Andrei Tarkovsky chose to film the finale of his movie Nostalghia in the Grave region of Pordenone, in what is a true steppe of the high Friulian plain near the pre-Alpine arc, where alluvial land becomes an ancestral place. Here, the protagonist of the film, the Russian poet Andrei Gorchakov, who has expatriated to Italy, will soothe his “nostalgia” and perform the final act of his life. This is, of course, an alternate history; the actual ending of the film was shot in Tuscany at Bagno Vignoni. However, if someone had told the film’s screenwriter Tonino Guerra, and by extension Tarkovsky, about the existence of the Friulian Grave, things might have turned out differently. This suggestion might find some foundation in the vision provided by the documentary Tempo di viaggio.
In the short film, the Russian master and Tonino Guerra describe their wanderings through Italy in search of the most suitable places to give life and soul to the screenplay of Nostalghia. Tarkovsky often appears dissatisfied and impatient: the locations do not appeal to him, either because they are too touristy or because his vision of the landscape was one rich in symbolism, broader and less compressed than what Italy offered. Thus, the Grave might have been electrifying for him, but this remains mere speculation.
Albino Armani and the “Grave”
Returning to the reality of the situation and placing the Grave in the “wine” context, the lunar landscape might initially suggest little about viticulture. Yet here, the mountains, in addition to giving rise to the stony terrain of the Grave, protect against the cold northern winds and, along with the beneficial effect of the Adriatic Sea, have created a climate particularly suited for grape growing. Adding to this the ideas of a tireless and utopian winemaker like Albino Armani, who more than thirty years ago arrived in Sequals from Valdadige, transforming a desolate expanse of gravel and stones into a modern, functional winery surrounded by over 90 hectares of vineyards, the equation is complete. Albino Armani has entered these lands gently, almost on tiptoe, without fanfare, respecting the places and people, and indeed, through wine, he has become a promoter of preserving the cultural landscape.
Sequals
In Sequals, Albino Armani produces Pinot Grigio, Friulano, and Sauvignon Blanc. Sequals is known for being the birthplace of the great boxer Primo Carnera, but it would be fair to remember it also for having given birth, in 1826, to the mosaic artist Gian Domenico Facchina, who transformed this village of just over 2,000 souls into the “mosaic town,” spreading the technique worldwide.
At this point, it is crucial to make an important clarification to avoid the (unforgivable) mistake of identifying the Grave only with the Magredi, which are lands composed 80% of gravel and stones. Just a couple of kilometers away, for example in the vineyards Albino Armani owns in the Lestans fraction, we find ancient peaty sediments dating back to old vanished lakes, or in Valeriano, a fraction of Pinzano al Tagliamento, where we find a high concentration of clay.
To quote Walter Filiputti, journalist, winemaker, and great soul of Friulian gastronomy, as well as Albino Armani’s mentor for the “Terre di Plovia” project, in Friuli, soil homogeneity does not exist. There are historical, pedoclimatic, and meteorological differences that have led to a complexity of soils. Not to mention that the Grave could indeed reveal itself as one of Italy’s future terroirs, as climate change has transformed an area once famous for its adverse climate (it was one of Italy’s rainiest and coldest areas) into a temperate zone where viticulture can achieve greater quality.
The Terre di Plovia Project
The term “cultural landscape” was coined by German geographer Martin Schwind, who, in his essay “Cultural Landscape as Shaped Spirit” (Kulturlandschaft als geformter Geist, 1964), observes that the landscape is the physical expression of the culture of the people who inhabit or have inhabited it, in a direct relationship between the overall cultural model of a country and its reflection on the physical landscape. In other words, the landscape is nature transformed into a context, filtered by human action and perception, the creator of its transformations.
In the realization of the Terre di Plovia Project, Albino Armani has perfectly embraced the concept of Cultural Landscape, where wine is never the end but the means to become a conservator of the places where it is born. Primarily, this involves the recovery of the land and the old farmhouse once home to the Vicentini-Orgnani family, around which the estate is developed. The name of this place is precisely Plovia, an ancient toponym where the feudal dynasty of the Plovia settled in the Middle Ages.
