entre-deux-Mers, we were mixed farming until the 1960’s, though now it is just grapes along with 15 hectares of woodland. I could cut down the trees and plant more vines, but right now I’m happy to keep the forest to preserve our biodiversity, and I am even thinking of reducing the vineyard and planting something new. Not cereals like my forefathers but hops, as there is a big demand from craft breweries and it has the same spirit as a vineyard. He echoes the thoughts of many Bordeaux winemakers, saying that ‘crémant has changed from being an occasional seasonal product, into a small but significant part of our range. And I am certain the market will increase because it has become a viable alternative to Champagne.’ Maxime uses his favourite 80 year-old Sémillon vines for the brut cuvée, while the rosé is 100% Cabernet Franc, and he is planting Colombard to make a blend in 2-3 years time.

He is never short of new ideas, planning to convert to organic cultivation next year, experimenting with a Pet’Nat natural sparkling that literally explodes on opening, ‘a little unpredictable, so not yet ready to go on sale’, he says with a smile. And don’t leave without trying his funky Orange Wine cuvée, made from 40 day macerated Sémillon grapes, and currently selling out. 

Château Degas

Just outside the bustling town of Saint-Germain-du-Puch, surrounded by the vineyards of Graves-de-Vayres, this picturesque château may have no connection with the famous painter, Edgar Degas, but it is home to a vibrant matriarchal family of winemakers who are forging a very individual path in the world of Bordeaux wines.

Since 2018, two sisters, Eugénie and Diane, known locally as Les Filles Degas, The Degas Girls, manage the family’s sprawling 87 hectare vineyard spreading over 6 local châteaux. As far as crémant is concerned they are very much New Kids on the Block, making a single cuvée that was only launched in 2021. Eugénie is the winemaker, as bubbly as her crémant, and recounts how, ‘I was determined to make a sparkling wine and it was just a question of agreeing with my sister exactly what kind we both wanted, which is never easy. But it was a fun process; buying lots of crémants, sitting down for a mammoth blind tasting, and fortunately we both came out choosing a pure Sémillon and not a blend. And when we make a decision we stick with it.’ The sisters are certainly a breath of fresh air with their positive attitude, creating a hugely successful Bar à Vin in the gardens of Château Degas, with live concerts, wine and tapas. Their grandmother lives down the road in Château Moulin de la Souloire, where her sprawling gardens are a botanical marvel of exotic plants and flowers, lakes and green houses, and this has become the perfect venue for bigger promotional events like their annual Wine and Food festival. Not surprisingly, their first crémant vintage quickly sold out and now they want to add to their Sémillon vines to increase volume and launch both a blend and a rosé.

Where to eat

Le Bar à Vin

The name says it all, as the mythical Art Deco bar is the absolute place to discover Bordeaux wines, showcasing by the glass around 35 rotating producers from the 8,500 Bordeaux Châteaux  – from bubbly crémant to Sauternes to Pomerol. Accompanied by delicious plates of cheese, ham and saucisson.

Le Cloîtres des Cordeliers

The medieval village of Saint-Emilion is full of surprises but nothing prepares you for the romantic cloisters of this 13th century Franciscan convent,  perfect for a sunset aperitif of bubbly crémant produced in the ancient cellars down below, accompanied by a picnic basket or a tasty selection of local charcuterie.

Where to stay

Moxy Bordeaux

Latest hotspot to stay in downtown Bordeaux, the hip Moxy is fun and casual with modern functional rooms, lively bar in the evening.

What to do

Cité du Vin

One of the world’s ultimate wine experiences, where amateur or professional winelovers are taken on a virtual reality  journey  across the world’s different vineyards with digital holograms and 3-D movies, sensorial challenges and a real-life tasting on the panoramic rooftop bar.

Bordeaux river cruise

Take a lazy boat ride along either the Garonne or Gironde rivers, sipping a sunset glass of bubbly crémant on board or stopping at grand châteaux by the water’s edge for a cellar visit and tasting

INTRODUCTION

For a region that is personified the world over for its famous red wines, it can come as a surprise to discover that just over a century ago, up to 80% of the wine made in Bordeaux was actually white. While today that proportion may have dramatically fallen to 9%, travelling across the Bordelais, you discover almost everywhere a dynamic enthusiasm among vignerons to produce a new generation of quality dry white wines.

While the historic appellations of Graves and Pessac-Léognan may still lead the way, the domaines in Entre-deux-Mers are now producing some sensational vintages, while all over, from the grand châteaux of the Médoc to under-the-radar regions like Francs Côtes de Bordeaux and Cadillac, improved vineyard and cellar techniques are producing both outstanding blends of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, and innovative single grape, even single vineyard cuvées. Here are ten wineries to discover the latest trends in Bordeaux Blanc Sec.

Château Moulin de Launay

When it comes to white wines it is tempting to look no further than Ludovic Greffier, a passionate  fifth generation winemaker of an historic 200 year-old vineyard that produces exclusively white wines. Not what you would expect in Bordeaux.

‘It all began with my grandfather Claude,’ he relates. ‘In the 1920’s, Bordeaux vignerons were abandoning their staple white wines, pulling up vines to replant everything  with red grapes. Well Claude refused to sacrifice a single vine and my father continued the tradition.’ He is convinced ‘there is a renaissance right now in the demand for Bordeaux whites – a growing market among women and younger consumers, with increased potential for food pairing, such as white wines with cheese.’ The heart of his 56 hectare vineyard is within the boundaries of Entre-deux-Mers, and Ludovic’s signature wines take the appellation’s insistence on blending grapes to the extreme.

‘Many producers here limit themselves to blending Sémillon and Sauvignon, while I prefer to use all the five varieties that are available. Then I have a premium range of Entre-deux-Mers, called Le Cinq, and rather than ageing in wooden barrels, I use the system of hanging wooden staves in our stainless steel vats that gives a slightly silky, oak touch to the wine. Because I want my wine to be a pleasure to drink, something to be shared and that has quality but is reasonably priced to make wine lovers open another bottle.’ And while this is not an organic winery, its wines are certified Vegan.’Why?’ asks Ludo with a smile, ‘because I did not need to do anything special, and it opens up a new market for my wines, changing the image of the domaine as being more eco-aware.’

Château Sainte-Marie

The bustling village of La-Sauve-Majeure is marked by the dramatic, towering ruins of its medieval abbey, and centuries ago, the abbey’s monks used to live and make wine for Mass on the site of Château Sainte-Marie. Today it is a modern, dynamic Entre-deux-Mers winery. 

The current vigneron, Stephane Dupuch, is another of Bordeaux’s larger-than-life characters, a bon-vivant, bear of a man, who immediately puts visitors at ease, urging them to ’forget about our name, this is more of a farmhouse than a château, and this refined  tasting room is actually where the cows used to be milked.’ Stéphane’s family have an historic commitment to producing high quality Bordeaux Blanc Sec, with half of their 66 hectare estate planted with white grapes, some upto 100 years old. While remembering the words of his father, that ‘a great Entre-deux-Mers is perfect to leave in the cellar for ageing’, Stéphane is far more pragmatic in his approach. ‘Drinkability is the key word today, keeping alcohol down to 12-12.5 to ensure freshness and acidity, the perfect expression of our wines oceanic, slightly saline personality.’ Although he admits that his agricultural background was old-fashioned interventionist, ‘today, kick-starting eco-responsibility is vital and we are currently converting to Certified Organic, while trying to keep the estate polyculture by growing cereals, maybe breeding cattle again, to move away from years of damaging monoculture.’ So instead of planting more vines here, Stéphane’s passion for white wines will continue over in the Médoc, where he has purchased Château Peyrodon in the the smallest Cru Bourgeois, ‘perfect terroir for producing ‘un grand vin blanc’, blending Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris and Sémillon.’

Château Lestrille

Located in the picturesque village of Saint-Germain-du-Puch, the winemaking heart of Entre-deux-Mers, Château Lestrille has been in Estelle Roumage’s family for 120 years. She is a fifth generation vigneronne, who has seen many recent changes in how the estate functions. First her father, after he took over 40 years ago, stopped selling their production in bulk to Bordeaux merchants, and concentrated on bottling himself under their own Chateau Lestrille label, selling the wine principally in France. Since she joined him in 2001, Estelle initially concentrated on developing the export market, which today amounts over 50% of sales. Then in addition to their classic Entre-deux-Mers and a Bordeaux blanc sec, she oversaw the launch of a second line, La Petite Lestrille, created specifically for overseas restaurants and bars, sold in screw top, bag-in-box and even KeyKeg to sell wine on tap. Not what you would normally expect for a Bordeaux wine, but a great success nevertheless.

While her colourful village tasting room and boutique, right opposite the Château, is always filled for blending ateliers and food and wine pairings, she has launched Les Aperos du Chateau, early evening festivities that include not just Arcachon oysters accomanied by a chilled glass of  Entre-deux-Mers, but live music, and food trucks. 

