Moschioni’s red wines in Cividale del Friuli, surrounded by a land of white wine.

When we talk about wine, I leave the stage as a ballenina would with her “Fouettés en tournant”, so that more expert “dancers” have room to exhibit. I’m fascinated by this world, and I want to learn as much as possible, so today I’ll let Cosima take over with her description of Moschioni wine, in art she’s “Mademoiselle du vin” and today she will guide us through this tasting experience!

...“They described Michele Moschioni as a man with an upright character. Dedicated to reds.

He’s tied to the local wines like the Pignolo, Schioppettino and the Tazzelenghe and has a very clear philosophy.

The harvest is late, the grapes are hand-picked and left to dry a little, in a natural way, then after the wine is extracted it’s left 20 days to ferment in a new barrel, 12 months in a second barrel, and then for 12 months it’s transferred to barrels which hold 20 to 30 hectolitres and then further transferred to barrels which hold 50 hectolitres for 12 more months. It’s then naturally decanted in stainless steel and left to refine from 6 to 12 months in the bottle. I’ll do the math for you, in total it takes 4 years!

In the good years they produce the following wines:

- Pignolo

-Refosco d.p.r. (with a red peduncle)

- Schioppettino

- Rosso Reâl (made with Tazzelenghe 50% – Merlot 25% – Cabernet Sauvignon 25%)

-Rosso Celtico (Merlot 50% and Cabernet Sauvignon 50%)

In difficult years, like for example 2010 and 2014, the great Cru are “declassed” and substituted by:

- Bisest (a blend of Pignolo, Schioppettino for 60%, and the remaining is Celtico and Real in variable percentages)

-Rosso (a blend of Merlot, Cabernet S., Pignolo, Schioppettino and Refosco with variable percentages)

Now that (hopefully) you have a clearer idea, we can start the tasting.

Rosso Bisest 2010 15% alcohol

(Bisest is the term that in Friulano means “leap year”: it refers to the popular belief that the “leap years” are unreliable and often even menacing!) an intense colour, a deep ruby red, robust.

A complex olfactory overview: strawberry preserve, dried plumbs, undergrowth, marasca cherry and some scents of tobacco, chocolate and spices.

A perfectly balanced sip, a smooth tannin that reflects the wine’s mature structure that envelops the palate.

Bisest is a wine I’d always keep in my cellar, to taste with friends, a simple wine with an immediate effect that everyone can appreciate!

Schioppettino 2009 15,5% alcohol

A deep ruby with lighter shades, it’s olfactory traits express notes of pepper, tobacco, chocolate and liquorice, wrapped in a balsamic freshness. It’s enveloping and balanced, with a great structure and with a vibrant and evolving tannic composition.

Schioppettino 2004 16% alcohol
A deep garnet red. With a rare olfactory complexity and a persuasive elegance. The first focus is on ripe fruit, withered violet, and macerated strawberries. Then cocoa, white pepper and graphite. Enveloping and substantial, a rich sip that rounds the palate thanks to the tannin that is pleasantly moulded by time. A nice and lasting freshness and the ending is pleasantly long. If you have the chance, you must try it!”

Mademoiselle du vin