On the stony Karst plateau above Sagrado, Castelvecchio works a landscape where vineyards have been documented since the 18th century and the grapes are unmistakably local.
Backstory
Vines and olive trees were recorded on these hills as early as 1578, and the Villa Veneta estate was built from around 1700. The Terraneo family acquired Castelvecchio in 1986. The estate is run by Leopoldo Terraneo and his wife Mirella with their children Lorenzo, Benedetta and Isabella.
The Region
The estate sits in the Carso (Karst) of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, above Sagrado in the province of Gorizia. The defining feature is the soil: iron-rich red Karst earth over limestone, a difficult but characterful terroir shared with neighboring Istria.
Vineyards and Farming
Castelvecchio farms 35 hectares of vineyards. The estate moved to low-impact, sustainable viticulture from 2013 and reached organic certification by 2019. Plantings include the indigenous white Vitovska and the red Terrano, a Refosco of the Karst, alongside Malvasia and Sauvignon.
Winemaking
The Vitovska is soft-pressed and fermented in temperature-controlled steel, then aged on the lees in steel before bottling and further rest. The Terrano is aged about nine months in stainless steel without malolactic fermentation, then three months in bottle before release.
The Wines
The range centers on the indigenous Carso varieties, Vitovska and Terrano, with Malvasia, Sauvignon, a rose and the long-aged Turmino, plus estate olive oil and vermouth. Recent vintages have drawn high marks from international critics.
