Sauvignon
Sauvignon is a grape variety that plays a central role in the history of the Venica family.

“Ronco del Cerò” Sauvignon Collio, which recalls the locality Cerò (a toponym for the area) where Grandfather Daniele purchased the first farmhouse, evokes the origins of the Venica & Venica winery.
“Ronco delle Mele” Sauvignon Collio, on the other hand, is produced where, in line with the mixed agriculture of the past, Daniele Venica planted various apple trees. But this wine also serves as a guardian and spokesperson for an epochal change in the history of Sauvignon: it introduces the world to the selection of the R3 clone from Rauscedo.
It was in fact in this location, in the Grave del Friuli, that the mother plant of what is today the most widely propagated Sauvignon Blanc clone in the world was identified in 1961. And in the distant year of 1984, Gianni and Giorgio Venica planted the first cuttings of Sauvignon R3 in Ronco Mele; cuttings that since 1995 have produced the wine that has become a symbol of Venica & Venica and one of the most awarded in Italy.


The history of Sauvignon Blanc
A white grape variety originally from France, Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most internationally recognized grape varieties in the world.
Its name derives from "sauvage," meaning wild, due to its origins as a native plant.
Different biotypes differ in terms of morphology (cluster size and plant vigor) and physiological characteristics (aromatic components). The most well-known biotypes of Sauvignon Blanc are Sauvignon petit or yellow and Sauvignon gros or green.
Sauvignon
in Collio
Arriving in Italy from Bordeaux, Sauvignon found its ideal home on the hills of Collio. In this soil, composed of marl and sandstone of oceanic origin, which provides vines with nourishment and mineral richness, Sauvignon Blanc has embraced the variability of Ponca and its climate.
In Collio, this grape variety has, over time, embodied the unique properties of the terroir; the distinctive character of Collio's Sauvignon is its mineral and saline nature, firm and structured.
And here, where white grapes take center stage, Sauvignon DOC Collio has become part of the golden hues that Collio's white wines tell. So much so that it is considered, in every respect, a native grape.

R3, the first Sauvignon VCR clone.
Venica & Venica also sees Sauvignon as a native grape capable of revealing and expressing the character of Collio.
The roots of the Venica family's connection with Sauvignon grapes and vines run deep. In fact, since 1984, brothers Gianni and Giorgio Venica, after a long observation of the pedoclimatic characteristics of the Cerò hill, oriented toward the Julian Alps, identified the north-western exposure as the ideal site for white wines with a strong aromatic footprint.
Here, they planted the first Sauvignon cuttings. Not biotype cuttings, but VCR approved clones: Sauvignon R3 cuttings.
Selected in 1961 and planted in 1969 in the Grave del Friuli, R3 marks, and Carlo Petrussi confirms it, the beginning of the clone's history. "Some strains were chosen," reads the official selection document, "to identify Sauvignon with a medium-sized, not too compact cluster, large berry, yellow in color, fragrant, and resistant to Botrytis."
The Sauvignon R3 clone produces a wine with a delicate yet intense aroma. It has an aromatic profile above average, characterized by pronounced and elegant green notes. And if there is one thing the Venica family loves to share, it is the beauty of the endless green shades of Collio: the Ronco Mele project, with its distinct and brilliant green aromatic profiles, is the perfect embodiment of this.
The characteristics of Sauvignon and its nuances.
The hilly areas of Collio are the cradle of enveloping, important, and mineral white wines. With good acidity that gives them freshness and provides aging capacity and depth.
Sauvignon is a full-bodied and enveloping offspring of these hills, capable of expressing itself and revealing the territory in a wide range of olfactory and gustatory nuances. The two Sauvignons from Venica & Venica are a characteristic example.
“Ronco del Cerò” Sauvignon, whose grapes come from vineyards exposed to the south as well, reveals fruity and warm notes. It is lively and savory but also soft and velvety. "Ronco delle Mele," on the other hand, offers incredible complexity. Elegance takes the lead, accompanying the sense of smell and taste in a dance of vegetal notes that embrace delicate citrusy notes.
The colors can only be magical shades of green: light green reflections for "Ronco del Cerò," and rich gold and green for "Ronco delle Mele”.

Ronco
delle Mele
This charming and evocative Sauvignon wine from Collio takes its name from the vineyard of the same name where the grapes that make it so special come from.
Our Sauvignon

Ronco
del Cerò
Sauvignon 'Ronco del Cerò' is therefore a particularly important wine for the Dolegna winegrowers, as it is evocative of the winery's origins and historically linked to the four generations of the family.

Extempore
‘Ex tempore’ means suddenly and is related to something not expected and planned; no other word could better express our state of mind when, for the first time, we tasted this wine.