A Panorama of the agriturismo.
Corte San Biagio: Panorama view. Click and drag within the picture to view a 360 degree view. If you have trouble viewing, or for a larger version, you can also click here.
On the night before my trip to Friuli-Venezia Giulia, I was jonesing for some of this Italian region’s Colli Orientali del Friuli (COF) wines. There’s not a big selection in Houston, but I knew I could visit one of my favorite neighborhood joints, Dolce Vita pizzeria, to find some. I walked over.
The white wines on the list were dominated by Friulian wines, with the majority coming from the COF DOC. I chose a glass of the 2009 “La Sclusa” Ribolla Gialla, a classic native varietal of the region. It turned out to be an excellent choice. Crisp acidity with floral and mineral notes offered a great expression of this varietal and region. I hoped I’d get a chance to try more from this winemaker. However, there are many producers in the COF zone and it would be quite a coincidence if I were to meet this one.
Corte San Biagio
Fast forward to a day later. I’d arrived in Venice with the rest of the writers on the COF 2012 project. We were whisked away by private bus to our agriturismo in the area of Corno di Rosazzo. The agriturismo is called Corte San Biagio and we were met by our host, Germano Zorzettig. We were offered a welcoming glass of wine upon arrival. I studied the bottle and was surprised to discover a 2010 La Sclusa Ribolla Gialla. Our host is also the winemaker for La Sclusa!
Corte San Biagio: Our host Germano Zorzettig
Once we settled in, we explored the grounds of our new home-away-from-home. It’s a beautifully remodeled farmhouse surrounded by vineyards. That evening, we attended a welcoming dinner attended by several Colli Orientali del Friuli winemakers, as well as dignitaries from the consortium and local government officials.
Corte San Biagio: Welcome dinner
The dinner was fantastic, the wines brought by the winemakers were great and a lively discussion (moderated and translated by our fearless leader, Jeremy Parzen) ensued.
Corte San Biagio: Selection of COF wines
It was a great start to our Colli Orientali del Friuli trip. And for a superstitious traveler like myself, the “La Sclusa” connection between Houston and Friuli was a welcome promise for many great wine adventures to come.
Pingback: Arrival in Colli Orientali del Friuli, and a fortuitous coincidence #cof2012 « Colli Orientali del Friuli 2012
That 360 viewer is SO cool. Such a fun coincidence! What did the producer think about it?