Picolit is a kind of wine I love. Its history is something extraordinary, and it’s worth being shared.
Its name is likely to derive from the dialectal term “pècol/picòl”, which means peduncle, stem of a flower or fruit; it is to show that the peduncles in Picolit’s grapes are peculiarly reddish and quite large.
The most ancient signs of existence of this wine are dated back to 1682. Its birth is not merely accidental; it is due to one mind’s venture, the one of Count Fabio Asquini from Fagagna (delightful little town near Udine). Renowned agronomist, Count Asquini owes his fortune to the high demand of papacy and noble Italian families, fed by the scarcity of refined Hungarian wine Tokaji throughout the 18th century.
Count Asquini, ironically a non-drinker, aimed therefore at creating one kind of wine which could replace the noble and tremendously expensive Tokaji, drawing inspiration from its process of drying grapes to concentrate the juice. By this means, he was able to launch in the international market a product made entirely in the region of Friuli, quite remarkable for its sweet honey hints; its high proof guaranteed its endurance through the long shipment, in order to preserve its quality for the first-class customers.
Despite its still very high price, 29 times higher than the normal charge of the time, the procedure had an enormous success, and in the year 1785 the Picolit production reached its peak of 4757 bottles of 0.61 litre capacity.
Back to our days, thanks to the most efficient grapevine cultivation techniques, the Picolit can be considered a genuine masterpiece of Friulian viticulture. This grape variety, by the natural conformation of its flower, grows very little bunces (approximately 0.5 kg of grapes for an hectare). The modest production is balanced by its supreme quality: the withering and pressing processes give it its sweet fortified taste, and the aging in little barrels refines the scents of ripe fruits and spices. It goes quite well with dry pastries and herb cheese; its mating with oysters and seafood is also quite appreciated.
Sono nato a Pordenone e ho 23 anni. Mi sono laureato in Viticoltura ed Enologia presso l’Università degli Studi di Udine e ora mi occupo di marketing e comunicazione per una startup nel settore dell’enoturismo. Adoro tutto ciò che ha un buon profumo ed è buono da mangiare. Sono un divoratore di film e di qualsiasi sport esistente sul pianeta. Comunicare è ciò che mi rappresenta, quindi se parlo troppo non lamentatevi, vi avevo avvisato!
