Country: Italy

Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Friuli Colli Orientali

Producer: Livio Felluga, Brazzano di Cormons

Grape varieties: chardonnay, picolit, pinot bianco (pinot blanc)

Wine making: The harvest is mid-September, the grapes are hand-picked in small crates. After destemming, the skins soak for a short time in the juice, then a gentle pressing follows and the must is clarified by settling. Fermentation and subsequent aging take place over 10 months in French barriques, small wooden barrels of 225 liters, of which 40% are renewed annually. During aging, the lees are regularly stirred through the young wine, this is called bâtonnage, which makes the taste richer and softer. Then the wine is clarified and bottled in July, after which it matures in the bottle for another 16 months before being released on the market.

Producer information: Livio Felluga has been producing top-level wines for 5 generations in northeastern Italy. The vineyards were located in the flat lowlands near Trieste (Istria) on the coast. But Livio quickly recognized the quality of the cool hills and in 1953 Livio (1914-2016) decided to buy land in the hills near Brazzano. Since 1956, the bottles have featured the unique label, an old map of the region. Over time, more and more vineyard parcels were acquired on the best soils. Currently, they have 160 ha of vineyard, where fantastic white and exemplary red wines are made. In 2010, buildings and vineyards of the legendary Abbazia di Rosazzo were leased, a monastery from 1070, known as the epicenter of viticulture in Friuli. Felluga is a family business, in which Livio's four children work, with commercial man Maurizio and winemaker Andrea at the helm.

Area information: Friuli (a little under 19,000 ha) is a wine-growing region in the far northeast of Italy, bordering Slovenia. The area has several subdivisions. The better vineyards are located higher up in the hills, where mist and fog often occur. The low temperatures during the night ensure fresh, pure wines with enough tension. The soil contains a lot of marl and sandstone. In the area, international grape varieties such as sauvignon, chardonnay, pinot bianco, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, etc. are planted. In addition, Friuli has many local varieties, namely ribolla gialla, friulano, verduzzo, and picolit for white, and for red, schioppettino (also called ribolla nera), refosco, pignolo, and tazzelenghe. 75% of the production is white. Friuli-Venezia Giulia has 9 DOCs and 4 DOCGs. The best DOC areas are Friuli Colli Orientali and Collio.

Serving suggestion: With rich fish dishes and shellfish, white meat, Iberico, poultry, spiced dishes with Asian or Arabic flavors, vegetable dishes, salads, creamy white and red-rind cheeses.

Serving temperature: 14ºC

Additional information: The 'Illivio' is a tribute to father Livio, who managed to give the company an international reputation. The wine is made mainly from the pinot bianco grape, which elsewhere often produces pleasant wines, but rarely achieves the quality that is reached here at Livio Felluga in Friuli.