Château Fontenille

‘On aime bien s’amuser ici – we like having fun here’ says ruddy-faced vigneron, Stéphane Defraine with a big grin, as he begins pulling the corks of half a dozen wines lined up in the cosy tasting room of his rustic château. His classic high quality whites, the lively, intense Entre-deux-Mers and Bordeaux Blanc Sec, are consistently highly-rated by international guides, regularly winning awards. But alongside this, be prepared to try his alternative, funky La Coucoute range; Je Suis Gris, an Entre-deux-Mers made solely with Sauvignon Gris, Contre-Pied, a zero sulphite natural fermentation bubbly, and the mysterious Rubis Cub, quite simply a ruby-coloured wine that somehow tastes like a white, using Merlot grapes picked well before maturity, then vinify as if making a dry white.’ If we want to talk to today’s modern consumer’ says Stephane as if it is the most obvious thing in the world, ‘then we have to go outside the outdated structures of the appellation and offer new surprises.’ And his own history is certainly not that of the typical Bordeaux vigneron he seems today. Stéphane describes himself proudly as a self-made man, ‘ I left my native Brussels when I was 18 and arrived in Saint-Emilion where I initially worked on a farm – driving tractors! I worked for different vineyards, studying part time, and eventually founded a  vineyard management company.

Then in 1989 I had the chance to buy this estate. I could not resist. We have traced back  the history of Château Fontenille to the 12th century, and have increased the vineyard from 15 to 56 hectares, at the same time, converting to organic.’ And today, he is helped by his daughter, Macha, who returned to the winery last year, ensuring a continuity for the Château.

Château Puyanché

Located in the under-the-radar Francs Côtes de Bordeaux appellation, to the east of Saint-Emilion, Jo and Bernadette Arbo’s Château Puyanché is actually a cosy vigneron’s cottage where the wine cellar was once the cow stall. And welcoming couple are equally down to earth, with tastings taking place around an ancient bar decorated with a black and white portrait of a French soldier, the great grandfather of Bernadette who founded the family vineyard before perishing in the First World War. She and her husband took over in 1988, cultivating 12 hectares whose grapes went straight to the local Cave Cooperative. Today, their different parcels stretch over 51 hectares, under Château Puyanché, renowned for its Bordeaux blanc sec, and Château Godard-Bellevue, producing high quality reds. And while 50% of red is still sold in bulk, Jo and Bernadette proudly stating that ‘all of our white wines are sold under the Château’s label. Francs is the smallest appellation in Bordeaux with just 45 producers in three neighbouring communes, so our wines have a strong single identity.’  Jo’s cellar is a traditional mix of barrels and stainless steel vats, and his only nod to experimentation are a series of plastic ovoids where he tries out new techniques. He is not above using wooden staves for oakiness for the Chinese market, or ovoids for a special cuvée for the Japanese, explaining that, ‘you always have to sell your wine as you can. There have been big changes for Bordeaux Blanc recently. Today everyone wants ‘fraîcheur’, freshness achieved by harvesting early for less mature grapes. We stand more against the tide, proud of our traditional personality, creating a gastronomic wine that has volume, is bold and generous.’

Château Guiraud

The stately Château Guiraud is one of the elite Premier Grand Cru Classé 1855, a stunning estate renowned for its luscious Sauternes. Down in the vaulted cellar of this grandiose 18th century château, Luc Planty proudly cradles a bottle of the original 1855 vintage taken from a stunning collection of precious dusty bottles. But today, Guiraud is about a lot more than Sauternes.

Only in his early thirties, Luc and his wife Clémentine, have built on the foundation of his pioneering father Xavier, to make this a model modern winery adapting to today’s consumer. A chapel has been converted into a gourmet restaurant, there is a unique conservatory of vine varieties and a stunning permaculture ‘garden of biodiversity’, planted with vegetables and flowers including 500 varieties of heritage tomatoes. And plans for the future include either B&B accommodation, or a boutique hotel. ‘Wine tourism is our shop window and we must take the chance to share our wine, our philosophy, our history, with as many visitors as possible,’ says Luc.’ But the Château is also pioneering when it comes to its wines. This was the first Grand Cru Classé to convert to organic, way back in 2001, and since the 1970’s it has been producing a high quality Blanc Sec. Luc points to an elegant bottle of their signature G cuveé, explaining that, ‘we have always produced just one single Blanc Sec, a premium quality barrel-aged blend of Sauvignon and Sémillon. We are even considering a one-off special vintage highlighting the ‘Grand Terroir de Sauternes’ by using only grapes that would normally be reserved for the Grand Cru Classé. I honestly believe there is the potential here to produce a great white wine that can rival even those of Burgundy.’

Maison Dourthe

The Dourthe family created their venerable ‘Maison’ in 1840, when the first Monsieur Dourthe began to distribute Bordeaux wines to his hotels and restaurants, the origins of the present-day negociant wine merchant. Today, present owners, Patrick Jestin and his son Valentin, have established one of the region’s most respected names as both merchants and  wine makers. The vineyard part of their business covers 500 hectares from 8 châteaux, and they are respected as one of the pioneer  developers of Bordeaux Blanc Sec since the launch of their flagship Dourthe N°1 Blanc over twenty years ago. ‘My father, Patrick, and the oenologue, Denis Dubourdieu, whom you can describe as Bordeaux’s Pope of white wine,’ recounts Valentin, ‘began a professional and personal friendship in the 1980’s that was devoted to producing the perfect Sauvignon Blanc.’

For Dourthe N°1, the Maison does not vinify, but buys wine in bulk from 10 different vignerons, mainly from Entre-deux-Mers, Côtes de Bourg and Blaye, who have never changed from the day the project began in 1988. That first vintage produced 200,000 bottles of 100% Sauvignon, the first time a negociant launched his own wine.

Today we produce 500,000 bottles, all aged here in our cellars.’ Following this success, Dourthe entered the premium white wine market, with a Graves from Château Rahoul and Château La Garde’s Pessac-Léognan. ‘Both châteaux produce very different wines,’ stresses Valentin. ‘La Garde is predominantly Sauvignon from chalky limestone, while Rahoul blends in over 50% of Sémillon grapes planted on sandier soil. With this perfect terroir and impeccable grapes, these are the wines we hope will provide a clear identity for consumers all over the world for Bordeaux blanc sec, just like the whites of Burgundy and New Zealand.’

Château La Louvière

Jacques Lurton says with a wry smile that, “you can say that white wine is in our family DNA. Beginning when my father, André Lurton, inherited Château Bonnet in the 1950’s and committed himself to building up the Entre-deux-Mers appellation, then establishing Pessac-Léognan’s own Appellation in 1987,  through to present times when I returned to manage our estates in 2019 after returning from advising New World wineries as a flying winemaker, bringing back with me the latest techniques and philosophies for making modern white wine.’

Jacques is holding court in the magnificent 18th century Château La Louvière, its majestic image reflected in a lake, lavish salons restored to perfection, and a modern tasting room where visitors can try wines from the family’s immense 600 hectares of vineyards divided among 7 different châteaux. He is clearly a winemaker committed to create innovative white wines. In the cellar he experiments with amphorae and glass vats, making a biodynamic Sauvignon from his small vineyard at Château Couhins-Lurton. In 2019 he launched the Diane range of single vineyard, single grape variety whites. Then there is a sulphite-free Cabernet Sauvignon and an Orange wine waiting to be bottled. ‘I want to prove to people that Bordeaux can surprise, can propose new wines,’ he declares, ‘rather than the classic image of dusty châteaux  and old-fashioned style.’ He also has strong opinions about organic cultivation, explaining that, ‘we are not certified because I want to go beyond organic. A bottle displaying the famous organic sticker does not mean you have done everything, and does not mean automatically it is a good wine. So we have our created own Eco-Project, which includes using recycled paper for labels, adding to biodiversity by planting orchards and  beehives, reducing the weight of wine bottles which has saved 450 tonnes of carbon footprint a year.’

Vieux Château Gaubert

In the distinguished Graves appellation, the heart of Bordeaux white wine,  the rural village of Portets is dominated by the magnificent 18th century Vieux Château Gaubert. But it was not always like that. When Dominique Haverlan realised his childhood dream of buying the property in 1987, the château had been abandoned for decades and was literally collapsing. He has spent the last 30 years restoring it to its former glory, recognised as part of France’s official Patrimoine National, and building up an ambitious wine business producing one million bottles a year. And at the same time as rebuilding the château he has single-handedly replanted the 25 hectare vineyard surrounding the property, fashioning a range of wines that reflect his own personality. So you may be seduced by  his less oaky, fresh and aromatic Blanc Sec or prefer a longer barrel ageing, that produces a more elegant and powerful wine.

Dominique was recently joined in the business by his son Romain, a qualified agricultural engineer and oenologue, who admits he ‘gained a lot of winemaking experience just growing up alongside my father here in the Chateau. Although 90% of our production may be red, I personally love to vinify whites, especially the subtle blend of grapes we use here; Sauvignon, Sauvignon Gris, Sémillon and Muscadelle. The only problem is finding the right market to sell them to. I think it will make a big difference when we can finally open up Vieux Château Gaubert to the public, to begin looking at the potential of wine tourism to increase awareness of our Blanc Sec.’

