Grapes: Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana, Friulano
Region: Goriska Brda region on the border of Slovenia and Italy
Vintage: 2018
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Marl + Clay
Vinification: Hand harvested at optimum maturity then macerated on skins in open vats for a couple days. Large oak vats with regular manual punchdowns.
Aging: at least 24 months on the lees in large Slavonian oak barrels.
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: None added
Notes from the Importer:
Fun facts:
- The winery started in the 1990s, inspired by wines of their neighbors like Gravner or Radikon, which Evangelos fell in love with at the family restaurant he ran
- The estate has been organic since the beginning and went completely natural (indigenous yeast only, no filtration, no SO2 added) in 2003, after moving to a newly built cellar that finally allowed them to work this way
- With their Greek roots and Italian/Slovene border situation, the brothers are true polyglots: they speak Greek with their father, Italian between themselves, Slovene with their workers, and English with most of their clients
- Just above the cellar, the family runs a small, cozy agriturismo with beautiful views of the surrounding lush vine-covered slopes; highly recommended.
“This year, we were like monks in Burgundy,” Alexis Paraschos acknowledges with his typically warm smile, “no travel, no party, just working and observing our vines doing well, seeing the effect of different pruning methods and getting beautiful healthy grapes with only 12% potential ABV in the end.” There’s no trace of longing for the busy life on the go of the more “normal” years in his voice; maybe it’s because the “fairs & flights” part of the job is usually done by his more outspoken brother Jannis anyways, or maybe because—and this is our bet—the Collio area is a pretty nice spot to get stuck in.
Located on the border of Slovenia and Italy, the hilly microregion of Collio Goriziano / Goriška Brda offers an unfair share of everything a wine lover could ask for: the hustle and Vienna-like flair of the proud port city of Trieste lies just an hour drive away, as do the Alps and beaches. Being a historically busy intersection of the Balkans, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Italy means that great eating spots abound in the area (including a Michelin-star restaurant that allegedly inspired Ana Roš of Hiša Franko to become a chef, too). And most of all, it really touches one’s heart to look at all the natural beauty around. The family’s agriturismo, located just above the cellar, overlooks lush vine-covered slopes and valleys and makes you sympathize with the rich merchants of the Habsburg empire who made Gorizia their favorite holiday spot.
The tumultuous course of history left a strong mark on the area’s viticulture, too, as Alexis explains to us when we wonder about the prevalence of Merlot in the area. Far from being recently imported, it was actually introduced during a brief episode of the French reign during the Napoleonic era at the beginning of the 19th century. “And since the growers had a good experience with this grape, they opted for it when replantation was needed after the ravages of WWI, in 1918 and beyond.” History explained in wine—yes, please!
Although the Paraschos winery started in the 1990s when Alexis’ father Evangelos became inspired by neighboring Gravner wines that he liked to serve in the family restaurant, the family actually has the luck to own some vines that hail almost a century back, on both sides of the border. The oldest Merlot plants from these vines give birth to Skala (meaning “rock” in reference to the poor gravel subsoil), the winery’s top red. Naturally low yields bring about a deep, focused wine with endless layers of fruits, stones, and fresh earth. “That’s the character given by old vines,” Alexis nods, “past 50 years of age, something beautiful happens to Merlot, and it starts to give these noble notes of truffle and humus.”
But the region—and estate—is probably best known for their whites, or rather oranges, as the winemaking tradition in the area consists of skin contact wines from the locally typical Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana, and Friulano (fka Tokai until the famous Hungarian namesake area said no). Alexis Paraschos uses the maceration rather lightly, aiming at harmony between freshness, tannins, body, and the seductive drinkability of these wines proves him right. Especially the Orange One, a blend of all three varietals that came about from Alexis’ historical research: “Traditionally, the wines here were blends or even field-blends, with the practical reason of getting a naturally balanced wine even when one of the varietals had a weaker year. Take Ribolla, for example—it needs a big vintage and good exposure to create great wine, so we only make pure Ribolla in these years. But it’s also the best way to fight the unnatural idea that wine equals monoculture.”
Indeed, monoculture is not something you’ll experience in the lush Paraschos vineyards; since the beginning, the winery has been synonymous with extreme respect for the environment (and the consumer). No herbicides, no pesticides, the only fertilizer used is organic manure, and the rows are covered with grass and plowed only in winter if necessary. No wonder the vines look so happy and healthy despite their significant age, we say, complimenting Alexis. “We couldn’t do it otherwise,” he shrugs, “You can have an occasional bad vintage when working this way. But you still have your healthy soil and living vineyard. And that’s what matters the most.”
Alexis Paraschos on this wine: “The true “white” of Gorizia! Our historic research shows that the white wines of this area used to be a blend of typical varieties because such wine would give a more harmonious and naturally stable result. We choose to make this skin-contact white, coming partly from complanted vines, to honor this tradition and fight monoculture.”
Personality: balance it is! Lemon, orange peel, a touch of roses, light body, and good length: one of these skin-contact wines for people who are getting tired of, or freshly acquainted with orange wines.
