An overview of the territory that makes Tunella wines unique and special.
Located in the northeastern corner of Italy, Friuli Venezia Giulia has a strong long-standing tradition in winegrowing, with over fifteen thousand hectares of vineyards, more than half of which are devoted to growing white grapes. Tunella vineyards all lie in the Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC area, the land of outstandingly elegant premium whites.
The Colli Orientali del Friuli area is regarded as one of the most suitable for growing grapevines thanks to the particular composition of the soil and the favourable microclimate. The hill slopes covered with terraced vineyards are protected from the cold winds that blow from the north by the Julian Prealps and are pleasantly swept be the warm breeze from the Adriatic Sea just a few dozen kilometres away.
The soil is composed by alternating layers of flaky marls (clayey limestone, known as “ponca” in Friulian) and sandstone (calcified sands) rich in lime, potassium and phosphorus. Of the 70 hectares of Tunella vineyards, all located in the DOC area, 70% are devoted to growing white grapes and the remaining 30% to red grapes; a proportion that reflects the tradition of this area.
Tunella is located in the far eastern edge of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in the northeastern corner of Italy, near the border with Austria and Slovenia not too far from Venice. The vineyards stretch over seventy hectares located in Cividale del Friuli, Premariacco, Manzano, and Corno di Rosazzo.
The winery owns seventy hectares of land in total, devoted to growing vines. The vine training systems are the traditional French guyot and the single arched cane. The average vine density is about five thousand plants per hectare. Yield is limited to seventy quintals per hectare, to enhance the quality of the grapes.
Tunella grows native grape varieties like Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana, Verduzzo Friulano, Picolit, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Schioppettino, and Pignolo, as well as international varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon, Pinot nero, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.