Château Clarke

The vines around Château Clarke have been continuously cultivated by monks since the Middle Ages until purchased by Irishman Toby Clarke in 1771. It returned to French hands in 1892 when the Château produced the Médoc’s first ever white wine, Le Merle Blanc, whose name and label has never changed. Today, this mythical Rive Gauche property is part of the Edmond de Rothschild Heritage portfolio, alongside premium vineyards in Chile, South Africa, Spain and New Zealand. The owners remain very attached to Château Clarke, visiting frequently, and resident oenologue, Fabrice Darmaillacq, emphases their commitment to Merle Blanc.

‘Look around at building works going on all over the château, where a new chai will be dedicated solely to Merle Blanc.  We believe totally in the future of Bordeaux Blanc Sec here in the Medoc, where there is the potential to rival the renowned châteaux of the Graves region. More and more Medoc chateau owners are moving towards a small but quality production of dry white, and our Merle Blanc is the precursor. There may be only 100 hectares of white wine under production in the Médoc today but what is important is the increasing quality. Our aim is to produce a wine that can be drunk young, but is also wonderful when it is allowed to age. The best of both worlds if you like. It can be an aperitif for modern consumers, while retaining its historic clientele of wine lovers willing to put their bottle away to quietly age. It is accessible from the day you buy it, but has the potential to age and increase in quality.

where to eat

Le Manège

This picturesque restaurant in the gardens of Château Léognan serves generous cuisine created by chef, Geoffrey Debrach complemented by their excellent range of wines.

Bar de la Marine

Bordeaux’s foodie superstar, chef Frédéric Coiffé, has brilliantly transformed this classic bistrot by opening up the lush back garden into an old-fashioned ‘guinguette’, serving huge sharing plates of cheeses and charcuterie, sizzling squid, steaks and veggies cooked a la plancha.

Château picnic

Spend the morning exploring the vineyards of the surrounding Pessac-Léognan appellation, then lay out a welcoming picnic provided by the the winemakers in the shady park of Château Bardins, accompanied naturally by a selection of their wines.

what to do

Sauve-Majeure Abbey

In the heart of the Entre-deux-Mers region, this ruined 11th century abbey is a masterpiece of Romanesque art, recognised as a Unesco World Heritage site on the pilgrim’s route to Saint James of Compostela.

Vineyard bike trip

Bordeaux is brilliant for spending the day cycling through the vineyards, with numerous dedicated bike tracks. But how to decide where to go? Gironde Tourisme offers a series of dedicated cyclo-itineraries with detailed routes, from the Médoc to Saint-Emilion to Sauternes.

where to stay

Les Sources de Caudalie

To totally spoil yourself, book a pampering stay adjoining the historic Château Haut Lafitte at their luxury vinotherapy spa, showcasing the renowned wellness treatments of Caudalie, with a 2 Michelin-starred gourmet restaurant.

INTRODUCTION

The Salice Salentino winemaking region lies in the heart of Puglia , fertile plains covered with vineyards, that flourish from both intense sunshine and cooling salty breezes from the turquoise waters of the Adriatic on one side, the Ionian Sea on the other. Local vignaioli here proudly tell visitors that the production of Italian wine has its roots right here, some three thousand years ago, from grapes brought by Phoenicians, when Puglia was part of Magna Grecia. And today, age-old traditions remain firmly imbedded with unique bush vines, statuesque Apulian alberelli, and a unique selection of native grapes.

Puglia boasts some 100 varieties of autochthonous grapes, the South of Italy an incredible 300 varieties, so for the enthusiastic winelover this becomes a wonderful journey of discovery, far removed from the well-know world of international varieties like Chardonnay and Cabernet. Here, pride of place goes to the distinctive, versatile Negroamaro, producing not just intense, elegant red wines, but a fruity rosé, a bubbly brut spumante.

And be prepared to also discover the lesser-known Susamaniello, Malvasia Nera, Aleatico and the rare Bianco d’Alessano. The official Salice Salentino denomination has existed now for almost 50 years, during which winemaking here has experienced a total revolution, no longer concentrating on producing bulk wine, historically used to fortify the lighter wines of the rest of Italy, but using advanced technology in the cellar and sustainable cultivation in the vineyard, to produce high quality, award-winning vintages. There are some 45 producers in the Salice Salentino, ranging from independent viticoltori to historic Cantine Sociali, representing hundreds of smallholders, but wherever you stop off for a tasting there is a warm welcome waiting from these generous, hospitable people. Traditional Pugliese cuisine means each meal is a foodie feast, while the countryside is dotted with beautifully-renovated masserie, country mansions perfect to base yourself during a wine tasting tour. Here are a dozen wineries to track down.

Masseria Li Veli

There are few traditional masserie – Puglia’s striking fortified farm estates –  that marks the landscape as Li Veli, surrounded by vineyards as far as the eye can see. This majestic mansion dates back to the 1600’s, while wine has been made in the cellars since 1895. It has been splendidly renovated by the Falvo family, who  arrived in Puglia 20 years ago having created one of Tuscany’s most  respected estates,  Avignonesi, in Montepulciano. The ruined masseria’s vineyard had been abandoned for over 50 years, so the family completely replanted all 47 hectares, renovated the structure of the masseria with a modern state-of-the-art cellar, and today, the property is  overseen by oenologue Alfredo Falvo and his brother Eduardo, both now firmly based in Puglia.

Alfredo enthusiastically declares that, ‘this is a fascinating region for a winemaker. The soil is sandy, fertile limestone, fresh winds from the Adriatic dry the grapes, and the flat plains absorb humidity which is perfect for wines with high acidity, elegance and easy to drink. Our family bought this property for the potential to make great wines with native grapes.

We immediately distanced ourselves from the local tradition of blends to make single variety wines – Negroamaro, Susamaniello, Malvasia Nera, Primitivo and the wonderful white grapes of Verdeca and Fiano.’ The wines of this family have always been marked by innovation, and in Salice Salentino they have planted a significant number of Negroamaro bush vines in the antiquated Octaganol shape, dating back to Roman times. In the cellar, they have changed the family philosophy away from small oak barrels towards much larger casks, and are testing a series of nine amphorae that have just arrived from their native Tuscany. ‘Our immediate aim,’ says Alfredo, ‘is to reach out to a global market that is not yet aware that Puglia is capable of producing high quality wines’.

Cantele

The Cantele winery stands out in the Salice Salentino countryside, an almost futuristic interpretation of a Pugliese masseria.

And  Gianni Cantele’s winemaking philosophy also stands out from his neighbours as he proudly pours  a selection of his outstanding wines in their minimalist tasting salon. ‘I genuinely believe that Negroamaro is the future of this region’ he states forthrightly. ‘But lets be clear, I am firmly against the new trend for sweeter red wines aimed at what you can call The Candy Generation. At the moment our Negroamaro vineyards are clearly in the shadow of the now popular Primitivo. But rather than copy Primitivo and produce something similar, we should highlight the unique personality of Negroamaro, to bring it to life again. We are not under any pretensions though, as it is not an easy grape’. This is a family with very different roots from other local viticoltore, originally from the north of Italy, who ended up settling in Lecce in 1950, a rare example of immigration in the opposite direction of the classic south to north.

Gianni Cantele is the third generation, beginning with his grandfather, originally from the Veneto, who made his mark buying bulk wine in Puglia to transport north to fortify weaker local wines. Then his father began by bottling for other estates before buying his own vineyard in 2000, and today, Gianni produces wines from their original 50 hectares as well as grapes bought in from an additional 150 hectares. ‘I am also enthusiastic about single grape wines showcasing the potential of our other native grapes – Susumanielo and Malvasia Bianca. And for the region’s signature Salice Salentino cuvée, we are committed to the traditional blend using the autochthonous Malvasia Nera with Negroamaro, rather than the recently-allowed French varieties like Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet, which I believe are not really suited for our soil and climate.’ 

Conti Zecca

Sitting down for an inspired tasting with Clemente Zecca, it quickly becomes apparent that this historic tenuta is embarking on a dynamic new path. One of the few noble families to both survive and prosper since the 16th century, Clemente’s father and three uncles oversee an immense 320 hectare winemaking estate. Clemente will be the next Conte Zecca, and after just 3 years working here, he has clear ideas for the future. Opening a bottle of their signature  Nero, he explains that, ‘we have two very distinct flagship lines; our long established Vini d’Enologo, showcasing the techniques of modern winemaking, and the new generation Vini di Vignaioli, the incarnation our terroir. The intense, barrel-aged Nero personifies the Vini d’Enologo, blended from 70% Negroamaro and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, an international grape the family have cultivated for more than 30 years. A Super Puglia wine developed with the same spirit as Super Tuscans,  perfect for a certain moment in history.

Today, though, perceptions have moved on, with more emphasis on autochthonous grapes, specific soils and exposition, to create more contemporary wines, such as Liranu, from our Vignaiolo range. So this supple, elegant 90% Negroamaro, aged in vetrified cement tanks, comes solely from a 5 hectare single vineyard plot.And it does not need to be aged for a long time. I honestly believe these wines merit the prestigious French term Cru, because  our entire estate has been mapped out, soil tested, to identify the characteristics of every single vineyard,  every plot.’