Furthermore, the Terre di Plovia project, in a broader vision, beyond the recovery and protection of ancient indigenous varieties (sciaglin, forgiarin, ucelut, piculit neri), becomes a bridge for maintaining the banks overlooking the Tagliamento River, thus allowing the restoration of ancient pilgrimage routes. From enotourism to environmental preservation, in a shared effort with the local administration and small and medium-sized businesses of Pinzano, with the ultimate goal of bringing new people to these lands and places, to preserve a heritage of knowledge and ancestral flavors that are also tied to wine culture.
Wines of Terre di Plovia
The Terre di Plovia logo is a faithful reworking of the ancient heraldic coat of arms of the Armanni family, whose founding figure is the historical and legendary Ermanno da Pinzano: a free feudal lord, crusader, and probably a Templar, who around 1130 AD established his lordship in Pinzano al Tagliamento, in the foothill area of Upper Friuli. The feudal dynasty of the Plovia settled in the fertile hills between Vacile di Spilimbergo, Usago, and Valeriano in the province of Pordenone, where the Terre di Plovia vineyards now stand.
Terre di Plovia Sciaglin 2022
Some manuscripts testify to the presence of a white grape variety with very high acidity called sciaglin as early as the early Middle Ages. In 1863, at the Udine Exhibition of regional grapes held at the Friulian Agricultural Association, the cultivation area of Sciaglin was indicated in the western territories of Vito d’Asio and Fagagna in the province of Pordenone, while in 1921 at the Friulian Antifiloxera Consortium, the area was extended around two foothill municipalities, Maniago and Pinzano al Tagliamento.
Particularly widespread until the mid-20th century, it began to disappear due to the advance of the underbrush, which ultimately made grape cultivation impossible. Today, thanks to the recovery efforts of visionary winemakers like Emilio Bulfon and later Albino Armani, Sciaglin can only be cultivated in the Pinzano al Tagliamento and Castelnovo del Friuli areas. On the nose, it exhibits vegetal notes and a light citrus hint. On the palate, it has a surprising verticality with a notable acidity that invites further sipping. A simple yet highly expressive wine that continues to provide great satisfaction both to Albino Armani and to those who drink it.
Terre di Plovia Ucelut 2022
Ucelut is a white grape variety native to Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is so named because it was particularly appreciated by birds that fed on it as it grew at the forest edges. The cultivation of Ucelut in Friuli is ancient. In the past it was widely spread throughout Friuli. Today it is found almost exclusively in the province of Pordenone, in Pinzano and Castelnuovo del Friuli. On the nose, it features delicate vegetal notes, especially chamomile. On the palate, it is soft, full, balanced, and highly gastronomic.
Terre di Plovia Flum 2020
The name of this wine pays homage to the Tagliamento, the King of Alpine rivers and one of the symbols of Friuli. The grapes are hand-harvested and very ripe, with whole-cluster pressing. Each of the three grape varieties in the blend is vinified separately in different sizes of oak barrels:
- Chardonnay in barriques
- Friulano in both barrel and stainless steel
- Sciaglin in tonneaux.
They then age on noble lees for over 12 months, with periodic batonnage. The bottle aging before release is at least a year. On the nose, it presents notes of field flowers, aromatic herbs, and white-fleshed fruit. On the palate, it is dynamic with a remarkable coherence between nose and mouth, with a long finish of great depth, thanks also to the acidity provided by the Sciaglin. An excellent wine deserving of discovery.
Terre di Plovia Piligrin 2019
Piligrin, in Friulian, means pilgrim. He is someone who in ancient times traveled the Tagliamento Path to reach Venice and then the Holy Land, passing through the Terre di Plovia. The grapes are hand-harvested and very ripe. These two varieties in the blend are vinified separately to highlight their unique qualities.
The Piculit Neri, with its intense color and high acidity, ages for over 12 months in barriques.
Meanwhile the Merlot spends the same time partly in barriques and partly in large barrels. The blend is then aged in steel for a few months and finally in bottles.
On the nose, it reveals intense notes of forest fruits, marasca cherry, and violet, with delicate spiciness.
On the palate, it is highly expressive, thanks to the aromatic persistence of the Piculit Neri. This wine testifies to the full potential of the Grave, past, present, and most importantly, great future.
