Vignai da Duline "La Duline" Schioppettino Venezeia Giulia, Friuli, Italy 2022

FROM KERMIT LYNCH

THE WINE: I am always looking for medium- to light-bodied red wines with relatively low alcohol for our dinner table and have found that nothing fits the bill quite as well as Duline’s magnificent Schioppettino, my favorite red in Friuli and one of my favorites in all of Italy. Incredibly capricious to grow, and thus not widely planted, Schioppettino can reach great heights of pleasure and expression in the hands of a thoroughly meticulous grower like Lorenzo Mocchiutti at Duline. Expect bright, crunchy forest berries, elegance, freshness, and sneaky structure. I loved Lorenzo’s pairing idea—squid ink pasta with calamari. I’ve also served it with a simple anchovy pasta, and it was a huge hit.

THE PRODUCER: In the late 1990s Lorenzo Mocchiutti and wife Federica Magrini inherited a few hectares of vines from Lorenzo’s grandfather. These vineyards, mostly neglected for decades, were planted primarily with old vines of local grape varieties like Tocai Giallo, Malvasia Istriana, Tocai Fruilano, and Schioppettino, as well as more common varieties like Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Merlot. Today, their holdings cover seven hectares divided between hillsides and flatlands, including Ronco Pitotti, one of the oldest hillside vineyards in Friuli, with vines dating back to the 1920s.

Their respectful, holistic approach to vineyard management is summed up in their philosophy of “No Trimming the Shoots” and “No Herbicides.” Though it is generally accepted that vines are trimmed of excess leaves or fruit to concentrate a vine’s efforts toward healthy bunches of grapes, Lorenzo and Federica let their vines find their own balance, choosing not to trim any of their vines. In addition to this unconventional practice, they do not use herbicides to prevent growth of unwanted vegetation between rows of vines. Instead they plant a type of alfalfa, erba medica, that when cut acts as a natural fertilizer.