The noble Frattina family first appeared in this region before the year 1000. Since that time the lords of Frattina bound their destinies to these lands for almost a millennium. In the 1600's the Counts of Frattina founded a winemaking cellar which remained under their control for almost four hundred years. It's no coincidence that both the property rights to the cellar and the control of its operation were assumed by two families that are an integral part of the industrial history of Italy: the Zanussis, and now, the Averna Family.
A relatively simple explanation can be made for the two thousand year old cultivation of the grapevine in the area: the succession of owners with such great names and prestige, and the land surrounding the Villa which occupies an exquisitely clayey terrain that bestows body, color, tannin, and the high sugar concentration that leads to a generous alcohol content at the heart of a good wine. Even more important, the clayey layer hides and conserves a precious feature that lies below; a mantle of calcium which is rich in trace elements that are essential for creating wine with a truly refined character. This priceless layer is also able to hold moisture for a long time and release it during periods of limited rainfall.
The grape harvest is carefully performed by hand so that only whole grapes reach the cellar. The bunches of grapes are subjected to a soft type of pressing, and steeping is individually calibrated to suit the variety of grapes being processed. The musts are refrigerated and centrifuged as soon as they are formed, and are then allowed to ferment for the time required. After filtration, the wines are bottled in the Spring: however, certain red wines are allowed to age in Slavonian oak barrels or in kegs.
Website: http://www.averna.it/villafrattina/default.htm

Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio originated from a cloning mutation of the Pinot Nero varietal which, excluding the color, has kept many of the same characteristics.
Pinot Grigio wines were brought originally into Friuli from the French area of Burgundy and its cultivation has spread all through the Northeastern part of Italy.
Friuli has proven to be the most suitable area for the production of high quality Pinot Grigio. From Friuli comes this wine of a pale straw-colored yellow with a full prominent fragrance reminiscent of walnut marrow and a refined aroma of fresh hay and wild honey. The taste is dry, flavorful and full with a fruity aroma and an elegant lingering finish of toasted hazelnuts.


Sauvignon blanc
Villa Frattina's offering, their estate Sauvignon Blanc, is a magically versatile white wine! Clean with fresh scents and crisp flavors of lime and grapefruit, this brisk sauvignon makes little effort to impress with weight or complexity. It offers a refreshing, citrus counterpoint to crab or other fresh shellfish. Simple, with a mouthwatering balance.Well balanced and crisp this wine offers lush melon, fig and honeysuckle flavors with crisp acidity and a slight herbaceous character.


Chardonnay
A species of wine genetically more diverse than Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay originated in Burgundy and has spread to many wine growing areas (from Champagne to Napa Valley) where they produce white still wines and spumantis of the vineyard Frattina has a pale straw-color with light green reflections. The fragrance is very pronounced with a fine freshness and a scent of almond blossoms and hydrangea. This is a wine with a pleasing, savory and elegant taste and a rich lingering finish reminiscent of a golden apple. Compliments antipasti, fish dishes, shellfish, and white meats. Serve chilled.


Merlot
This wine is made from 100% Merlot grape which is thought to be indigenous of the Mediterranean area, probably originally in the Bordeaux region of France as far back in history as the early Christian era. By the mid 1800's it was internationally grown and today is the most widely planted fine wine grape in the world. Merlot is a popular varietal in Italy and does particularly well in the northeast. In fact in Friuli there is even a Strada del Merlot, a tourist route along the Isonzo river.
From the Lison Pramaggiore zone of Friuli comes this beautiful Merlot. Fermented at 25 - 28 degrees C with a long maceration of the skins. Finished in barrique, French oak, for a brief period. 100% Merlot. Ruby red intensity that assumes a smokey garnet color with time . Notes of young rasberry with subtle herbaceousness. Dry, soft, light tannin and velvety. 12.5% alcohol Serve at 18 to 20 degrees C. Recommended with roasted white meat and game birds, medium aged cheese.
Silver Medalist



Cabernet sauvignon
This varietal originated in Gironde, in Bordeaux, situated between the mouths of Garonna and the Dordogna Rivers where you find the grand chateaux, and has spread throughout many wine producing areas from California to Italy.
The Cabernet Sauvignon of Quartarezza has an intense ruby red color that shades to garnet. The bouquet is intense and structured with a hint of anise. The taste is dry and full, bold and generous, with a distinct finish reminiscent of wildflower jam that lingers long on the palate.