Changes are also going on in the cellar, where alongside classic oak barrels, a cluster of terracotta amphorae sprout up like mushrooms. ‘We are experimenting with zero sulphite, while the amphorae are for an Orange wine made from Malvasia Bianca, as we are always looking to promote our unique native grapes’.

Leone de Castris

Driving through Salice Salentino, the town is dominated by the enormous Leone De Castris cantina. With its ancient 17th century tower and old-fashioned offices filled more with files and paintings than modern computers,  you feel in a time warp until you discover at the back a splendid Museo del Vino, wine resort and restaurant, as well as an immense modern winery where 2,5 million bottles are produced from the family’s 300 hectare vineyard.

This noble family have been making wine here since 1645, and the present patriarch, Piernicola, declares that, ‘we can say that today’s famed Salice Salentino wine was born right here, long before bureaucratic terms like DOC, DOP or IGP. It was my Nonno, who created the unique blend of 95% Negroamaro with Malvasia Nera inspired by grapes harvested in 1954. It was only sold by us, right up to 1970, when the official DOC denomination was born and other cantinas began  making their own vintages. For me, there is a clear parallel with the story of Franco Biondi Santi, creating the legendary Brunello di Montalcino.’ And Piernicola  believes that Negroamaro is still not used to its full potential by many contemporary winemakers, stressing its unique versatility as a red, rosé or spumante. De Castris have certainly made an historic contribution with their Five Roses rosé, made from Negroamaro and sold the world over. 

‘This was another idea of Nonno, named after his five children, and created in 1943 when the Second World War was still raging in Italy. He created this very special rosé wine and wanted to bottle it, but there was simply no glass available. So the American forces stationed nearby in Brindisi, who loved the wine, sent their empty beer bottles – and there were a  lot – which he cleaned, recycled and added a metal cap. Italy’s first bottled rosé. 70 years later it is still one of our most popular wines.’

Apollonio Vini

This 150 year-old winery spreads across the Negroamaro lands of Salice Salentino to the Primitivo vineyards of neighbouring Copertino.

Their award-winning wines have  an international reputation for excellence, and one of the main reasons becomes clear the moment you enter their ageing cellar, a soaring cathedral of wooden barrels. The family oenologue, Massimiliano Apollonio, could be described as Puglia’s Wood King, explaining that, ‘wood is fundamental for me for the ageing of our wines. Not just for the ‘profumo’ but for colour and stability.’ He experiments with different woods for different cuvées – French, American, Slavic, Hungarian and Austrian – even visiting the coopers to choose the trees for his barrels.

Massimiliano is totally committed to Puglia’s native grapes from traditional alberello vines, exclaiming that, ‘these majestic bush vines have been here for 3,000 years, brought by the Greeks when Puglia was part of Magna Grecia, and frankly they merit recognition by Unesco World Heritage.The alberello is a vine that lets nature do its own work. Yes, it is free standing, undisciplined, so cultivation demands expensive manual labour in return for small yields. So it seems uneconomic. But that is ultimately not true. While the modern trained vine probably lasts 25-30 years, the alberello lasts 100 years. It also allows nature to do its own work to protect the grape, so there are naturally smaller numbers of grape bunches, while thick leaves growing above the grapes provide a natural canopy, protecting from the sun meaning slower maturation, and much less stress for the grape, so ultimately much higher quality.’ And this passionate winemaker has a dream, ‘to produce a 100% sustainable wine that will be immortal, able to age forever. It will be a rosé made from Negroamaro, hand picked from alberello vines, bottled in recycled glass, cork made from sugar cane, ageing in the sea in a nearby marine park, with absolutely zero carbon footprint’.

Cantine Cosimo Taurino

This historic tenuta bears the name of a winemaker who almost singlehandedly put Salice Salentino’s Negroamaro on the world wine map.

Today the 100 hectare estate is run by his daughter Rosanna and her husband Antonio, who have faithfully continued the work and philosophy of her late father, the legendary Cosimo Taurino. This family have been making wine for 7 generations,  but most of it was traditionally transported in bulk to northern Italy. Then in 1970, Cosimo started bottling his own wine, dedicating his life to Negroamaro.

His two key cuvées were Notaperano, created in 1970, then Patriglione in 1975, both before the creation of the Salice Salentino DOC in 1976. Sitting in their rustic tasting room, Antonio explains that, ‘fifty years later, these two wines remain the flagship of our estate, where part of the grapes are dried on the vine, a ‘passimento’, and late harvested at the end of October, raising alcohol levels to over 15° without affecting the elegance that is so characteristic of Negroamaro.

The hand-picked grapes come almost exclusively from 70-80 year-old bush vines, and we have continued Cosimo’s philosophy to never launch our wines early, preferring to age them in our cellars for some 10 years. Right now we are selling the 2011 vintage of our Salice Salentino, which you can see was only bottled this year in 2021.’ Antonio also holds strong views about the present trend towards certified organic winemaking. ‘We are not organic and frankly I don’t believe in it. But look at our grapes coming in from the harvest. They could not be healthier. We select our bunches, discarding many, and no pesticides are used as we plough and hoe the soil to protect the vine. I call them natural wines, which is not exactly politically correct as we most certainly added a limited amount of sulphites. People need to understand that wine without sulphites quite simply does not exist. It is vinegar.’

Castello Monaci

It would be an understatement to describe this majestic medieval fortress, its lush gardens and grandiose ballroom as a landmark or a monument. Glamorous wedding-organisers the world over may know it as one of Italy’s most spectacular venues for nuptials, but  for local residents of the Salice Salentino, the 600 year-old Castle of the Monks is an ultimate symbol of the long history of winemaking and olive oil production in this part of Puglia. Taking its name from religious orders who once worshiped here, the Castello was home to French and Italian nobility until the present owners, the Provenzano family, arrived at the end of the 19th century. A single vineyard stretching across 150 hectares surrounds the castle, resembling a perfectly-manicured landscape garden, the vines neatly planted in the ordered Guyot system, favoured in France,  barely a traditional Apulian alberello in sight, with just smattering of plots of these ancient vines reserved for the premium Salice Salentino Riserva vintages.

While the original cellars have now been converted into a wine museum, an adjacent masseria is dedicated to modern winemaking, with not just 1,000 French oak barrels, but 4 state-of-the-art cement ovoids, ready for new experimental vintages. While the noble Provenzano family still live in the Castello and own the vineyards, they are in a partnership with Italy’s largest winery, Gruppo Italiano Vini, who run 15 famous cantinas across the whole country.

And here at Castello Monaci, their oenologue, Leonardo Sergio, has devoted the last twenty years to creating a range of authentic, quality Salice Salentino wines. 

Cantine Due Palme

Due Palme is a Cantina Sociale with a difference. Despite the name Two Palms,  it actually incorporates 6 different cooperatives, representing 1,000 members who cultivate 2,500 hectares, producing some 20 million bottles a year.  Their immense winery, a small city of soaring steel vats employing some 250 people, dominates the town of Cellino San Marco. Moreover, Due Palme was created by and is still overseen today, by a single man, the visionary, larger-than-life winemaker, Angelo Maci. President since the first day the cantina was born in 1989, re-elected at the end of each term, and at 78 years of age, he will almost certainly be succeeded by his daughter Melissa, while one of the latest oenologues is Angelo’s grandson.  This continuity is in stark contrast to many Cantine Sociali, where Presidents come and go, rarely with long term ambitions. Due Palme, however, has created a global reputation for its quality wines, with 60% of production exported, its premium vintages winning awards, including Italy’s sacred Holy Grail of the Gambero Rosso Guide’s Tre Bicchiere, while Signor Maci is always setting new goals,like bottling their entire production and give more emphasis to ecology by using recycled paper for their cartons and labels, limiting the use of plastic, reducing carbon emissions.

And several of their wines genuinely surprise, like Mille e Trenta, a crisp, elegant sparkling Negroamaro,  or the intense, wonderfully spicy Selvarorossa Terra, a 2011 Salice Salentino Riserva.

Cantina Vecchia Torre

This respected cooperative was founded in 1959, based today in a sprawling modern winery at the edge of Levarano. From its original 44 founding members, there are now 1100, and this is one of the rare Cantine Sociali with a long waiting list for new viticotori  to join. Why? Quite simply because financially, Vecchia Torre is a success story, meaning members know they will be well paid after carefully cultivating their vines and delivering the harvest, all closely  monitored by the team of agronomists and cellar masters under Ennio Cagnazzo, principal oenologue here for over 30 years. He, of course, is a socio too, and there is an unmistakable feeling that this is like one big family, with everyone working in the shop and cellar either soci or children of soci. Take a tour of the cantina and you enter a time tunnel, where the original underground cement cisterns have been converted into  barrel-ageing cellars and wine tasting salons.

