The fourth-generation estate of Forchir, in the region of Udine, was one of the first in Friuli to bottle their wine for commercial sale. And while the estate has a long history, it is also a benchmark of modernity, with technology prudently used to best express territory and vine, as well as to protect and work in harmony with the environment. The gleaming new winery is state of the art and slickly modern, but the guiding values are expressly traditional.

Gianfranco Bianchini is the current custodian and winemaker, managing the 230 hectares that are currently under vine in Grave, in Felettis di Bicinicco, Camino al Tagliamento and Spilimbergo.The heavier iron-rich clay soils are reserved for red grapes, while the alluvial gravels suit the classic Friulian white varieties, with their characteristic mineral expression being the hallmarks of Grave whites. Viticulture is responsive rather than prescriptive, with inputs kept to a minimum and only when necessary.

Out of respect for the environment and the future, all the winery’s power requirements are met by photovoltaic panels, and indeed the winery is registered as ‘carbon free’. The white wines are fermented cool in stainless steel tanks, with no sulphur dioxide used in the winemaking process until a minimal addition at bottling. The Forchir wines are pure and varietal, with a distinct territorial underpinning.