Estate Reserves

Robbio


This beautiful Reserve Red of the Villa wine starts with a selected harvesting of the best clusters of grapes from the estate. Made from 50% Cabernet sauvignon & 50% Merlot grapes. Grapestalks are removed before pressing and must maceration is done in fermentation vats kept at a controlled temperature. The wine is refined in French oak casks for 6 months with an additional 6 months aging in the bottle.
This wine has a brilliant ruby red color with garnet edging. The bouquet is pronounced and complex, with hints of rose and wilted violets, aromatic hay and ripe raspberries and spices. It is dry, clean cut with an elegant long lasting aftertaste of oak and wild berries.

Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso


This lovely red wine is made from 100% Refosco grapes. It has a deep ruby red color with purple reflections resulting from a long maceration period on the skins. Fermentation is done at between 25 - 28 degrees C and the wine is then aged in barrique for a period of 10 months. The bouquet is characteristically full and elegant, fruity and spicy with tones of cherries and blackberries. The flavor is warm, fruity and intensely full, and is well balanced with fine tannin structure. Complements red meats and game, and traditional cuisine with aged cheeses. Serve at room temperature.

Merlot Fae


This lovely Reserve wine is the result of a careful selection of Merlot grapes from the Villa Frattina vineyard Fae. Destemming is done before pressing and the must maceration is done in fermentation vats at controlled temperatures. It is then aged in barrique for a period of 1 and 1/2 years with further aging of 6 months in the bottle.
The result is a ruby red wine with a complex, well pronounced fragrance and a full,velvety flavor with a distinct raspberry taste and a subtle hint of herbs. It is soft, dry, and mellow with balanced tannins.



Cabernet Franc Fae
This beautiful wine is made from hand-harvested Cabernet Franc grapes, grown in the Villa Frattina estate vineyard "Fae", located in the D.O.C. area of Lison-Pramaggiore. Lison & Pramaggiore are small farm towns near the town of Portogruaro on the Venetian plains. They became a D.O.C. designated area, joined in tandem in 1986, due to the enterprising wine making shown by these local wine producers. The quality of the wines in this area is partly due to the well drained calcareous clay soils, but without a doubt, skilled winemaking is very evident.
After the maceration of the grapes, they are left to ferment on the pomaces for 6 days. The skins are then removed and the wine is left until after the malolactic fermentation is completed. At this time it is transferred into French barrique barrels to age for 18 months, after which a further aging of 6 months is done in the bottle.
This lovely wine has a beautiful ruby red color with granite reflections and an aroma of red fruits, raspberries and plums and hints of vanilla. The flavor is warm and elegant with a long lasting aftertaste of wild berries, spices, licorice and oak.
Vines in the Cabernet-Merlot familly, in ancient Roman times, were known as Biturica, named after a tribe in France's Gironde. In the 18th Century, the grape the Tuscans called uva francesca was probably a Cabernet. In the 19th Century the productive Cabernet Franc, planted mainly in the northeast, was favored. It is certain that in the 21st Century the Cabernet Franc of Villa Frattina is a wine of beauty, structure, and elegance to be served with pride.
Compliments roasted and grilled meats, game, and aged cheeses. Serve at room temperature.

Corte dell'Abba'


Long maceration in contact with the skins in phase of winemaking, preservation and finished in French barrique of oak for at least 15 months and successive finishing in bottle of four months. Grapes: Cabernet sauvignon 30%, Refosco 20%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet franc 20%
Color: very intense ruby with reflections of garnet
Perfume: Endless, spacious, of large complexity with feelings speziate married to delicate aromas of cherry and small fruits of undergrowth.
Taste: Soft, carnoso, of extraordinary structure with elegant tannins and sweets integrated to you mark feelings speziate. Excellent general harmony with finish yielding long and persistent.
Alcohol: 12.5% Serving Temperature: 18-20 centigrade
Suggested dishes: red meats, roasted meats, cheeses of long aging