2022 Damijan Podversic – Ribolla Gialla – Venezia Giulia – IGT

On Monte Calvario, the hill above Gorizia right on the Slovenian border, Damijan Podversic makes some of the most celebrated macerated white wines in Italy. He started in 1988, buying an abandoned vineyard that had been left untouched since the First World War, and found his spiritual father in his neighbour Josko Gravner, who taught him "philosophy before he taught me how to grow a vine".

Today the family farms around ten hectares on ponca, the poor marl and sandstone soil of the Collio, between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic. The focus is on the local grapes Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and Friulano, alongside a little Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

In the cellar, the white grapes macerate on their skins for 60 to 90 days in open oak vats, fermenting spontaneously without temperature control. The wines then age for around three years in large barrels and at least one more in bottle, and are bottled without filtration. The result is deep, structured wines with great salinity and tension, built to age for many years.

Friuli Venezia Giulia's terroir is marked by a diverse and dynamic landscape that stretches from the Alps in the north to the Adriatic Sea in the south, providing a variety of microclimates ideal for viticulture. The region’s soils are equally varied, with marl, clay, limestone, and gravel found in the hilly areas, while alluvial deposits dominate the plains. These soils offer excellent drainage, contributing to the depth and minerality of the wines. The cool alpine influence combined with the warm Mediterranean breezes creates significant diurnal temperature variation, which helps preserve acidity and enhance aromatic complexity in the grapes. This terroir allows Friuli Venezia Giulia to produce a wide range of wines, from crisp, aromatic whites like Friulano and Sauvignon Blanc to structured reds such as Merlot and Refosco, all characterized by freshness, finesse, and a distinct sense of place.