Dario Princic, one of the most iconic and revered vignerons when it comes to Friuli natural wines and orange wines, likes to call himself an “artisan of wine”. We couldn’t agree more yet we feel that Dario’s wines maseamlessly integrate the artisan dimension with that of pure, unbridled energy and that of immortal art. Yes, they’re that good! Way back before natural wine was even a thing, let alone trendy, Dario was already crafting sensational jewels, having bottled his first official vintage in 1993. He works with a strictly organic regime and utter care for biodiversity about 10 hectares of steeply terraced vineyards, some of which extremely old, across the Italy-Slovenia border. The typical soil here, called “ponka”, is of extremely ancient origin and mainly characterised by clay and limestone. The varieties are the traditional ones, such as Ribolla, Pinot Grigio, Friulano, and Chardonnay (international grapes have long since become naturalised in Friuli’s Collio). In the cellar, Dario works with as little intervention as possible, to alchemically transform perfectly healthy and ripe grapes into unforgettable wines. There are only wild fermentations and, most importantly, long maceration on the skins of 8-45 days and patient aging in large wood barrels (crafted by Dario himself), used French barriques, local wood crafted by Dario himself, and steel tanks. In every bottle we find unrelenting love for his land and the otherworldly ability to distill its very soul.
