CABERT

CABERT s.p.a. Bertiolo (prov. , FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA )

This eastern most region of northern like the Traminer, the Friulano (ex Tocai borders Austria, Slovenia, and the Adriatic Friulano) and the Verduzzo, next to Pinot Sea. Administratively speaking, it is a new Grigio and Chardonnay. They make red ones region, because only in 1968 it reached the too - and fine ones at that, like the local present surface, with four provinces. Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso (‘Refosco with Notwithstanding its recent formation, it is an the red stalk’, or Refosco dal pecul ross, as old land. Its capital, , already was an their dialect says). In the hands of a good important town in the Roman Empire, and winemaker, this is a full-bodied power engine. nearby even rated next to Rome in The Friulano’s (and Cabert’s) most famous the early phases of Christianity. For centuries, wine, however, is the Picolit, a DOCG Colli Trieste was the most important harbour of the Orientali del Friuli. At its best it is a velvety Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and it was and not too sweet golden white dessert wine. acquired by Italy only after the end of the Made from the Picolit grape and with an Habsburg dynasty, in the early 1900’s. average of 10 till 15 tiny grapes per bunch, Bertiolo itself may be a small agrarian village, you can imagine it is sold in half size bottles but it also prides a fine past. Already in the only - and not actually cheap! late Middle Ages, its wines were recommended in archives as ‘pulchreas vineas The noble families that created the Cantina di Bertegoli’, the Latin words meaning Bertiolo, proudly cultivate their cultural ‘beautiful wines from heritage that was handed down for Bertiolo’. generations. ‘From pruning to wine tasting’, as they phrase it. In 1960, before any DOC regulations existed, a small group of noble families with some 350 hectares of vineyards shared interests and created the Cantina di Bertiolo. Nowadays their mainbrands are: Cabert (short for: CAntina di BERTiolo) and Casali Roncali. Almost the entire region is protected by DOC regulations, and the Cabert wines take part in two DOC’s: Cabert in the DOC Friuli Grave and Casali Roncali in the DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli. Of course, this is a land for white wines. Thus

it is that we encounter local grape varieties