La Ponca: the challenge in the Collio

The second face of the group is located, as mentioned, in Scriò, a hamlet of Dolegna del Collio. Here the company was born. La Ponca, named after the Friulian term for the geological layer called flysch, of Eocene origin. It is a severe terrain of alternating layers of crumbly marls and compact sandstones, where the roots of the vines creep through the cracks and where the vineyards, which are 230-250 meters above sea level, are constantly beaten by the bora, which preserves the health of the grapes and accentuates freshness and verticality in the wines.

Andrea Pittana, agronomist, describes his work as that of a sound technician: eliminate background noise, reduce interventions, let the terroir express itself. It is precisely with this philosophy that Alex Maccan courageously chose to buy the winery and its 12 hectares of vineyards in Scriò, in one of the two most vocated areas of Collio along with Oslavia, the latter having always been closed to “outside” investment. A decision that brought him face to face with a demanding territory, where nothing is immediate and results are achieved only with commitment and determination, even considering the slopes and thus the heroicness required to lead the vineyards.

Production focuses almost exclusively on whites, with one exception: the Schioppettino, an indigenous red wine perfectly consistent with the historic area of origin of Prepotto, in the Friuli Colli Orientali DOC, just a few steps away as the crow flies.

The tasting

The tasting of wines from La Ponca returned a coherent picture of great personality, with whites from the Collio Doc outlining a sharp stylistic range and the Schioppettino confirming the red vocation of this corner of Friuli.

La Ribolla Gialla 2022 is essential and vertical, with a taut and saline sip, almost skeletal in style. Richer and more enveloping is the Malvasia 2022, combining ripe fruit and marine suggestions with a creamy mouthfeel. The Friulano 2022 stands out as an identity wine: initially introverted on the nose, it then opens generously, like the Chardonnay 2022 which shows richness, complexity and perfectly integrated wood. The pinnacle among the whites is probably the Sauvignon 2022, very elegant. Closing the battery is the Igt Venezia Giulia Schioppettino 2020, the company’s only red wine, which is convincing for its typicality and finesse. The latter, although produced within the Collio appellation, cannot be labeled as DOC because Schioppettino is not a grape allowed by the specification.

A set of wines that, while different in style, share precision, tension and a clear territorial imprint.

The historical roots of Collio

During our tour, Pittana also took us through some historical background on the establishment of the DOC. Collio and Colli Orientali share a common geological base., rich in calcium carbonates, but history has etched different paths, marked by the course of the Judrio river, already a state border for decades. Indeed, in the Collio the wine culture has been affected by Austrian influence ., while in the Eastern Hills the Italian one prevailed.

As early as 1821 the Grand Duke of Austria decided to allocate the best plots to the international varieties, marking a turning point that was consolidated a few decades later. In 1891, during the Austrian oenological congress in Gorizia, in the postphylloxera era, data were indeed presented that demonstrated the qualitative superiority of grape varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon, thus confirming that direction. After World War I, Tocai also spread, which completed and enriched the varietal picture of Collio.

Then in the 1960s came another fundamental step: Collio was among the first Italian appellations to have a specification. In fact, the DOC was born in the 1968 and defined the wine Collio Bianco as a wine from a single vineyard, the result of coplanting Ribolla, Malvasia and Friulano, a true blend. However, there were very few hectares left of those mixed vineyards, and so it was that in the 1990s the specification changed: Collio Bianco freed itself from the single vineyard and opened up to all white varieties authorized by the specification. That wine, also aided by Oliviero Toscani’s famous – and decidedly controversial – photographic campaign, had great media resonance, but lost its identity and value: in fact, it often ended up accommodating unsold wine cellars, thus determining a fragmented quality scenario.

According to Pittana, the only way today to restore character to Collio Bianco is therefore to go back to tie it to the vineyard, with Ribolla, Malvasia and Friulano grown together in the best soils, in a balance that cannot be reproduced elsewhere. A path that the agronomist would like to pursue in the near future with La Ponca.

Two visions, one common thread

Le Monde and La Ponca are two different interpretations of the same ambition. The former expresses the venetian concreteness, rapid growth, openness to international markets and an identity built around Pinot Blanc. The second reflects the austro-friuli tradition, the search for essentiality, the desire to let geology above all dictate the rules. In this regard, credit must be given to the winemaker, who is capable of interpreting the two production realities distinctly and demonstrating that terroir must always prevail over the hand and personal preferences of the person making the wine.

Different in style and philosophy, the two wineries are united by a common thread: limestone soils, which give coherence and strength to the project, and Alex Maccan’s conviction that wine should authentically tell the voice of the land.

Collio Ribolla Gialla 2022 La Ponca

Score: 88/100
Average price in wine shop: € 25

100% Ribolla Gialla. Fermentation 40% in wood and 60% in steel, aging in dedicated tanks. Bright straw yellow. Floral and citrusy nose, with notes of daisy, lime and fresh thyme. Mouth slender, citric and very savory, finish short but clean, essential in style.

Collio Malvasia 2022 La Ponca

Score: 92/100
Average price in wine shop: € 25

100% Malvasia Istriana. Matures in large barrels. Deep straw yellow. Nose rich array of ripe fruit: persimmon, orange, Williams pear, with marine undertones of surf and shells. Creamy, enveloping mouthfeel with citrus fruit salad, fruit gummy candy and slight woody touch of sweet tobacco. Well-balanced acidity and savory, lingering finish.

Collio Friulano 2022 La Ponca

Score: 94/100
Average price in wine shop: € 25

100% Friulano. Traditional vinification in steel, then large wood. Bright strawberry. Initially closed nose, then notes of sea breeze, fresh citrus and a touch of light roasting. Palate full and vertical, with a very long, savory finish dominated by orange zest. Elegant and taut, strongly expressing the identity of the grape variety and the terroir.

Collio Chardonnay 2022 La Ponca

Score: 94/100
Average price in wine shop: € 25

100% Chardonnay. Bright golden yellow. Complex aromas of black tea, pineapple, custard and floral hints. Full-bodied and rich in the mouth, with returns of exotic fruit and a well-integrated woody finish. Excellent balance between freshness, savoriness and structure.

Collio Sauvignon 2022 La Ponca

Score: 95/100
Average price in wine shop: €25

100% Sauvignon. Wood and steel. Bright light yellow. Fine and expressive nose: sage, mint, white peach, passion fruit and strawberry grape. Fresh, exotic and mineral mouthfeel, with lively acidity and long aromatic persistence, well-managed wood.

Venezia Giulia Schioppettino 2020 La Ponca

Score: 95/100
Average price in wine shop: €35

100% Schioppettino. Fermented in steel, aged 12 months in barrique. Deep ruby red. Fresh, spicy nose of black pepper, ripe red fruits and violets. Elegant mouthfeel with soft, well-integrated tannins, lively freshness and long aromatic persistence.