Zuani
Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy
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About
Zuani
Zuani is a family-owned winery in the Collio DOC of Friuli Venezia Giulia specializing in terroir-focused white wines. Set in the hills of Giasbana in the far northeastern corner of Italy, the influence of bordering Austria and Solvenia can be felt on the estate and sensed through the style of Zuani's wines. Even the name Zuani was adopted from the geographic name of the estate's surrounding on an antique map of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Introducing Zuani
Patrizia Felluga is the fifth generation of a viticulture dynasty dating back to late nineteenth century Istria, Croatia. In 2001, Ms. Felluga and her two children, Antonio and Caterina, discovered the site of what is now Zuani in the San Floriano del Collio municipality. 15 hectares of Collio DOC Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon. In a region that typically produces single-varietal wines, Zuani produces only two white blends. The Zuani "Vigne" is a blend of the four estate varieties vinified separately, cold-macerated and stainless-steel fermented.
The Zuani heritage is exemplified by the combination of traditional representations of the Friulian varieties with thoughtful variations from the DOC's conventions. In collaboration with her children, Patrizia carries the legacy of a dynamic Italian winemaker, Marco Felluga, forward into the twenty-first century. The medium-to-steep slopes of the estate are mineral rich and nutrient poor, composed of combinations of marl and sandstone. The well-structured wines are quite complex for a few reasons: wide variation between day and night temperatures as well as a rigorous blending process. Patrizia explains the Zuani wines' character as "an orchestra composed of great soloists who know how to come together to create an inimitable symphony written in more than one hand."
