Italy – Aquila del Torre Oasi 2010

Friuli is a region of great wines. And great drinkers, too. So, when I had to choose the wine to be drunk during the party for the baptize of my second child I went straight to this producer. What brought me up to Savorgnano in a cloudy and rainy afternoon? The curiosity to visit this cellar, the variety of the wines they produce, the freshness of their marketing and communication policy and, in addition, the not so common (in Italy) possibility to buy biologic, good, wine.

I climbed the hills of Friuli, surrounded by peace and vineyards and, despite the rain, the visit and the view were fantastic. My memento of that trip? Thirty bottles of wine. And among them, here it is the most … uncommon! Mr. Picolit!

Domaine and vineyard

The Aquila del Torre story began in 1904 when Cavaliere Sbuelz purchased 200 “campi” of land to create the estate. In 1922, Aquila del Torre extended over 111 hectares, of which about 90 were farmed and 21 left as woodland. Even at that time the main crop was the Picolit grape, which was grown in association with fruit trees – pear, apple, peach, cherry and plum – and the cultivation of forage grasses as foodstuffs for horses, cattle and sheep.

The family that runs nowadays the wine estate started, in 1996, a complex and huge work of stabilising and constructing terracing for vine plantings while at the same time restructuring the ancient stable where the Vineria wine centre and cellar are now housed. Last they moved to the organic cultivation on all the 18 hectares vined today.

Aquila del Torre's terrain is at an elevation of 175 to 350 metres above sea level. The hillslope vineyards are planted to a single-row terrace pattern to trap the sunshine and ensure consistent ripening of the grapes which, exclusively hand-picked, are transported for selection and vinification to the multi-level cellar, where fruit moves from the delivery zone to the pressing area by force of gravity alone. A special room for drying grapes has been set up in the driest, best-ventilated part of the cellar.

The wine

Oasi 2010 comes from different small cru hidden among the woods; the terroir is Flysch, interbedded clayey-textured marl and sandstone; on the hill slope have been created some terraces on an elevation from 175 to 300 meters above sea level

The vines, averagely 12 years old, are trained in Guyot simple system, with an average density of 5000 vines per hectare and an average yield of 0.8 kg per vine.

The harvest starts with a bunch selection on the vine and then goes on manually, using small cases.

Once in the cellar the fermentation is conducted with native yeast in French oak barrels and the wine mature there 12 months before being bottled and put on the market.

Tasting Note

Date	05 July 2014
Wine name	OASI	Vintage	2010
Nation	Italy	Region	Friuli Venezia Giulia
AOC-DOC	//	Grape Varieties	Picolit
Serving temperature	10-12° C	Alcohol	14
Price (in euro)	25

Visual Examination		Taste analysis
Limpidity	Brilliant	Body	Full
Color	Straw yellow	Balance	Balanced
Consistency	Quiet consistent	Soft sensations	Warm – Soft
Effervescence	//	Hard sensations	Quite Fresh - Tasty
		Flavors intensity	Intense
Olfactory analysis		Flavors	Citrus fruits, hints of balsamic
Aroma intensity	Intense		White flowers
Complexity	Complex	Finish/Persistence	Persistent
Quality	Fine	Overall evaluations
Aromas	Floral, Mineral, Citrus fruits	Development	Ready
		Harmony	Harmonious

Food pairing

Soft-paste cheese, moderately strong blue cheese, rice or pasta with wild spring greens or seafood, baccalà alla vicentina (milk-poached salt cod); salty plumcake with bacon and stalks of spring onions.

Dry Vinification of natural sweet grapes in my mind tastes a bit of challenge. It means to react to the standard and common use to look for uncommon sensations and tastes. And the Oasi of Aquila del Torre is really a great victory in this challenge. I have loved this wine from the very first glass: the story, the aromas, the flavors. And the pairing with soft paste cheese (I live in France now …) really fantastic.

I will come back to visit again this winery to tell you something more about them and to unveil some other little treasures that their sage hands can produce.

Official website: www.aquiladeltorre.it