Ronco delle Mele

Sauvignon

DOC Collio

The wine

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

The vineyard

The first cuttings of Sauvignon R3 were planted later, in 1984, by Gianni and Giorgio Venica. After carefully observing the soil and climate varieties on the Cerò hill, they matured the realisation that the north-west exposure was ideal for obtaining wines with a good aromatic imprint.

The Grapevine

Sauvignon blanc is one of the world's best known 'international' grape varieties, loved by the Friulians as an indigenous variety.

The 'Ronco delle Mele' Sauvignon wine is now one of the most acclaimed and awarded white wines in Italy, and has become a true symbol of Venica & Venica.

Awards

Technical information

Alcool in vol. %

13,50%

Total acidity ‰

5,1‰

Harvest

Grapes harvested by hand and destemmed between 3 and 22 September 2021.

Vinification | Aging

After harvesting, the grapes are macerated for about 20 hours at a temperature of 11°/12° C in special containers, protected from oxygen with innovative systems by recycling their own fermentation carbon dioxide, in order to reduce the amount of anoxidan. The must ferments and matures on the lees for 5 months partly in large 20/27 HL wooden barrels and partly in containers steel containers.

Bottling

The wine is then blended and bottled at full moons between March and June 2022.

Sensory information

Color

Dazzling greenish-yellow hue.

Olfactory notes

An array of elegant and complex sensations unfold on the nose. Elegant vegetal notes dominate, including the classic tomato leaf, green pepper and grapefruit. The finish is stately, with a slight hint of the minerality typical of the terroir.

Taste profile

On the palate, elegance and aromaticity go hand in hand with freshness and savouriness. Warm and intense, with an appeal of vegetal notes that are amplified in a stage-like closure. A long future awaits it, in the barrel together with the wines of the heart.

To be paired with

Eggs with truffles, crepes with porcini mushrooms, lobster ravioli, grilled prawns, risotto with asparagus and seafood: the list of dishes that would be perfect with this wine could be infinite. In general, it goes well with everything, especially with appetizers, delicate soups, shellfish and fishes with sauce.

Serving temperature

12/13°C

Aging potential

over 10 years

The Wine

Best Sauvignon 2023

One of Venica & Venica's Cru wines and spokesman for the 'Spirit of the Place' project
The Sauvignon wine "Ronco delle Mele" is now one of the most acclaimed and awarded white wines in Italy and has become a true symbol of Venica & Venica.
In particular, the 2001 vintage was recognised as Best Italian White Wine in Bibenda's nomination of the 2003 Wine Oscars.
The wine takes its charming and evocative name from the vineyard of the same name where the grapes that make it so special come from. The small hill has a beautiful story to tell: during the First World War, the vineyard was bombed by the Austrians and this caused a slight landslide on the slope. Therefore, once the estate was acquired in 1930 by the founder Daniele Venica, it became necessary to intervene.
Consequently, in order to be able to sustain the plot in the following years, Daniele decided to plant several apple trees in harmony with the rows of vines already present, in keeping with the then widespread promiscuous agriculture.

The vineyard and the vine

Love and passion. Always.

Ronco delle Mele

Sauvignon blanc is one of the most famous “international” varieties around the world. However, it is beloved by Friulians as a local one.

An elegant, delicate, noble and timeless classic. Coming from Bordeaux, in Italy Sauvignon found its ideal environment on the sandstone marl of Collio ‘s hills. It adapted to the variability of soil and climate of this area, which is now an expression of its own character, getting to be truly considered today in Friuli as an indigenous grape.

The vineyard

This Sauvignon takes its fascinating and suggestive name from the same vineyard where its special grapes come from.

The small hill has a wonderful story to tell: during the First World War, it was bombed by the Austrians and this caused a slight landslide of the slope.
Therefore, once the founder Daniele Venica bought the property in 1930, it was time to do something. In the following years he decided to plant several apple trees among the existing vines, in order to support the soil, according to promiscuous agriculture which was very common at that time.

The first Sauvignon R3 vines were planted later, in 1984, by Gianni and Giorgio Venica. After carefully observing the soil and climate varieties of Cerò’s hill, they became aware that the North-west exposure was the ideal one to obtain intensely aromatic wines. It was finally born the “Ronco delle Mele Project“, which kept developing and becoming more and more important till the production of the first vintage, in 1995, which immediately obtained some of the major awards from the Italian wine guides.

Ronco delle Mele’s Sauvignon vineyard is located inside the DOC Collio area. It is oriented towards the Julian Alps with a view of Mount Canin’s glacier and a maximum altitude of about 150 m above sea level.
Despite its limited extension of about two hectares, it is necessary to harvest the grapes at various times, due to the different microclimates between the vine rows created by the forest’s presence, the exposure to sunlight and the breeze coming from the North.

Harvest

Some impressions during the Sauvignon harvest in our Ronco delle Mele DOC Collio vineyard. The pictures take you to the most important vineyard of Venica & Venica, among the beautiful hills of Collio. We have the pleasure of letting you relive one of the most important moments of the year: the harvesting of the "Sauvignon" grapes in the vineyard until their arrival at our winery ...