Friuli, Italy: Il Carpino

Situated in the picturesque commune of San Floriano del Collio, the seventeen-hectare Il Carpino estate hosts more than 10,000 vines -some as old as thirty years. Each grape variety, reared in the nurturing soil along the borders of Italy and Slovenia, occupies approximately a hectare of rich soil. In 1970, Silvio of the family Sosol only worked on a few hectares of land, which he dedicated to viniculture and vinification. The winemaker began to use labels bearing his name in 1987. Throughout the years, parcels of land were purchased piece by piece. Today, fourteen of the seventeen hectares are owned by the family (now led by Silvio’s son-in-law) and used to create premium wines that reflect the idyllic area. The estate’s family-style operation allows all its artisans to control every phase of cultivation and every part of the vinification process, as well as the commerce of finished products. The winemakers here also consider themselves interpreters of the terroir and distillers of its elements; more than simple custodians of the fruit and subsequent drink. They are storytellers of the territory – tellers of tales meant to be heard all over the world