Stanko Radikon (until 2016) and now sons Sasa and Ivan run the Oslavia cellar with extended-maceration Ribolla, Jakot (Friulano), Pinot Grigio and the Oslavje blend, all bottled at 500 ml to match a drinking session for a low-sulphite skin-contact wine. Organic and biodynamic-practising farming across the Oslavia ponca slopes.
Tip: Radikon's 500 ml format is the cellar's signature; ask for the Oslavje blend alongside the solo Ribolla to read the cellar template across two cuvees.
Address: Tre Buchi, 4, 34170 Oslavia, Gorizia, Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Damijan Podversic farms 12 hectares above Gorizia organically and biodynamic-practising, with extended-skin-contact Ribolla, Friulano, Chardonnay and Malvasia Istriana whites and a Merlot-Cabernet red.
Tip: Damijan's address sits above the city of Gorizia rather than at the Oslavia hamlet, so pair the visit with a Gorizia morning before driving up to Gravner or Radikon.
La Castellada in the centre of the Oslavia hamlet farms eight organic hectares; the Bensa family runs the cellar with extended-skin-contact Ribolla, Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon.
Tip: La Castellada sits within walking distance of Gravner and Radikon at Oslavia; arrange all three on a single morning if the appointments line up.
Damijan Podversic farms 12 hectares above Gorizia organically and biodynamic-practising, with extended-skin-contact Ribolla, Friulano, Chardonnay and Malvasia Istriana whites and a Merlot-Cabernet red.
Tip: Damijan's address sits above the city of Gorizia rather than at the Oslavia hamlet, so pair the visit with a Gorizia morning before driving up to Gravner or Radikon.
Paolo Vodopivec farms six monovarietal Vitovska hectares biodynamically at Sgonico on the Carso limestone karst and ferments in buried Georgian qvevri amphorae with no temperature control and indigenous yeasts.
Tip: Vodopivec's Vitovska is the Carso reference; the cellar bottles only the variety and the three expressions show different qvevri ageing windows.
La Castellada in the centre of the Oslavia hamlet farms eight organic hectares; the Bensa family runs the cellar with extended-skin-contact Ribolla, Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon.
Tip: La Castellada sits within walking distance of Gravner and Radikon at Oslavia; arrange all three on a single morning if the appointments line up.
Sandi Skerk farms seven organic hectares at Sgonico on the Carso limestone karst and bottles Vitovska, Malvasia Istriana, Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Terrano on extended-skin-contact programmes.
Tip: Skerk's amphitheatre-shaped tasting room cut into the karst is the cellar's signature visit experience; book the tour to see it.
Benjamin Zidarich farms his Carso plot organically at Prepotto (Duino-Aurisina) and works in a multi-storey limestone-carved cellar that extends seven floors into the karst.
Tip: The cellar tour walks all seven underground floors cut into the limestone; allow 90 minutes for the visit plus the tasting flight.
Edi Kante runs an 18-metre-deep limestone-carved cellar at Aurisina-Prepotto on the Carso plateau above Trieste, with organic-farmed Vitovska, Malvasia Istriana, Sauvignon and Chardonnay across the karst-and-terra-rossa parcels. The cellar pairs the Carso terra rossa over solid limestone substrate with the low-intervention stainless-and-oak approach.
Tip: Kante's 18-metre-deep cellar runs cold through the summer heat; the descent is part of the visit and the temperature drops noticeably on the way down.
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