# Rosso (NV)

- **Producer:** Azienda Agricola Dario Prinčič
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
- **Region:** Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €29
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 15–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blackberry, cherry, plum, black pepper, herbaceous, mint, smoke, forest floor, leather, mushroom, game, tobacco

## About this wine

Dario Prinčič is located in Oslavia, a small village in the Collio region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia near the Slovenian border. Prinčič is widely recognized as one of the key figures in the natural wine movement, alongside neighbors Joško Gravner and Stanko Radikon. Farming organically since 1988, the estate turned completely to non-interventionist natural winemaking in 1999. The vineyards sit on steep, southeast-facing hillsides rooted in ponca soil, a local formation of alternating marl and sandstone.

## Interesting facts

- Dario Prinčič is a legendary pioneer of the natural and skin-contact winemaking movement in Friuli.
- Vineyards are planted on steep slopes of Friulian ponca soil—a mixture of marl and sandstone.
- The grapes come from 35-year-old vines with low yields enforced by cluster trimming.

## Food pairing

The savory depth, electric sub-alpine acidity, and structured tannins of this red blend demand dishes with rich textures or strong savory components. Fat and protein in red meats and wild game soften the wine's natural tannins, while earthy mushroom and cured meat dishes echo its wild, herbal core.

## Wine making process

Grapes are harvested by hand from 35-year-old vines. De-stemmed fruit undergoes spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in open oak vats without temperature control. Maceration on the skins lasts 10 to 20 days with manual daily punch-downs. The wine ages for two years in large neutral wooden casks and oak barriques, followed by six months in stainless steel tanks for natural clarification before bottling unfined and unfiltered with minimal added sulfur.