Italian wines are notoriously difficult to understand which makes our job communicating them, that much harder. Putting them into their own regional context, by which I mean learning where they were made, by whom and with what they are typically eaten with, is the answer to really “getting them.”  So a chance to visit the team at the family run La Tunella in Fuili (N.E. Italy) was more than a little tempting.

Every year, La Tunella organize a Festival to co-incide with their harvest. This year was their 10th event, and to celebrate, they were really making a splash. We were greeted off the minibus with copius plates of different, delicious hams – pancetta, san daniele and prosciutto – and an equally delicious array of cheeses, all of which were sourced locally in the region. It was only 4.30 but somehow we felt completely justified in washing these down with four different wines from La Tunella, including a Schiopettino (pronounced ski-op-et-ino) and other indigenous grapes such as Friulano. These went perfectly with the delicious local fare and we all instantly fell for them.

Friuli has an abundance of indigenous grape varieties and each one has been developed over the region’s long, distinguished history. However, it is also home to many international grape varieties and it is sadly these which tend to attract the foreign markets. We at C & B take the Pinot Nero, the Cabernet Franc, the Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot Grigio, for the simple reason that customers are happy to buy them. A shame really, when you see the huge range available to us, but this is the fate of Italian wines in a UK market: All too often their perceived illegibility on a menu or price list means they stay sitting gathering dust….

The festival started early after a late, Tunella-filled night (2006 Cab Franc was just too delicious to leave in the glass) and as we arrived at the gates of the glistening new winery, we were greeted with huge glasses of Malvasia and more delicious hams, cheeses and locally made jams. The rest of the morning was spent walking through the fruit-laden vineyards, visiting hillside fruit farms with donkeys lazily enjoying the beautiful sunshine.

Then a trip to Cividale – the beautiful and outrageously old, local town. La Tunella had arranged for us and the other 500 odd guests at their festival to have lunch under the cloisters of the town’s ancient monestry – a beautiful spot, literally a stone’s throw from the completely clear, emerald river hundreds of feet below. They had teamed up with Slow Food; the movement in Italy with more followers than any of their political parties, started up to protect local cuisine as a reaction to the increasingly prevalent fast food culture.

The food was grouped into ‘types’ and paired with appropriate wines from La Tunella. We all gravitated once again towards the Friulano and the delicious dessert wines, made from the indigenous Piccolit and blends including Ribolla Gialla and Sauvignon Blanc. Utterly delicious and perfectly suited to the local cake which looked like a cross between a giant hot cross bun and a danish pastry. Very good.

Back at the stunning, state of the art winery (2000 sq meters on 2 spotless floors) there was a chance for us all to harvest the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, which was fantastic – there is nothing quite like collecting low hanging fruit! I am not going to pretend that 15 minutes wasn’t enough for me / my secateurs and I was left in awe of those who spend such long days at this time of year. However, with a little help of the pros, we had gathered enough to start the treading competition. Girls vs boys – the first to tread enough to fill a barrique of the (rather dirty) must. The girls, employing the regular rythym of a gym treadmill, won hands down… and naturally celebrated with more of La Tunella delicious wines.

The celebrations went on late into the night, with Om-pah bands, local country dancing, delicious local specialities (and some more dubious dishes such as a raw type of sausage with sauerkraut.) At the end of the night, the family, who had been busy throughout, stood up to give a presentation. Three generations proudly took to the stage, the youngest in his grandmother’s arms. He, they said, was the future of the winery. And there it was; confirmation – if any was needed – that this is, like so many other Italian wineries, driven by the family for the family, expressing and communicating the amazing strengths of the region.

It was very easy to see what a winning combination this is and we look forward to spreading the word further.