Up above, the second -generation cement cisterns are carefully-preserved, each one gradually upgraded from raw concrete to the more modern epoxy coating. And a state-of-the art bottling plant has just been inaugurated. Like every cantina sociale, there is something for everyone here, from wine pumped directly into takeaway demijohns to bag-in-box, from an innovative single grape range to the traditional, potent, concentrated Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera blend of Salice Salentino Riserva. Prices are always competitive, quality assured. 

Cantine Paololeo

The bustling winemaker town of San Donaci is lined with cantine, enoteche, an historic Cantina Sociale, and the unprepossessing Paolo Leo Wine Shop. By the entrance, small steel vats are filled with wine and olive oil to be pumped into takeaway containers. At the back there is a tasting room, but also a sophisticated kitchen to prepare wine and food pairing sessions. The estate is run by Paolo Leo himself, a fifth generation viticoltore, and his bubbly wife, Roberta. They own a discrete 50 hectares of vines, but this is no quaint Mom&Pop business. Paolo Leo’s range run to an astonishing 48 labels, producing some 3.5 million bottles, with a large amount of grapes bought in from a small, complicit group of vignaioli. While the family winery dates back to the 1800’s, today’s ultra-modern winery was officially founded in 1989, bottling their wines as recently to 2000. Although the cantina is not certified organic, their cultivation is sustainable, complemented by a host of eco projects;  recycled paper for labels, alternatives to natural cork, lightening the weight of bottles and recycling glass afterwards into deco objects. Paolo and Roberta are committed to wine tourism, to the extent of buying a romantic but ruined Masseria just out of town, a future wine resort. But for the moment, their most original idea is the Adopt an Alborello programme.

‘This is to preserve the alberello which is crucial to the wine culture here in Salice Salentino, ‘explains Roberta. ‘So we have set aside 1500 plants that can never be abandoned or dug up. This way, passionate winelovers  own a numbered Apulian bush wine, a tradition of cultivation stretching back three thousand years. This type of vine faithfully reflects our soil, climate and native grapes. A whole concept of winemaking.’

Cantina San Donaci

A visit to this historic 1933 Cantina Sociale is like stepping back in time, with friendly ladies busily filling bottles with wine, a bright red retro three-wheel camionetta on display, and shelves lined with an impressive display of the latest vintages produced from the grapes of the 300 Soci, the cantina’s historic members.

San Donaci’s Cantina Sociale has long played a crucial role in the daily life and economic survival of Salice Salentino’s rural world, beginning when smallholder farmers grew grapes alongside cultivating olives, planting cereals and rising livestock. No one had the money to invest to make their own wine, so the Cantina Sociale came into being, a cooperative owned by the vignaioli, providing a regular income by buying grapes, and producing wine in both bulk and bottles. Today, ambitious winemakers make and bottle their own wines, many Cantine Sociali have fallen into bankruptcy, but under the dynamic direction of their President, Marco Pagano,  San Donaci has moved with the times, transforming itself into a niche boutique cantina, cultivating just 300 hectares of micro plot vineyards, many traditional bush vines of native grapes, aiming to produce quality wines, rather than a huge industrial winery. 

Underneath the boutique and modern winery lie the original 1930’s cement cisterns, transformed today into a mysterious maze of tiny barrel-ageing rooms, where the current oenologue, Andrea Scarafile, admits to finding as much inspiration for his winemaking as modern techniques.  

Vinicola Al Bano

Celebrity vineyards may range from those of Brad Pitt and Madonna to Antonio Banderas and Sting, but in reality, few of these megastars are really involved in the winemaking. That is not the case though for Salice Salentino’s very own celebrity vineyard, founded back the late 1960’s, way before it was fashionable, by local hero, Al Bano Carrisi, one of Italy’s most famous crooners, whose fame stretches to America, Russia and China, where fans also love his wines. Born right here in the village of Cerrino San Marco, where he still has his family villa, Al Bano, as everyone calls him, is a proud defender of Puglia and its wines, recounting how, ‘when I found success as an entertainer and started travelling the world, it was clear that my family missed me in our home village, so I made a promise to my father to stay faithful to my Pugliese roots. I started buying vineyards, and in 1972 we inaugurated the cantina.’ Today that small cantina is totally modernised and enlarged, producing 2 million bottles a year from an 100 hectare vineyard that encircles the property. Apart from a wine shop for tastings and a restaurant specialising in local cuisine, there is a sprawling village holiday resort, swimming pools, spa and an attraction park for kids.

The perfect combination of wine, food and warm Pugliese hospitality, that the maestro promises in his most famous song, Felicità, also the name of his signature Chardonnay.

Where to eat

Malcandrino

A romantic restaurant located in an ancient quarry and wine cellar, whose chef creates innovative dishes with Puglia’s wonderful local ingredients, from fig and almond risotto to spaghetti with plump prawns and savoury bottarga. 

Palazzo BN

Housed in the majestic marble offices of the former Banco di Napoli, this is a top fine dining address in Lecce. Choose between contemporary inventions and wonderful Puglia specials like grilled turcinieddhri, lamb offal, or bombette, minced beef wrapped in bacon and stuffed with melted cheese.

L’Orecchietta

Hang out with local vignaioli at this favourite lunch spot in the winemaking village of Guagnano, a canteen deli serving heart rural dishes like handmade orecchiette with broccoli and deep-fried pettole, dough balls with a rich tomato sauce.

What to do

Porto Cesareo Marine Park

While it is tempting to just relax on Porto Cesareo’s golden sandy beach and the turquoise Ionian Sea, take a boat excursion to hidden islets, sea caves and ancient underwater Graeco-Roman ruins of the pristine Marine Park accessible to the public.

Lecce

Lecce is Italy’s baroque jewel, a romantic labyrinth of ornate mansions and frescoed churches, grandiose cathedrals and castles, bustling markets and quirky museums.   

Where to stay

Masseria Ogliarolo

Perfect place to relax after a day wine tasting, this traditional masseria has comfortable rooms, olive and fruit groves, a lively trattoria and fabulous pool.

INTRODUCTION

The world of wine is dramatically changing today, with Europe’s cool climate countries establishing themselves as a new generation of serious wine tourism destinations. And Flanders is firmly in the vanguard of this movement, offering travellers, along with enthusiastic locals, the chance to visit dynamic wineries and their cellars, to sit out at picturesque vineyards, tasting surprising, high quality wines and at the same time sampling delicious local cuisine made from seasonal and often organic ingredients. 

Belgium remains one of the world’s smallest wine producing nations, and around half the vineyards are scattered across Flanders. It can be a surprise to learn that wine has been made here since medieval times, disappearing for centuries due to colder climes and the arrival of beer brewing.

But the new generation of wineries today are succeeding in making impressive vintages due to global warming, technical advances in the  cellar, and an open attitude to not just grow well-known grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but to experiment with disease-resistant hybrid clones with unusual names like Solaris and Rondo. Two parts of Flanders are perfect for following a wine trail, and here is a top selection to visit from the rural countryside of Heuvelland in West Flanders across to the lush, fertile fields of Limburg, along the border with the Netherlands. 

Domaine d’Hellekapelle

In the midst of Heuvelland’s rolling hills, this innovative winery is divided into two very different locations. The tiny ‘Devil’s Chapel’ that gives the estate its name, is on the grounds of a sprawling 19th century redbrick farm, a wine tourism B&B resort, with an idyllic natural pond for swimming and sunbathing at the back, adjoining the first vineyard plot that owners Michel and Carine planted in 2009. After running their own garage and petrol station, they came here to start a new life as winemakers but with absolutely no experience. Yet today, they are inaugurating a dazzling new cellar just down the road from the farm, with a designer rooftop bar whose  terrace looks out over the family vineyards. Despite never using a wine consultant, Michel has always known what kind of wines he wanted to make.

‘Sometimes I wonder if I was a vigneron in an earlier life,’ he muses. ‘Even working in the garage, I always loved the grapes and wines of Burgundy, so it was natural for me to plant them here even though it was a bit of an experiment. But as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are also the key grapes to make Champagne, I know each year that I can always make a sparkling cuvée too.’ With 2 hectares planted and production at 10,000 bottles year, Michel  manages to produce almost a dozen different vintages, from Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Auxerrois to his beloved Pinot Noir, plus a bubbly and rosé. So there are lots of tasting possibilities for winelovers that discover their new rooftop bar, which Michel admits, ‘is just a dream come true for us.’

Monteberg

Before visiting the historic Monteberg vineyard, take a ride up the thickly forested route to the summit of Kemmelberg, marked by a poignant monument to French soldiers who fell here during the 1918 Battle of Ypres. The views are magnificent, but locals prefer to head to Monteberg’s wine bar terrace, where  the landscape changes to the bucolic graphic lines of vines, and a tasting of the latest vintage is paired with local cheeses and hams. The ‘Mountain Winery’ may sound rather grand when the beloved hills of Heuvelland only rise up 150 metres, but this was the first major vineyard in the region and remains the largest and a reference point for many young Flemish winemakers. Founded in 1996 by Jean-Pierre Six, the estate is now run by his two children, Ward and Katherine.

