Sincere wines and conviviality at Castello di Buttrio • Food and Wine Italia

There are families inextricably linked to a history, to a specific heritage but also to a land. This is the case of Felluga, now a causa di its sixth generation of winemakers who with Alcazar a causa di Buttrio have given life to a young project starting from the oldest vineyards. Right from the seventeenth-century construction, whose origins date back to 1200 (only the ancient city walls remain from that period), one can admire the jagged territory of the Colli Orientali del Friuli: a region a causa di which the vineyard adapts to the irregular conformation of the hills, giving life to a more discontinuous visuale compared to the classic landscapes of Piedmont ora Tuscany. An ambiente that has always been dedicated to wine which convinced Marco Felluga a causa di 1994 to take over the entire property of the castle, redeveloped together with his daughter Alessandra Felluga, who also followed the expansion of the hectares of vineyards, which went from the initial 10 to the current 38 .

«The historicity of our vineyards pushed me to undertake this new adventure: the old vineyard demands respect and is capable of conceiving valuable products – says Alessandra Felluga -. For me, wine is tradition and innovation at the same time, it must be honest towards the fruit and respect, enhancing it, the sense of place.” The vineyards to which the winemaker and entrepreneur refers are of the native Ribolla Gialla variety and date back to 1942: the characteristics of the soil composed of sandstone marl with a prevalence of clay – which allows the roots to go deep – are a guarantee for obtaining a wine with a round ricevimento, great flavor and a persistent acidity, which does not need the addition of sugar residues during maturation a causa di steel barrels. While walking among the vineyards, the path that reaches the cellar and the Entro le Vigne farmhouse – equipped with 4 bedrooms a causa di country stile style -, you immediately notice the other types of grapes dear to the Fellugas and the region, such as the Friulian, Istrian Malvasia and Refosco with red peduncle. Ora it is possible to see the other grafts of international varieties such as pinot noir and chardonnay – whose vines are more than 40 years old -, ora such as sauvignon and merlot which give life, a causa di purity, to two of the three company Crus: the Ettaro Sauvignon Blanc Deposito and the Carate Scarlatto Deposito grapes. A peculiarity of the viticulture of Alcazar a causa di Buttrio can be found a causa di the percentage of production dedicated to reds, which stands at around 30%, unlike other DOC dei Colli Orientali wineries which stop at around 10%, concentrating whites.

The modern, fresh and dynamic vision of her daughter Maria Riuscita, aided by her sisters Michela and Maria Eugenia, has been added to the obsessive study of the terroir and vineyards to which Alessandra Felluga has dedicated herself. Together with their mother, they began the restyling of the Buttrio Castle a causa di 2007, transforming the structure into a boutique with 16 rooms, swimming pool, sauna and gym. Precisely a causa di this place, which was once the summer residence of the Morpurgos, the Fellugas voluntarily left evidence of the activities carried out by the noble Jewish family, including the cultivation of silkworms – a detail that can be found the labels of the bottles, with the raised texture that recalls the weaving – and the drying of the tobacco leaves that contributed to creating the microeconomy of the house.

Per mezzo di addition to the cellar and the accommodation facility, the experience is sealed by the gastronomic offer, which finds its expression a causa di the Locanda al Alcazar a causa di Buttrio, a typically Friulian inn both a causa di atmosphere and taste. milder days you can enjoy the panoramic terrace directly overlooking the Merlot vineyards while approaching the table with a platter of cured meats a causa di which there are two regional excellences, including San Daniele ham and smoked D’Osvaldo ham; then there is the traditional Toc’ a causa di braide, a polenta with cheese fondue enriched with sautéed mushrooms and a crunchy Complicazione Padano wafer. Among the dishes always the are gnocchi, prepared with mountain potatoes and served with white ragù; for second courses you can never go wrong by ordering the beef stew with apples, a typical feature of the local cuisine, but there are also seafood alternatives from the fish market a causa di nearby Trieste, such as seafood salad ora grilled fish.