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In the heart of the Latisana DOC territory
The italian wine makers Grandi & Gabana are specialized in the production of red wine and white wine obtained from the wine grapes of the italian vineyards of Grandi & Gabana in Friuli (Italy).
The Grandi & Gabana cellars are positioned in a magnificent natural environment in the southwest of Udine, between Friuli's capital and the village of Latisana, where the DOC district Friuli-Latisana borders the DOC districts Friuli-Grave and Friuli-Annia. Knowing that the borders are a product of man, the boundaries do not always obey the logic of nature. It is obvious that the soil in this zone are dissimilar.
Rich soil for fine wines from Italy
The abundance of minerals and the low fertility make the soil of the Grandi & Gabana estate suitable for the balanced physiological development of the plants and the production of fine quality wines.
From the climatic point of view, the Julian Prealps and the arch of oriental hills protect the whole region from the cold currents from the north, while the Adriatic Sea contributes by calming the winter months and making the summer months more pleasant. Thanks to the sea breeze that pushes the clouds to the foot of the mountains, the abundance of rain, which is peculiar to the DOC districts closer to the mountains, can't be found here.
One hundred years
It took a long time for nature to transform the Friulian flats, that were once an immense marine basin that reached the foot of the Alps. A long process of erosion and sedimentation of debris transported by rivers and torrents (sand and clay), with the help of the African continent, altered the aspect of the whole region.
Due to this general movement, the sediments emerged from the water making a hilly arch in the soil where the marls (calcareous clay) intercalate in layers of sand (calcified sand). These soils are also found in Ramandolo, Colli Orientali of Friuli and Collio Goriziano. They are identical in both origin and structure to those of Brda in Slovenia.
During the Quaternary (around one million years ago) a new transformation occurred. The glacial movement moulded the hills of the medium-high Friuli (morainic circles) by transporting enormous quantities of gravel and sand towards the sea. This is typical of the DOC Friuli Grave and Friuli Isonzo that correspond respectively to the catchment basins of the Tagliamento, Meduna, Cellina, Livenza and Isonzo rivers. This soil is coarser and at times gravely and extremely permeable. In fact, most of the rain that falls from the mountains infiltrates and continues its course underground. At the glacier limits or maybe where the melted ice finished its descent, today a clear change can be noted. From gravel to silt to clay or, near the sea, to sand.
The waters that flow north to south along the Friulian flats meet a nearly impermeable layer where it re-emerges creating a line of springs in the southern flats, where the DOC Friuli Antisana and Friuli Aquileia are found. The clayish muddy soils, typical of the DOC Friuli-Latisana, are furrowed by strips of finer soil with more sand and pebbles similar to the Grave soils. These variances allow the cultivation of some kinds of vineyards for the production of different italian wines, which are more colourful and structured on clay soil and more aromatic the light soils.
Sun and wind, a natural patrimony
The sun's action creates early germination and maturation of the wine grapes. The breezes of the littoral and Bora wind dry the foliage of the plants protecting them from the development of parasitic mould, leaving the wine grapes healthy until the grape harvest. The combination of climatic factors and wine's quality, is particularly suitable for enhancing the alcohol level, the intensity of colours, the structure and the body of the wines produced from the grapes cultivated in the italian vineyards of Grandi & Gabana.
The varieties of wine grapes cultivated by Grandi & Gabana in its italian vineyards in Friuli are: Pinot Grigio, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Tocai Friulano, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc.
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