A Brief History of La Tunella:
With a family history in winemaking, dating back to the early 1960s in the Eastern hills of the "Colli Orientali del Friuli" wine district, Livio Zorzettig (along with his wife, Gabriella) buy nearly 40 hectares of land, of which 23 hectares (57.5 acres) were planted mostly to grape vines native to the region. The small quantities of wine bottled at the time were sold on the local market to private clients and to small, local inss (osterias) as table wines to rightly accompany the local dishes.
A few months after the purchase, Livio passes away, leaving Gabriella and two sons (14 year old Massimo and 12 year old Marco) to run the business. She decided to continue the family tradition with a passion and dedication equal to her late husband and with the firm commitment and support of her sons. Once he finished school, the very young Massimo began to oversee both the vineyards and cellar, moving into the sales, marketing and business end of the wine industry when brother Marco joins him and shows an interest in and talent for vineyard management.
Today Massimo is Sales Manager for La Tunella, traveling the globe to bring the family's high quality wines to various markets all over Italy and abroad, including Great Britain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Greece, Canada and the United States. Marco is the winery's Vineyard Manager, responsible for 70 hectares of vineyards (more than triple the amount his father started with).
In the early 1990s, under the direction of Massimo and Marco, the Estate - based on the viticulture and wine-making experience acquired over the years - was reinvigorated. The oldest vineyards were replanted, new land was acquired, new varieties were introduced, the winery building and cellar was completely rebuilt and a new welcoming showroom and tasting area were created. 
It was during this period that Massimo, Marco (with his wife, Barbara) and matriarch Gabriella made two important decisions. In 1993, the hired a young, knowledgeable and enthusiastic "enotecnico" (winemaker) Luigino Zamparo, and charged him with creating a distinct personality for the wines that would make them more interesting and desirable for the national and world market.
The other decision was to change the Estate's name - from the Livio Zorzettig Estate to La Tunella Winery. La Tunella was chosen because it is the place name for a hamlet and hill very near the winery. As the philosophy of the family and winemaker is to create wines that speak of the distinctive soil and climate of this particular part of the Colli Orientali del Friuli, a local place name such as La Tunella is ideal.
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La Tunella BiancoSesto 2007 |
| La Tunella BiancoSesto 2007 boasts a straw-yellow color, with greenish reflections... More Details |
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La Tunella Bianco Sesto 2008 |
| A refined and elegant bouquet of confectionary, vanilla and acacia blossoms... More Details |
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La Tunella Pinot Grigio 2008 |
| The fruity nose is reminiscent of hot bread crust, while the bouquet is that of acacia... More Details |
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La Tunella Refosco 2005 |
| This is a native variety of ancient Friulian origins... More Details |
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La Tunella Rjgialla 2009 |
| A crystalline straw-yellow color, with green reflections. The nose spans across notes of acacia, plum... More Details |
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La Tunella Tocai Friulano 2006 |
| La Tunella Friulano 2006 has a brilliant straw-yellow color, with elegant green reflections. .. More Details |
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La Tunella Verduzzo 2007 |
| A vinous and distinctive bouquet with delicate honeyed and vanilla notes... More Details |
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