Vinyard

I had been telling Marie's father we'd go to get wine. Finally we headed up the road to the village of Valeriano and the vineyard of Emilio Bulfon. Bulfon has dedicated his vineyard to recapturing lost varieties of grape. For example, Cividin was common in the 7th and 8th centuries as a banquet wine during weddings.

Emilio Bulfon

Our purchases of the day

Bulfon has reclaimed these lost grapes by searching through small private vineyards and gardens. It is not uncommon for somebody to have as few as 2 or 3 vines at their house with which they make a small amount of wine each year. Or the older private vineyards whose grapes are processed into red or white table wine at the local cooperative may contain a diverse variety of vines.

Of course, local people I spoke with don't think there is anything special about the wines. Everyone has a friend or family member who makes (or more often made) these varieties at home. Unfortunately, they fail to understand the varieties will only be saved through commercialization such as this. Without creation of a market, the older vines will gradually die and be replaced by commercial varieties.