In 1520 the Formentini family, Venetian counts, purchased the castle in the town of San Floriano del Collio, the highest hilltop village in northeastern Friuli, which sits in the heart of the modern day Collio appellation.
In fact, the Castello Formentini and its vineyards have quite a colorful history. Occupying a strategic location at the highest point in the region, which overlooks present day Slovenia, and once constituting an integral part of 16th century Venetian land holdings, a castle was built as a bulwark, first against the Ottomans and, subsequently, the Hapsburg empire. In 1615-1617, during the Wars of Gradisca, the nearby town of St. Florian (near the castle and its vineyards) was conquered by the Venetians, who found in the cellars of Castello Formentini “three hundred casks of wine exquisite,” according to a an account recorded by the Formentini family. So it is safe to say that wine from the vineyards surrounding the Castello Formentini and the hills of San Floriano has been made here ever since and the Formentini cellar is in fact, considered one of the oldest in Collio.
Today, there is a modern winery located opposite the castle, which is still owned by the Formentini family. At Conti Formentini, Winemaker Cristian Scrinzi manages 30 growers who have been supplying the winery for decades. The focus of the winery is on varietal-driven, aromatic whites typical of the area, including Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio.
A winery founded in 1520 and still working today is a story in itself. If we then add that its wines were tasted and praised by the clergy, nobility and politicians of the time, then we know it’s no longer just a story but rather a veritable part of history. Formentini has been synonymous with quality for 500 years and can claim to be one of the wineries that has most left its mark on the winemaking history of the Collio region thanks to its ability to interpret and understand the value of the traditional climatic, environmental and human characteristics of the area. A profound knowledge of the terroir along with collaboration with partner-producers going back generations have allowed the winery to take maximum advantage of the essential qualities of each single micro-zone to obtain grapes of consistent quality over time resulting in wines of elegance and complexity.
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