Prices are for take away and shipping. The wine bar serves from its own list.
The winery
About Venica & Venica
History
The Venica family dates its start to 1930, when Daniele Venica bought the main house on the Cerò hill in Dolegna del Collio. Four generations later the family is still there. The estate grew by steps that the winery lists on its own timeline. In 1981 Sauvignon vines went in on the north west side of the Cerò hill, in 1982 the Jesera vineyard was bought at the foot of the valley, and in 1983 five hectares at Bernizza followed. A farmhouse stay with three bedrooms opened in 1985, five hectares at Meden were added in 1987, the whole Cerò hill was bought in 1993, five hectares at Cime came in 2002 and another five at Ruttars in 2013. The brothers Gianni and Giorgio carried the work through the later decades, and the next generation, including Giampaolo and Serena, works alongside them.
The land and the vineyards
The estate farms about 40 hectares in the Collio DOC. Collio lies between the Judrio stream and the Isonzo river, with sun exposed hills of Eocene marl and sandstone, the soil the locals call ponca. It is rich in minerals and calcium carbonate. The Adriatic softens the climate while the Julian Alps shield the hills from cold northern winds. Each vineyard has its own character. Ronco delle Mele, a Sauvignon vineyard, faces north west on the Cerò hill. Ronco delle Cime is the highest and steepest, among woods, with Friulano. Jesera, with Pinot Grigio, sits low near the first buildings. Ronco Bernizza has five hectares of Chardonnay in a wooded, varied landscape, and Meden has five hectares of Ribolla Gialla.
The wines
Venica is known mainly for white wines, and reds make up about 15 percent of production. The single vineyard wines, started in 1995 with the first Ronco delle Mele Sauvignon under the name Spirito del luogo, bring together the Sauvignons of the estate in Ronco del Cerò, a Friulano from Ronco delle Cime, a Malvasia called Petris and a Pinot Grigio from Jesera. The range also holds Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla and a few reds such as Merlot.
Today
The old country house where the family began is now a wine resort with rooms and apartments, tastings and a shop. Sustainability is part of daily farming here: solar panels were installed in 2006, a boiler running on wood from the estate's own land in 2007, and the winery joined the national V.I.V.A. sustainable wine project in 2011 and holds the certification. Vineyard work includes cover crops between the rows, and the family protects soil and biodiversity on the hillsides.
- Founded
- 1930
- Vineyards
- About 40 hectares (Collio DOC)
- Main grapes
- Sauvignon, Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia
- Owners
- Venica family (Gianni, Giorgio and family)
- Winemaker
- Giampaolo Venica (per a third party listing)