MONTEFORCHE
Cassiara 2024
Veneto, Italy
A wine made from what the locals used to calla Tocai, nowadays Friulano in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, or simply as Tai in this part of the Veneto. From a small, 70 year old plot, the grapes were destemmed and macerated on the skins overnight, before being pressed to vats until the following spring. From a cooler vintage, this gives perhaps the most immediate expression of this volcanic terroir, with hazy minerals and gentle notes of citrus and smoke offering refreshment in spades.
Friulano
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Alfonso Soranzo makes wines from vineyards surrounding his home and cantina in the tiny hamlet of Zovon di Vò in the beautiful hills of the Colli Euganei.
Like many great vineyards in the Veneto, this was previously an area of significant volcanic activity and the fossilised soils that remain are perfect for growing its native grapes.
Like his ancestors before him, Alfonso tends his four and a half hectares of vines organically, undertaking all of the vineyard work himself. The approach in the cantina is decidedly old-school and unfussy. The wines are fermented and aged on their lees in concrete vats until the following spring, when they are bottled with no additions.
It is a humble, straightforward approach that produces honest, nourishing and delicious vino da tavola which are amongst the best in the genre.