They recall how, ‘this adventure began as our father’s hobby, and locals said he was crazy to plant vines here in Heuvelland.’ Although the initial ambition was not a serious commercial concern, he was greatly encouraged by other Flemish winemakers at a time when wine in Belgium was not seriously recognised. ‘The first vineyard of 500 plants was literally planted in our front garden, and then everything has grown up around that. Today we have 10 hectares, producing 45-50,000 bottles, with zero export, everything sold in Belgium.’ Renowned for its sparkling wines, made from classic Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Monteberg have also planted new generation hybrid grapes like Solaris, Siegerebbe and Rondo Regent, which are increasingly popular today among Belgian winelovers.

Domaine Entre Deux Monts

There is always a steady stream of cars arriving at the modern cellars of Entre Deux Monts to taste the exciting vintages created by one of the most dynamic young vignerons in Flanders. Above an impressive barrel-ageing room downstairs, there is a serious wine tourism centre, with films, tastings, blending ateliers and a panoramic terrace overlooking the vines, while in summer, a pop-up tent restaurant in the garden serves wines, local craft beers and artisan foods. Martin Pacquert inherited farming land of cereals, tobacco and corn, and started to transform it into a wine estate in 2005 after studying oenology in Montpellier and Bordeaux. ‘I finished my wine studies working in France’s Entre-Deux-Mers vineyards, and thought it a fitting tribute to call my Flemish estate Entry Deux Monts as we are located on the Red and Black ‘mountains’  of Heuvelland.’

Martin started out planting a  3 hectare vineyard that today has grown to an impressive 20 hectares, producing some 120,000 bottles. He is very skilled with his sparkling wines, making a name for signature Brut vintages of bubbly, blending Chardonnay, Pinot Noir  and Kerner grapes. The process follows the classic Méthode Traditionelle made famous by Champagne; double fermentation, including ageing on the lees, turning, sediment disgorging, and adding very little if any sugar. Over 60% of his production is sparkling and Martin insists they are, ‘marked by freshness, purity and tension, a reflection of our cool Belgian climate. These are really juicy fruits with not too much acidity, so all you want is to drink another glass straightaway.’ 

Optimbulles

The bustling town of Borgloon is in the heart of Limburg’s famed fruit orchards, but passionate Maxime Guenis is determined that it will also be famous for its wines.

He is the perfect symbol for a new generation of Flemish vignerons; making pioneer natural wines by not adding sulphites, experimenting in the cellar with terracotta amphorae, oak casks and glass demijohns, while respecting biodiversity and ecology in the vineyard. His father Guido, a local police detective, began making garage wine back in 1991, the vineyard planted in the front garden, wine fermenting downstairs in the cellar. Maxime recounts how,  ‘when my father started you could count the number of Belgian winemakers on one hand. Now there are hundreds. For me, many are far too conventional, just wanting to copy the famed Burgundy style. It is a missed opportunity as we have so few rules in Belgium that everyone should be having fun and trying new things.’ Optimbulles’ vineyard is now on the outskirts of town, stretching to 3 hectares, and Maxime has installed his cellar in an old farmhouse where he produces a wonderfully varied mix of 7 sparkling wines, as well small quality batches of Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. The total comes to 10,000 bottles, enough to encourage him to recently give up his job as an educator to concentrate 100% on winemaking.

A brave decision that Maxime justifies because ‘more and more people in Belgium are getting interested in natural wines, and we can sell out 100% of our production to this home market, which is good news for our carbon footprint. In other countries, many natural wine producers sell all over the world but I feel that defeats our eco philosophy, so if one day I get a call from someone in Japan, China or Russia offering to buy half our production, then I will just say no.’

Domaine Helshoven 

Another Limburg village where vineyards are beginning to rival to orchards is the picturesque hamlet of Helshoven, which gives its name to a wonderfully inventive winery. Walk through the discrete entrance and you find yourself in a rustic squared courtyard whose 18th century farmhouse and surrounding land have been turned into a paradise for wine tourism. There is a  bicycle café  for  cyclists exploring the peaceful countryside. Another restaurant offers wine-pairing  gourmet dining, while along the edge of a vineyard at the back, a half-a-dozen giant wooden barrels offer a unique lodging experience. All that before you embark on a marathon tasting of Helshoven’s astonishing range of vintages, the Brave New World of Flemish winemaking. Twenty years ago, economics professor and wine enthusiast Geert Houben planted some 20 different grape varieties here just to see what might work, from classic Chardonnay to the extreme of Merlot, to a host of then little-known hybrids.

His son Jeroen has taken up the challenge today, so this is the perfect place to discover just what kind of wines are made from little-known hybrid grapes like Souvignier Gris, Johanniter, Muscaris, Cabernet Cantor. What is more, the winery make not just a daring Orange wine, from skin-macerated grapes,  but what can only be called Beer Wines, a bridge between beer and wine cultures, where hops are added to the final fermentation of a Chardonnay, or where the wine is partly aged in lambic beer barrels. The result needs to be tasted to be understood, but they certainly make fascinating  food pairings. The wine labels are amusing and provocative, with names like Cheeky Devil, Hell’s Angel, The Godlike Monster, but Jeroen also remains true to the heritage of of local fruit farming, producing lambic ciders, sparkling apple, pear ice wine, and even their own gin!

Wijnkasteel Genoelselderen
It is difficult to imagine a more idyllic place to discover Flemish wines than this magnificent 18th century ‘wine château’, set in a romantic landscaped park of  rose gardens, ornamental lakes and vineyards, with tastings, wine ateliers, cellar tours and a homely bistrot for lunch and tea.

Close your eyes and you could be in Bordeaux’s Médoc, while the wines themselves, essentially made for ageing rather than to be drunk young, also mirror a traditional approach compared to more contemporary Flemish wineries. Although records show that there was vineyard here in the Middle Ages, that had long disappeared when retired businessman Jaap Van Rennes bought the property in 1991 and decided to indulge his passion for wine. Thirty years later, three generations of his family still live in the castle, all involved in running a major 22 hectare vineyard of principally Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

His daughter Joyce, who oversees both the vineyard and cellar, qualified as a winemaker in France, and she recalls how, ‘when we started, Belgian wines were a curiosity that everyone thought were bound to fail. But 30 years has seen the market place change, the winelover changing too, and now there is definitely a place for Belgium at the world wine table.  Joyce refuses to follow the current Belgian trend to plant new generation resistant hybrid grapes, arguing that,  ‘I feel they are not yet producing the quality needed to make a good glass of wine. As simple as that. I prefer to be patient for developments that will allow traditional grapes to become naturally more resistant.’

Domaine Aldeneyck

Karel Henckens is clearly an impassioned winemaker, who has transformed his family’s grand country mansion into a cutting edge winery with a chic tasting room and lush shady gardens for wine tourists. The vineyards cover a spectacular landscape that runs down to the Meuse river, with Holland on the other side. It is part of a unique appellation, Meuse Valley Limburg, created in 2017 as the world’s first official wine region covering two countries, Belgium and the Netherlands. Coming from a family of traditional Limburg fruit farmers, Karel reconverted to wine, and from 1998 he spent 6-7 years slowly planting vines,  slowly building up from 1 hectare to the present 11 hectares that produces a serious 75,000 bottles a year. It is difficult to find another Flemish vineyard that can rival the elegance, complexity and finesse of Aldeneyck’s wines, which really live up to Karel’s philosophy of ‘cultivating dreams, harvesting passion.’

He is another great fan of France’s famed Burgundy and Alsace grapes, insisting, as he animatedly points out the stony ground surrounding each vine,  ‘that the grapes of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and of course Pinot Noir make wines that are the perfect  reflection of our unique terroir; a mineral rich, pebbly gravel from the Meuse river. And look, we are 300 metres from the river bank with Holland on the other side. With an elevation of 30 metres, it is just enough to give us a microclimate, the river protecting us from frost.’ Don’t be surprised to see Alderneyck’s vintages on the wine list of Belgium’s flagship two and three star Michelin restaurants, ‘as these chefs and sommeliers have become our ambassadors, and that is far more important for me that winning medals in wine competitions to stick on your label.’

Gloire de Duras

Pieter Nijskens’  modern new wine cellar is located in the middle of an orchard, giving a clue to his origins. ‘I feel I am just a baby in the wine business’, he recounts. But for someone who comes from generations of fruit farmers, he has quickly adapted to the life of a vigneron.

Sipping his latest Riesling he proudly shows off the framed certificates of numerous awards his wines have swiftly gathered, explaining how he is slowly abandoning fruit farming for a new adventure making wine. ‘I began in 2015 with an hectare of vines, and immediately hired an oenologist to advise me. Even after the first harvest he said – don’t go the normal safe route and produce a sparkling from your blend of grapes, but try still white wines instead. I had planted Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Auxerrois and Riesling. And the big surprise was the first vintage winning a silver medal in the Flemish wine competiton. Since then, well the medals have just kept coming each year, and I have kept planting, so now we cultivate 7 hectares, producing 30-35,000 bottles compared to 1500 in the first year. The estate stretches over 10 plots of vines, all surrounding the town of Sint-Truiden, and pride of place – the inspiration for the winery’s name, Gloire de Duras – is planted in his own village of Duras. It is a rare vineyard, hidden away in the gardens of the Château Duras, a genuine walled Clos that could be in Burgundy, whose microclimate produces a wonderfully aromatic, elegant Riesling. ‘I know this is the best Riesling Clos in Belgium as it is the only one,’ declares Pieter.

