Livio Felluga
Livio Felluga is a cult in the Italian wine industry. Even if the two subsequent generations have already successfully managed the company for some time, Livio Felluga will probably remain a role model for many other generations. After all, he has been the driving force and innovator of the entire Friuli wine region for decades.
When in 1956 he settled here in the Collio, in Brazzano near Cormons, he had two world wars behind him, complete with imprisonment, his childhood home in Istria had sunk into the sea, the wine trade of his ancestors no longer existed and the The southern region of the once proud Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was unnaturally divided by peace treaties, was therefore partly in the “Eastern Bloc” and was largely abandoned by the population.
But Livio Felluga saw a future in the hills of Rosazzo, founded a small winery, built an advanced winery with growth potential, recultivated abandoned vineyards and planted new ones – and over the decades built one of the most successful and internationally renowned wineries in Italy. There is practically no award that his wines have not received, and he himself has been honored with honorary degrees, becoming Doctor h.c. of the University of Udine and "Patriarch of Friulian viticulture". He died in 2016 at the age of 102.
The label he designed, showing the estate's vineyards, survives, as does his philosophy of quality. It still focuses on a mix of different vines that Livio Felluga found "suitable for the land", both native such as Friulano (Tokai), Picolit, Ribolla Gialla or Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, and "international". Because he immediately recognized that Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay were already at home here before the Second World War, as were Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
The focus is on elegant white wines such as “Terre Alte” from Friulano, Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon or “Illivio” from a selection of the best Pinot Bianco grapes, as well as Chardonnay and Picolit. For a few years now, the "Vino delle Rose" has also been included in the range, coming from the vineyards of the historic Monastery of the Rosazzo Abbey, rented by the Felluga family, where old vines of Friulano, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia and Ribolla Gialla are grown , used only for this high quality wine. With the “Sossó” of Merlot, Refosco and Pignolo, however, Livio Felluga was able to positively surprise many lovers of Bordeaux or Brunello in the early 90s.