Wine in Sgonico, Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Vodopivec ★ 4.8

Paolo Vodopivec founded the cellar at Sgonico in 1997 and committed it entirely to Vitovska, the indigenous Carso variety. His brother Valter Vodopivec joined the operation.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Colludrozza by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Carso parcels and a flight of the Vitovska, Vitovska Anfora and the cellar's experimental long-elevage releases. Reservation required.

Signature wines: vodopivec-vitovska, vodopivec-vitovska-anfora, vodopivec-solo-mm

Tip: The Vitovska Anfora is the cellar's reference cuvée; ask for a back-vintage tasting alongside the standard Vitovska to read the qvevri-driven evolution.

Zidarich ★ 4.7

Beniamino Zidarich founded the cellar in 1988 at Prepotto di Sgonico and built it into one of the Carso DOC's reference producers alongside Kante and Vodopivec.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Prepotto by appointment with a tour of the cellar dug into the Carso limestone, a vineyard walk through the Sgonico parcels and a flight of the Vitovska, Malvasia, Prulke Bianco and Terrano. Reservation required.

Signature wines: zidarich-vitovska, zidarich-prulke, zidarich-malvasia, zidarich-terrano

Tip: Prulke is the cellar's whole-Carso bianco statement; pair it with the local Carso prosciutto for the canonical karst table.

Skerk ★ 4.7

Sandi Skerk runs the family cellar at Prepotto di Sgonico, founded in 1968. The 10 hectares on the Carso plateau feed Vitovska, Malvasia, Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio (all fermented on skins) plus the Terrano red.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Prepotto by appointment with a tour of the limestone-excavated cellar and a flight of the Vitovska, Malvasia, Ograde (the cellar's field blend) and Terrano. The on-site osmiza (the Carso seasonal farm tavern) serves karst plates with the wines.

Signature wines: skerk-vitovska, skerk-ograde, skerk-malvasia, skerk-terrano

Tip: Time a visit with one of the cellar's osmiza weekends to taste the wines alongside Carso prosciutto, jota soup and frico.

Zidarich Tasting Room ★ 4.7

Beniamino Zidarich's underground stone-vat cellar at Prepotto on the Carso plateau pours Vitovska, Malvasia Istriana, Prulke and Terrano from the limestone karst.

Tasting: Visit Beniamino Zidarich's cellar at Prepotto on the Carso plateau, with the underground stone-vat fermentation hall (carved into the limestone in 2009) and a flight of Vitovska, Malvasia Istriana, Prulke (the Vitovska, Malvasia and Sauvignon skin-contact blend) and Terrano.

Skerlj Cantina e Osmiza ★ 4.6

Skerlj family cellar and osmiza at Sales of Sgonico on the Carso plateau, pouring Vitovska, Malvasia and Terrano by the glass with home-cured pork and cheese.

The list: Skerlj family cellar and osmiza at Sales of Sgonico, pouring Vitovska, Malvasia Istriana and Terrano by the glass with home-cured pork, cheese and rye bread, the working Carso osmiza format under the Karst Land protocol

Pours: Carso Vitovska, Carso Malvasia Istriana, Carso Terrano

Osmize del Carso (Osmiza Network) ★ 4.5

Carso osmiza network listing the farmer-cellars open to the public on rotating dates, pouring Vitovska, Malvasia and Terrano with home charcuterie under the historic frasca rule.

The list: The Carso osmiza network is a rotating calendar of farmer-cellars opening to the public for a few weeks at a time under the 8-day frasca rule, pouring estate Vitovska, Malvasia Istriana and Terrano with home charcuterie, cheese and bread

Pours: Carso Vitovska, Carso Terrano, Carso Malvasia Istriana

Lokanda Devetak ★ 4.7

Devetak family Carso lokanda since 1870 at San Michele del Carso, with Augustin Devetak's Karst cooking and a Carso, Slovenian Brda and Collio cellar.

Awards: Michelin Guide selection (Italia 2026) 2026, Gambero Rosso Tre Forchette 2024

Skerlj Osteria ★ 4.6

Skerlj family Carso osteria at Sales of Sgonico with home-cured pork, frittata di erbe, jota and rye bread paired against the Skerlj Vitovska, Malvasia and Terrano.

Awards: Michelin Guide selection (Italia 2026) 2026

Castello di Rubbia ★ 4.5

Castello di Rubbia at San Michele del Carso of Savogna d'Isonzo, with 8 rooms inside the restored Carso castle, on-site cellar and events on the Karst plateau above Trieste, paired with Carso (Vitovska, Malvasia, Terrano) wines.

The list: On-site cellar pours estate Vitovska, Malvasia Istriana and Terrano from the Carso karst, paired with seasonal Carso dishes and Devetak partner restaurant nearby

Carso Osmiza Walk Experience ★ 4.5

Self-guided walking circuit of the Carso osmiza network at Sgonico and Duino-Aurisina, where farmer-cellars open under the historic 8-day frasca rule and pour estate Vitovska, Malvasia and Terrano with home-cured pork, cheese and rye bread.

Vodopivec ★ 4.7

Six-hectare Carso cellar at Sgonico fermenting monovarietal Vitovska in buried qvevri amphorae; tiny production and small-group cellar door.

Why locals love it: Tiny production (a few thousand bottles per cuvee), small-group cellar door and a monovarietal Vitovska focus that sits well off the standard Collio tour circuit. Distribution outside Italy is restricted.

Tip: Vodopivec is one of the four reference Carso cellars; pair with a Skerk or Zidarich visit in the same morning since the three sit within a few kilometres of one another on Sgonico.

Skerk ★ 4.6

Seven-hectare Carso cellar at Sgonico with a limestone-carved underground tasting room and extended-skin-contact Vitovska, Malvasia and Terrano.

Why locals love it: Small estate (seven hectares), limestone-carved cellar that is not signposted from the main road, and a Carso location off the standard Collio circuit. Distribution remains tight.

Tip: Book the cellar tour to see the limestone-carved amphitheatre tasting room cut into the karst; visits run by appointment with Sandi or one of the family.

Zidarich ★ 4.6

Seven-floor limestone-carved Carso cellar at Sgonico producing extended-skin-contact Vitovska, Malvasia blends and Terrano on tight allocations.

Why locals love it: Multi-storey limestone-carved cellar requires a guided visit, and the Carso location off the Collio tour circuit keeps casual visitors away. Tight allocations on Pruhlke and the Vitovska bottlings.

Tip: The cellar tour walks all seven underground floors cut into the limestone; allow 90 minutes for the visit plus the tasting flight.

Vodopivec ★ 4.7

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.

Skerk ★ 4.6

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.

Zidarich ★ 4.6

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.

Vodopivec ★ 4.7

Paolo Vodopivec at Sgonico ferments monovarietal Vitovska in buried qvevri amphorae with indigenous yeasts and no temperature control, extends skin contact to 6 to 12 months and adds minimal sulphite at bottling only.

Tip: Vodopivec ships allocations tight; ask the cellar for the Solo MM bottling alongside the standard Vitovska for the extended-elevage read.

Vodopivec (minimal-sulphite Vitovska) ★ 4.6

Paolo Vodopivec's monovarietal Vitovska ferments in buried qvevri with indigenous yeasts and extended skin contact (6 to 12 months), with sulphite added only in a minimal dose at bottling.

Tip: Vodopivec is a Carso reference for low-sulphite bottling; the qvevri programme runs without temperature control through the Carso winter.