Where to eat

Restaurant Sparhof

Cheerful family bistrot serving hearty traditional dishes like marinated Ardennes pork paired with a wine list that features numerous local wineries from the surrounding Heuvelland appellation.

‘t Huis zonder naam

The House With No Name sits alongside the picturesque redbrick chapel of Helshoven, a romantic venue where an elegant dining room opens out onto beautiful gardens. Extensive wine list, creative cuisine mixing Italian influences with Belgian favourites like creamy vol-au-vent

Where to stay 

Hof van Stayen

Just at the entrance to Sint-Truiden, right by the local football stadium, 

this old farmhouse has recently been transformed into a futuristic luxury hotel, with pool, gardens and fun lobby bar with table football, ping pong and pool. 

INTRODUCTION

The Colli Orientali vineyards stretch across the eastern hills and plains of Friuli, spreading up from Corno di Rosazzo and the border with Slovenia,  past Cividale, a centre of civilisation founded by Julius Caesar, until the foothills of the Julian Prealps. This  intriguing, scenic region is a contrasting mix of tradition and modernity. Indigenous grapes produce distinctive wines that contrast with more well-known international varieties, and tasting the likes of Picolit, Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Ramandolo, Schioppettino, Pignolo and Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso with proud local winemakers is an unforgettable experience. These mainly family-run cantinas could not be more welcoming, often with guest rooms and suggestions for pairing their vintages with Friulano cuisine. They have invested heavily in their cellars searching for quality, experimenting with new techniques, while in the vineyards, the pursuit for a sustainable biodiversity has led many to organic and biodynamic cultivation.

The perfect place for an initial experience is the sumptuous Palladian-style Villa Nachini-Cabassi that houses Consorzio Friuli Colli Orientali  the association representing a great majority of the region’s winemakers. There is an enoteca, wineshop, and gourmet restaurant, and now an innovative, interactive Tasting Academy has opened its doors, a chance to sample a wide selection of wines accompanied by expert advice.

Perfect to start planning a vineyard trip, alongside the following top selection.   

TOP WINEMAKERS TO DISCOVER

Aquila del Torre

Located north of historic Cividale, the Eagle’s Tower lives up to its name, as a rough road winds to the top of a steep hill overlooking a spectacular vista of vines. Throughout the ride, educational signs explain the biodiversity of the land, whose young, dynamic owners are committed environmentalists. It is the perfect destination for curious wine tourists as there is comfortable bed&breakfast accommodation, a modern tasting room to discover their excellent selection of organic and biodynamic wines, as well as  walking and cycling trips. The Ciani family bought the land here in 1996, cultivating 6 different grape types across 18 hectares, and the present viticoltore, Michele, is already the third generation.

He explains how the key to the quality of their wines, which are all marked AT,  ‘atypical’, are the characteristics of their vineyard amphitheatre, ‘located at 220-300 metres altitude, whose fertile marl and sandstone flysch soil receive lots of rain, with many different expositions to the sun, meaning each parcel of vines can produce different results. Plus the dramatic backdrop of the towering Julian Prealps, which protect the grapes from cold northern winds.’ In the cantina, Michele experiments; concrete ovoid vats, especially for the crisp, mineral Friulano and Sauvignon, and a mix of cement and old wood barrels for  Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso and Merlot.

Don’t miss their Picolit, its explosive fruitiness perfectly paired with a neighbouring farmer’s goat cheese.

Conte D’Attimis Maniago

It is impossible to ignore the immense heritage of Colli Orientali’s most historic estate  when visiting the rambling cantina and tasting room of Conte D’Attimis Maniago, whose family have been making wine here without a single break since 1585. This was once the family’s country villa, and the present Count Alberto lives on the property today, encircled by an enormous 82 hectare single vineyard that spreads out over the surrounding plains and hills. The estate manager is respected oenologue Francesco Spitalieri, who took over the post directly from his father, who made the Count’s wine for 40 years. Continuity is crucial here, and Federico recounts how, ‘‘it is as if I have been here all my life, from the early days of following my Papa when I was a small kid. We practice  sustainable agriculture and are very much traditional winemakers, reluctant to follow fashions. For us maintaining and improving the quality of our wine is always the first objective.’ The estate produces a massive 400,000 bottles, ranging from international wines like Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Cabernet, Merlot and even a surprising Pinot Nero, to the distinctive Friuli grapes of Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, Verduzzo, Picolit and Pignolo. This is also the place to discover the rare Tazzelenghe, which only really reveals its elegance and complexities in a verticle tasting. ‘we are very proud of our Tazzelenghe,’ says Federico, ‘ a singular wine that is out of the ordinary. There are only 10 estates left making this wine from a mere 10 hectares, so the tradition is very precious to us.’

Grillo Iole 

The Colli Orientali boast a significant range of distinctive, iconic wines. Today another local grape is becoming fashionable around the world, Schioppettino, an intense, surprising red wine which has its own village cru here in Prepotto, where a unique molecule in the grape gives a signature peppery aroma and taste. Anna Grillo goes as far to say that, ‘my dream is, maybe for my grandchildren, that our winery production will be 100% Schioppettino di Prepotto, a wine that is perfect with everything – salmon, pasta, a hearty main dish, or just on its own.’

Anna runs the 9 hectare estate and elegant bed&breakfast housed in an 18th century villa with her towering 23 year-old son Mattia, who gave up a promising basketball career to make wine. Though both are self-trained viticoltori, there is a consultant oenologist, and their wines are complex, technical blends of micro vinifications from their numerous small parcels of vines dotted around the cantina, right up to the nearby border with Slovenia. Each plot varies from hillside to plain, different soils, different expositions, so the cellar resembles a maze of tiny steel vats, the wines quietly fermenting and ageing, waiting to be blended together.

Dri

Ramandolo is one of Colli Orientali’s most internationally renowned Cru labels, a luscious, fruity golden wine. Yet Ramandolo takes its name not from a little-known indigenous grape but a rustic village in the foothills of the PreAlps. Sitting beneath a steep vine clad hill, the Dri winery is an imposing modern construction, replacing temporary barracks built for the homeless after the shattering 1976 earthquake that affected all Friuli and whose epicentre was just 8 kilometres away in Gemona. It was designed by Giovanni Dri, the cantina’s patriarch who first bottled the family’s wines in the 1970’s then  sold them in the famous bacari bars of nearby Venice. He still spends most of his days in their 9 hectare vineyard, allowing his daughter, Stefania, the freedom to oversee the cellar.

‘I studied winemaking,’ she reflects, ‘but that does not mean I brought anything new, as Ramandolo remains essentially a “vino di tradizione”. Harvests are naturally late in the year here with our continental microclimate, and frankly we have not been affected by global warming, with the harvest time remaining much as it has always been.’ Ramandolo is made with the Veduzzo Dorato grape, whose incredible tannins combine with the residual sugar of late maturation on the vine, to make a spectacular intense sweet wine. ‘I call our Verduzzo a “vino rosso mancato, un vino dolce che non e dolce”, not a dessert wine but perfect with gorgonzola or our home-cured charcuterie.’ And a convivial tasting at Dri also includes an extensive selection of their reds, olive oil and distinctive grappas that the family still distill themselves.

Livio Felluga

If one winemaker put the wines of Colli Orientali onto the world stage then it was Livio Felluga.  This pioneer passed away 5 years ago at the remarkable age of 102, succeeded today by his two sons, Andrea and Filippo, who together oversee the cellar and vineyards of a vast 170 hectare estate. Livio’s award-winning wines  that succeeded in reaching an appreciative global audience were undoubtedly his hallmark blends; elegant Terre Alte, balancing Friulano and Pinot Bianco with Sauvignon, and the dramatic Sossó, where supple Merlot offsets the more austere Pignolo and Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso. Today, there is a subtle shift towards the philosophy of creating a superior Cru  using single grapes like Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Friulano from single vineyard plots, centred around the magnificent lands that surround the Abbazia di Rosazzo, the heart of Friuli winemaking for over a millennium.

Since 2009, the Felluga family has revived the Abbey’s historic vines, planting an arena of diverse vines around a futuristic open air installation – the Vigne Muzium. Now work has also begun to create a modern cantina in the old stables where the Abbey’s wines will finally be vinified on the property itself, and then barrel-aged in a magical 12th century cellar where monks made their first vintages.  

