Raccaro

Cormons, Collio Friuli, Italy In 1928 Dario Raccaro’s grandfather, bought the farm at the foothills of Monte Quarin, just outside of Cormons, near the small church of S.Maria. During the sixties Dario’s father decided to concentrate on the production of wine and in the eighties Dario abandoned his career in professional basketball to take the reins of the winery. Dario’s charismatic and gregarious personality eschews trends and avoids the compromises dictated by the market. He is adamant about vinification in steel for his whites in order to retain the purest expression of the fruit and the terroir. Dario is also the president of the Enoteca di Cormons right in the center of town. This local shop was created by a group of the region's wine producers to showcase and promote the wines of the Collio; it serves as a meeting point for wine lovers and wine makers alike where to exchange ideas, compare wines and stories. The spirit of comraderie amongst the Collio wine producers is unusual and refreshing, there is a sense of “all for one, one for all” which aim is to jointly improve the lot of such a small region whose white wines are amongst Italy’s best. Dario produces 27.000 bottles from 5 hectares of 30 year old vines. His Vigna del Rolat vineyard, planted in the early 900’s is unanimously considered as the source of Friulano’s best rootstock, producing 10.000 bottles of one of the absolute best white wines of Italy. The soil is the classic “ponka” , a friable stony, marny and sandy mix which endows the grapes with the distinctive Collio minerality.