At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Home base
- San Quirino, Friuli Venezia Giulia
- Sparkling wine
- Prosecco made by the Charmat method
- White wines
- Pietra Di Pinot Grigio and Terre Magre Chardonnay
- Red wines
- Terre Magre Cabernet Franc and Terre Magre Pinot Nero
- Farming choice
- Organic wine range
The Producer
At San Quirino, Piera Martellozzo manages the Friuli base of a business founded by Giovanni in Camposampiero in 1899. She took over in 1992, when it was still a small local operation. Under her management, the business expanded toward an international presence and moved from Padua to Friuli. Piera launched the first organic wine range in 1998. The range now covers Prosecco, Pietra Di Pinot Grigio, Terre Magre Chardonnay, Terre Magre Cabernet Franc and Terre Magre Pinot Nero.
Place
San Quirino's vineyard property sits on alluvial ground, with gravelly soils and white pebbles under the vines. Alluvial ground is deposited by moving water, leaving a mixture of stones and finer material. The white pebbles protect the vines from the region's worst weather, shielding the fruit that reaches the cellar. The regional split is printed on the labels: Pietra Di Pinot Grigio uses the Delle Venezie designation for the Veneto side of the range, while the Terre Magre line uses Friuli Venezia Giulia for the Friuli side.
Wines
The range moves from sparkling Prosecco to still whites and reds. For Prosecco, the grapes are harvested in the second half of September and gently pressed before Charmat fermentation. The wine ferments at low temperatures in stainless steel for up to three months. Charmat creates the bubbles in stainless steel tanks, so the finished wine has a tank formed mousse with no oak flavour.
Still wines include Pietra Di Pinot Grigio, Terre Magre Chardonnay, Terre Magre Cabernet Franc and Terre Magre Pinot Nero. Pietra Di puts Pinot Grigio on its own label, while Terre Magre groups Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Nero under one line. Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay are white grape varieties, while Cabernet Franc and Pinot Nero are red. Red grape skins can contribute firm texture during fermentation, giving the red bottles a different mouthfeel from the whites.
Terre Magre Cabernet Franc brings mature cherry and currant, green pepper and herbaceous notes. Barrique, the small oak barrel used for ageing, adds vanilla and subtle toast, while gradual oxygen contact changes the feel of the grape's tannin. The wine can be kept for several years after harvest.
Final Word
On the labels, Pietra Di Pinot Grigio uses Delle Venezie and the Terre Magre line uses Friuli Venezia Giulia. In the cellar, the range runs from sparkling wine made in tank to Cabernet Franc aged in barrique.