Pinot Grigio delle Venezie IGT “Ronco Calaj” 2020 – Russolo

Russolo family history is an integral part of viticulture in western Friuli, a region often forgotten, which covers an area of about 7,500 hectares, straddling the river Tagliamento between the provinces of Pordenone and Udine. Starting in the late 1800s, John Russolo began producing wines, and later Rino Sr. would be one of the first graduate eno-technicians from the Experimental Institute of Conegliano. Today, the wine making duo, Iginio and Rino Russolo, craft some delicious wines from Pordenone in Western Friuli. Committed to low yields, they are focused on high-quality wines with concentrated varietal character. The vineyards sit on stony soils in the alluvial flatlands around Pordenone, which have excellent drainage qualities, keeping the vines strong and healthy, even in the wettest years. On 17 hectares of vineyards, they cultivate Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Refosco, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muller Thurgau, and the rare red stalk Merlot for a total production of approximately 170,000 bottles. Russolo are committed to offering “Environmentally responsible production”, which involves the use of organic fertilizers as opposed to chemicals, a limited use of sulphur, and lighter glass bottles (reducing the weight of transport and therefore pollution levels). Additionally, they constantly strive to be more energy efficient by replacing the classic neon lights with LED tubes and using LED projectors instead of halogen floodlights. These are a few among many changes they are making in order to achieve an environmentally responsible production.