The Zamó family has always loved wine. Luigi Zamó opened a tavern in 1924 in Manzano and provided his patrons with a selection of the best wines from the region. He passed on this love of wine to his son, Tullio, and his grandsons, Pierluigi and Silvano.
In 1979, Tullio purchased the family’s first vineyard - five hectares on the slopes of Rocca Bernarda, one of the zones acknowledged as the historic heartland of premium wines in Friuli. A few years later in 1988, the winery’s flagship wine, Ronco dei Roseti, was first awarded the highest honor for a Friulian wine (3 Glasses by Gambero Rosso).
It was again awarded this honor in 1992 and 1994.
During the 1990s, Tullio Zamó collaborated with the internationally renowned oenologist, Franco Bernabei. The family has gradually added more hectares with vineyards in Buttrio and Rosazzo and has chosen to grow slowly and maintain quality.
The family’s winemaking philosophy ensures that the grape harvest is carried out according to the laws and times of nature, claiming that peace and patience are the secret to making premium-quality wine. This simplicity emerges in the balance of Zamò wines.The harvest is carried out exclusively by hand. The grapes are carefully selected before they are placed gently in their cases. The vinification process respects the wisdom of tradition and the premium quality enabled by modern technology.
This week's Sommelier Feature
Pinot Grigio Ramato 2013
Item: 123984
Designation of origin
Colli Orientali del Friuli
Vinification
The challenge of imbuing a workhorse wine like Pinot Grigio with serious presence and prestige has always fired imaginations in the Zamò household. Our goal is to release a Pinot Grigio that transcends the wine’s customary tasting profile. We want to make a fruit-forward, elegant product that is also powerful and austere, enhanced by the terroir-derived character of the Rosazzo subzone. With the 2005 vintage, our Pinot Grigio confirmed what had previously emerged from technical trials.
Vinification: The grapes were picked at full ripeness and then destemmed on arrival at the cellar. Half of the fruit was cold-macerated before fermentation at controlled temperatures in stainless steel. The other half was left on the skins for four days, completing fermentation in five-hectolitre oak barrels after pressing. Throughout maturation, the two lots of wine were kept separate. The only operations carried out were monitoring of malolactic fermentation in the wood-fermented wine, and weekly lees stirring on both batches. After about six months, the batches were blended and the wine went into bottle. The resulting Pinot Grigio is a fruity, attractively fresh white wine with power and body to equal a red.
Sensory profile
The Pinot Grigio vinified in this way is a deep, almost pinkish, onionskin. The nose reveals all of Pinot Grigio’s varietal fruit and flower aromatics mingling with maturation-derived notes of yeast and crusty bread. Vanilla and a faint hint of smoky toastiness round off the intense bouquet. The mouthfilling, glycerine-rich palate has warmth and breadth, signing off with very savoury acidity and a hint of tannins. The long-lingering after-aroma evokes all the wine’s power.
Food matchings
Spider crab, scampi or shrimp, preferably steamed so that their sweetness is offset by the wine’s rich, oily texture. Particularly delicious with razor shells, scallops and stewed cuttlefish, or fish-based pasta and risottos in general.
