THE WINE

The Merlot Leopold from the Fiegl winery comes from 100% Merlot grapes grown in the more than sixty-year-old vineyards owned by the winery. We are in Oslavia, a small hamlet of Gorizia, right on the border with Slovenia. The ventilated microclimate, the important temperature variations between day and night, and the soil that they call ponca here make this area of Friuli Venezia Giulia an ideal place for growing vines.

This merlot is called Leopold after Leopold Figl, the Austrian chancellor who signed the treaty between NATO and the Soviets. It is an elegant and complex wine that ages in wood.

THE WINEMAKING

The harvest is strictly manual and takes place in the second half of October; only the selected grapes are brought to the cellar for winemaking. Once in the cellar, the grapes macerate for twelve days. The wine ages in wood and spends at least three years in tonneaux and barriques. After blending and bottling, the wine rests in the cellar for at least three years before being released onto the market.

THE TASTING

Ruby red, tending towards garnet. The aroma is elegant, with pleasant fruity notes, where cherry jam and berries prevail. This, in turn, leaves room for hints of vanilla to finish with delicate spicy hints. Savoury and well structured on the palate, with an elegant and silky tannin, this Merlot is a full-bodied wine with a good correspondence between aromas and flavour and a long and persistent finish.

FOOD PAIRINGS

It goes well with red meat and hard cheeses. Try it with wild boar goulash.

THE WINERY

Today, we take you to Oslavia, a small patch of land in the Collio Friulano, about 200 meters from the border with Slovenia. Originally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this territory became Italian to all intents and purposes after the end of the First World War… keep reading