Alessio Komjanc, wine producer in Friuli Venezia-Giulia

One year ago I visited Friuli Venezia Giulia and visited the producer Alessio Komjanc near the Slovenian border in the area of San Floriano del Collio. It is a family owned business. The winery Alesssio Komjanc was founded in the seventies by Alessio Komjanc. When visiting this winery the one showing us around were Roberto Komjanc, one of the four sons of Alessio Komjanc. This winery has 24 hectars of vineyards. And they focus on many of the grapes used in Friuli Venezia Giulia. For white wines Komjanc uses regional grapes as Ribolla Gialla – still and sparkling; Friulano, Malvasia Istriana, Picolit and the international grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Traminer Aromatico. Komjanc also produces some red wines on grapes such as Schioppettino, Pinot Nero, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Also there is a production of olive oil.

 

For this tasting I have focused on the red wines, made from Cabernet Franc and Pinot Nero. The first bottle is the Cabernet Franc red wine.  It is made of 100% Cabernet Franc grapes and is of the vintage 2016. In the taste I get black currant, strawberry and some cherry. This wine is very slightly sparkling which gives it a bit more refreshing taste when it is warm outside. A good wine which for me is perfect in summer time.

 

Next wine is the Dedica Pinot Nero, which is made from Pinot Nero grapes and has the vintage 2016. This wine has been aged for 18 months is French barrels. The ABV is 14,5%. In the taste i get sour cherries, tobacco, oak and some black currant. Nice structure with the tannins in the back. Works best with food as it complements food very well.

 

 

Pinot Grigio, Collio, from Alessio Komjanc

One year ago I visited Friuli Venezia Giulia and visited the producer Alessio Komjanc near the Slovenian border in the area of San Floriano del Collio. It is a family owned business. The winery Alesssio Komjanc was founded in the seventies by Alessio Komjanc. When visiting this winery the one showing us around were Roberto Komjanc, one of the four sons of Alessio Komjanc. This winery has 24 hectars of vineyards. And they focus on many of the grapes used in Friuli Venezia Giulia. For white wines Komjanc uses regional grapes as Ribolla Gialla – still and sparkling; Friulano, Malvasia Istriana, Picolit and the international grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Traminer Aromatico. Komjanc also produces some red wines on grapes such as Schioppettino, Pinot Nero, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Also there is a production of olive oil.

In the last blogpost about Komjanc I wrote about the native grapes and this time I will look at one international grapes, Pinot Grigio. It is a white wine grape that is grown internationally and can make bad to excellent wines but in Friuli Venezia Giuli it makes very good wines  The wine that I have tasted from Komjanc is their Pinot Grio from 2017 which has an ABV of 14%, which is a bit stronger than your usual Pinot Grigio. In the taste I get pear, lime and some honey. A very nice smooth Pinot Grigio whih is very good.

Komjanc, a wine producer in Friuli Venezia Giulia

For my second instalment about Friuli Venezia Giulia I write about the producer Komjanc. The winery Alesssio Komjanc was founded in the seventies by Alessio Komjanc and is situated in San Floriano del Collio. When visiting this winery the one showing us around were Roberto Komjanc, one of the four sons of Alessio Komjanc. This winery has 24 hectars of vineyards. And they focus on many of the grapes used in Friuli Venezia Giulia. For white wines Komjanc uses regional grapes as Ribolla Gialla – still and sparkling; Friulano, Malvasia Istriana, Picolit and the international grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Traminer Aromatico. Komjanc also produces some red wines on grapes such as Schioppettino, Pinot Nero, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Also there is a production of olive oil.

The area is very hilly and the local climate makes it very peculiar. The temperature normally drops at night and the soil is made of silt and sandstones. Winemakers plant grass between every row of vine in order to get a better soil structure and to slow erosion. From the house of Komjanc one can see Slovenia, only about 2 km away.

The wine I will focus on here is a  Komjancs white wine made from the grape Ribolla Gialla. The grape is a white grape grown mostly in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. In Slovenia it is known as Rebula (the name Komjanc is Slovenian). Nowadays it is thought that Ribolla Gialla originated in this region.
The wine from Komjanc is their Ribolla Gialla from 2017 with an ABV of 12,5%. I find this wine to be quite light and easy drinking but full with flavours. In the taste I get peach, tropical fruits and some floral notes with a light hit of citrus. I just love these Ribolla Gialla wines.

From the tasting I had at Komjanc I tasted several of their other wines and some I will review later on. They have very good wines along the board and it is a fun visit at the winery.