Ronc dai Luchis 

Visiting this historic estate, that has been in the hands of the same family for over 250 years, is like stepping back into Friuli’s rural past, when farming cereals, olive oil and raising animals were as important as winemaking. Today the old cow stables have been converted into a guesthouse, and Federico di Lucca is producing exceptional wines on a 10 hectare vineyard  that includes some incredible century-old Friulano vines, so big they resemble tree trunks. Tradition is the key word here. Federico is proud that apart from award winning vintages, he still sells 30% of production ‘sfuso’, in demijohns that a faithful local clientele bottle themselves at home. There is an ancient vaulted cellar beneath the farmhouse for tasting his selection of Pinot Grigio, Merlot, and a rare dry Verduzzo. But pride of place goes to the Refosco de Faedis, a unique  village grape. ‘Six winemakers around our village have formed an association to promote and assure the quality of our very own Refosco de Faedis,’ explains Federico during an impressive vertical tasting that goes back as far as a 2000 vintage.’Our wine is very different from the classic Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso, which can be supple and initially easy to drink. Ours is more austere, but that means incredible elegance and complexity when it is aged properly. For example, we only begin selling the 2015 vintage this year.’ Records dating back to the 16th century show that this Refosco was originally drunk sweet, using 100% ‘passito’ grapes, and Federico shows a small wooden case of drying raisins, as 7% is still passito today.

Scubla 

Roberto Scubla’s vineyard covers an idyllic hillside, renowned for producing some of the highest quality wines in Friuli. But this quiet, erudite man is by no means a natural-born winemaker. He graduated in biology at the end of the 1960’s, but reflecting the difficult economic situation at the time, Roberto chose  the safety of a job in the local bank. In his early 40’s though, ‘I decided to follow my dreams. I came from a family that had never owned land, but as a kid I spent summers in my uncle’s vineyard where a passion was born. So in 1991 I bought 12 hectares of vines and woodland on this unique hill, along with a house that was once a defence outpost for the Castello Di Rocca Bernardo that we have transformed from ruins into a cantina and tasting room. I think my biology studies helped me understand what to do in the vineyard, so although we inherited some vines over 60 years old, the great majority I preferred to replant, choosing which grape, which exposition, which ventilation from the winds. Everything that helps the grape grow healthy, the key to making a great wine.’

Spurning the rules and regulations demanded for official certification, Roberto and his long-time assistant Aleks Matincigh still follow both organic and biodynamic principles in vineyard and cellar. Scubla produces a surprising variety of white wines, including Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, Riesling, a sparkling Chardonnay, and the quality is always exceptional, regularly winning international awards.

Jacuss

Sandro Iacussi is clearly a happy vignaiolo, enthusiastically opening bottles at his back garden table, proudly explaining how he and his brother Andrea run a small family-owned vineyard whose history in this sleepy village of Montina di Torreano dates back to 1506. Moreover, he is already working with his 21 year-old daughter, who is still studying oenology but has already put own personal touch to the latest Sauvignon vintage. He recalls how, ‘we were born in the fields of the countryside as “contadini”, farmers, where the aim was to cultivate to survive, to have enough to eat. That is the reality of Friuli. Wine has come into our lives as a plus. We have 11 hectares, all in little parcels around the village, and our cantina is a traditional mix of cement and oak barrel ageing.’ The brothers are committed to native grapes, producing a Schioppettino ‘that has the elegance, the finesse of a Pinot Noir’, while the little-known Tazzelenghe, ‘used to be a rustic wine, difficult to drink, which we now understand better, ageing if for 2 years in small barrels to increase suppleness.’ And Sandro shows a serious sense of humour as he pulls the cork of a Forment, his Friulano riserva, recounting how ‘I decided to steal the name of Hungary’s grape, Furmint, that makes their Tokaji in revenge for them making us change the name of our traditional Tocai wine to Friulano.’

Visintini

Hidden away in the vine laden hills of Corno di Rosazzo, the Visintini family occupy an imposing castello, marked by both a 12th century tower and  modern wine cellar. And on the lawn in front of the tasting room sits a suggestive terracotta amphora, hinting at the innovative wines produced here by Oliviero and his twin sisters, Cinzia and Palmira. Oliviero began to modernise what was a classic Friulano farm of animals, cereals and vines at the end of the 1990’s. And modernise he has, as today, this 30 hectare estate is the largest biodynamic vineyard in Friuli and one of the pioneers to seriously use amphorae, with 10 of them dominating the cellar.

Oliviero enthusiastically explains that ‘the amphora augments the nose of the wine and softens the tannins while maintaining freshness. I started working with them in 2013 after visiting many cantinas in Tuscany, tasting wines made with different types of amphora. When I found a specific producer working with terracotta that I liked, I began experimenting with Pignolo, Friulano and now Pinot Grigio. At the same time, for all our wines, we started making the vineyard organic in 2005 then since 2007 are following Biodynamic principles. Although 80% of the cantina’s production is white, including exceptional Friulano and Sauvignon, it is fascinating to taste the difference between a red Pignolo 2013 vintage made in the amphora and one traditionally aged in wood.

The aromas of the wood vintage are far more seductive but it is ultimately austere and will clearly need many more years ageing, while the amphora vintage seems closed initially but is wonderfully supple and fruity to drink.

Sirch 

The story of the Sirch brothers, Luca and Pierpaolo, begins back in the 1980’s when wine from a small 4 hectare vineyard was produced solely to supply the family’s Bar Italia in the centre of Cividale. In 1998, the brothers took over the estate with the aim of increasing both quality and quantity, an immediate success that has seen production rise from 5,000 bottles in 2002 to some 600,000 today. Luca explains how they have always kept faith in their principles, ‘to make what I believe are modern, uncomplex wines – mineral, crisp, elegant – and not overpowering or too intense. His range of whites remains the flagship, not just  Friulano, Sauvignon and Chardonnay, but Ribolla Gialla and Pinot Grigio. ‘Ribolla Gialla is very important today for the identity of Colli Orientali, he declares. ‘In 2004, we made our first 1,000 bottles and they sold out almost immediately. Today it is 40-50,000 and they are still the first to sell.’ For Pinot Grigio, Sirch has entered an ambitious partnership with an American distributor. Luca travelled all over Colli Orientali to rent 30 hectares of vines just for export to the USA, where Pinot Grigio remains most people’s favourite white wine. ‘We still have what I call  pharaonic projects for a new cellar, enoteca, restaurant and b&b, but everything has been put on hold during the Covid pandemic. But one project has still gone ahead,  my ambition of creating a genuine Cru wine here in Colli Orientali. The name is Cladrecis, a unique parcel of land at 320 metres altitude above Prepotto. We have bought 50 hectares of woodland, with 10 hectares now cultivated as a vineyard, where there is the opportunity to make a high quality Chardonnay and an Alto-Adige style Pinot Nero, as well, of course, as a Schioppettino di Prepotto.’

Vignaioli Specogna

There are few cantinas in Friuli that can compare with the warmth and hospitality winelovers receive when they arrive at Vignaioli Spegogna.

Run by Cristian and Michele Spegogna, these two passionate brothers are the third generation of a family that has made its mark internationally for their distinctive Colli Orientali wines. Sitting in the cosy wood-beamed tasting room, a bottle is not uncorked until the wooden table groans with artisan salami, prosciutto and cheeses, the perfect pairing to a serious tasting that stretches across numerous varietals and vintages. The estate has progressed from a small sustainable farm founded in 1963 to todays 25 hectares of prime vineyards around Rocca Bernarda and Abbazia di Rosazzo. Cristian explains how, ‘we produce 120,000 bottles today, concentrating on our signature wines; Friulano and Sauvignon, Merlot, Pignolo and Picolit. And we take biodiversity very seriously as the estate includes woodlands, honey production, olive groves and replanted fruit trees. You can experiment all you like in the cellar, but  the quality of the wine comes from the vineyard. where there must be an equilibrium with nature through biodiversity.’ One wine above all others personifies this cantina, Pinot Grigio Ramato, which Cristian proudly relates was produced from the earliest days of his grandfather. ‘Colli Orientali is the heart of Ramato, a tradition of macerating grape juice with its skins to produce a unique pinky, orange colour. Lets be clear though, this an a historic tradition and nothing to do with the present fad of macerating to create Orange wine.’ The degustation always ends with a glass of Picolit, a flagship of the cantina, because ‘it is the wine of friendship, and no one can leave before we drink a glass of our Picolit together.’

where to stay

There are a host of friendly winemaker Agriturismo and Bed&Breakfast accommodation all over the Colli Orientali. A great place to base yourself is Azienda Agricola Perusini, who offer self-catering guestrooms,  a chic restaurant and tastings of their own wines.

where to eat

Friuli’s cuisine is as characterful as its wines, so expect to discover original dishes, from delicious frico, fried cheese, ‘jota’, an umami stew of sauerkraut, bacon and beans, bless pasta with nettles and asparagus or sweet gnocchi stuffed with prunes.

And there is always the perfect wine to pair with each dish. Trattoria da Mario in Prepotto is perfect for traditional dishes and an extensive wine list, while just outside the vineyards, explore gourmet hideaways like Sale e Pepe in the magical Natisone Valley  

what to do

Cividale del Friuli is a remarkable city to discover, its roots spreading back to the Romans, Celts and fierce Longobardi tribes. Don’t miss the tempting antiques market on the last Sunday of each month.