Spessa (UD), September 2025 – In the Colli Orientali del Friuli (Link), the air is filled with the aroma of freshly pressed grapes: it is harvest time at the Zorzettig estate (Link), and this year promises to be one of distinctive character and great potential.
After a rainy May and one of the hottest, driest Junes on record, an unexpectedly cool July slowed nature’s pace, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. Yields are slightly below average, yet analytical data and early tastings reveal a highly promising picture: lower pH levels, vibrant acidity, and layered aromatics are shaping wines that are juicy, tense, and vibrant—echoing the finest cool vintages of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Early-ripening varieties are already showing their class: Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir stand out for their precision and freshness, while Friulano is surprising with a rare vibrancy for a variety that often loses acidity. If September continues with dry, breezy days, 2025 could well be remembered as a year that yields elegant, age-worthy wines, true to the terroir of the Colli Orientali del Friuli.
For Annalisa Zorzettig, the harvest also carries a personal, almost poetic dimension, woven with childhood memories: returning from school on crisp mornings, sunny afternoons, and sudden showers, running through the vineyard rows.
“Even though autumn only begins at the end of September,” she reflects, “these days carry the energy and anticipation of a changing season. The wines now in the making are deeply tied to this natural rhythm, capable of expressing both the soul of this land and the memory of the great vintages of the past.”
