Livio Felluga Winery: A Story of Excellence

In Friuli and well beyond this land renowned for its people and its wines, Livio Felluga embodies the best of the region’s winemaking tradition.
The family’s devotion to winemaking spans five generations, going back to the days when they produced Refosco and Malvasia in their native Isola d’Istria. 

Livio Felluga Winery

Some seventy years ago, Livio Felluga, the eldest of the fourth generation and widely regarded as the patriarch of Friulian winemaking, moved the family business to Friuli. In the 1950s he founded the winery in Brazzano and, with a keen eye for the potential of the hills, bought his first vineyards in Rosazzo.
His success grew out of a tenacious devotion to the land. He knew it clod by clod and lived and breathed it. Over the years, through patience and determination, he worked it gently to bring out its best. Rosazzo is the proof.Today the estate owns more than 160 hectares in the hills of Collio and Colli Orientali del Friuli, with 155 hectares under vine.. 

The story

The story of Livio Felluga and his wines is bound up with the history of the lands at the far north-eastern end of the Adriatic, where the Mediterranean meets Central Europe.   
It is a history of shifting borders, vanished empires, wars and the people who made their home here.

The family lived through two world wars, first under the Austro-Hungarian Empire and then in the young Kingdom of Italy.
They lived on the rocky coast of the Istrian peninsula and in the lagoon town of Grado before settling in the gentle foothills of Friuli. 

Returning to Italy after the Second World War was difficult for veterans, especially those who had left family in this war-torn corner of the Adriatic. 
The proud outpost of Europe they remembered had changed. Its physical, political and ethnic boundaries had shifted for good, and so had the farming and social life of the hills. 
Farming families were leaving, and the land was losing the crops, values and traditions they had sustained.

Livio Felluga took on the task of reviving the hills. He believed that only a return to farming for quality could bring life back to the Friulian countryside. 
He set about restoring old vineyards and planting new ones, introducing fresh ideas and methods.

Rosazzo Abbey and Livio Felluga

In the late 1950s, Livio Felluga began exploring the hills of Rosazzo. He fell in love with them at once and saw they were the ideal place for his wines. He bought his first hectares of vineyard and set about reviving the hills with passion and determination. The landmark that symbolises the area isRosazzo Abbey, which has embodied Friuli’s winemaking history and culture for centuries.
Livio Felluga held the abbey in great admiration and respect. He became close friends with Luigi Nadalutti, known to his friends as Don Vigion, who watched his winery grow alongside his dream of tending the abbey’s vineyards. The earthquake of 1976 and the loss of Don Vigion put an end to that dream for a time.
During the rebuilding years, others tended the vineyards, while Livio Felluga continued to hope.

After many years, the dream finally came true. Livio Felluga now looks after the winery and vineyards.

The result was “Abbazia di Rosazzo 2009 ”, a tribute to an enduring love for Rosazzo and its abbey. Only the finest grapes were selected for this refined white blend, a wine distinguished by its quality and the place it represents.

Livio Felluga and the revival of Friulian winemaking

Years of hard work, tenacity and passion went into building one of the region’s most distinguished wineries.
He earned widespread recognition for reviving the winemaking tradition of Friuli.
Livio Felluga died in December 2016 at the age of 102.

THE WINES

PrimeWine’s Online Wine Shop offers a wide range of wines from Livio Felluga.