2019 · Vitovska

Vodopivec is a family-owned estate on the Carso plateau north of Trieste, managed and made by brothers Paolo and Valter Vodopivec. The family has farmed the area for generations, focusing exclusively on the indigenous Vitovska grape. Vineyards are organically farmed and now follow biodynamic principles, without synthetic inputs, irrigation, fertilizers, or pesticides. High-density bush vines are hand-harvested at very low yields and protected from the Bora wind. Winemaking is natural and low-intervention: long, slow macerations without temperature control or added yeasts, followed by extended aging in Georgian qvevri or terracotta amphorae and large barrels. No stabilizers, enzymes, preservatives, or filtration are used. The cellar is carved into the Carso rock, reflecting a patient, deeply place-driven approach to producing the region’s historic Vitovska.