The Asjarigato estate is located in a historically rich border territory, between Padua and Chioggia, to the west of Venice. Its vineyards stretch along the Bacchiglione river, which once served as an important trade route.
This is a small virtuous family-run estate, specialising in the enhancement of indigenous grape varieties. Their undisputed king is the Friularo, a biotype of Raboso: the traditional red wine of the Venice region, historically nicknamed "travelling wine" due to its extraordinary ageing potential, attributed to a naturally vigorous acidity and tannic structure.
The estate follows a philosophy of deep respect for nature and biodiversity: no herbicides or chemical fertilisers are used, allowing the vine to express itself in all its original purity.
Why I chose this estate
What captivated me about Asjarigato is their purely artisanal production and their way of accompanying the rhythms of the land. But above all, I admire their incredible talent for taming a grape variety known to be difficult like the Friularo: a traditionally austere and "wild" red, which the estate manages to express in surprising nuances, transforming it into a fresh, straightforward wine of great elegance.
The story behind the bottle: a Venetian adventure
My discovery of Asjarigato is linked to a particular anecdote, born during the years I lived in Venice before settling in France. At that time, I loved exploring the wine heritage of the countryside and the lagoon, collecting rare gems like the Torchiato di Fregona or the Dorona. Yet, it was between the tables of a restaurant that everything changed with Asjarigato.
It was an experience born under the worst auspices that, in hindsight, turned out to be a wonderful school of life. A restaurateur I knew called me one day, desperate: she had just fired her head waiter after discovering that he had spent an astronomical sum on all kinds of natural wines, now stored in the cellar without anyone's knowledge. Finding herself without staff and with a mountain of bottles to sell, she asked me for help. I accepted the challenge: I took inventory, developed the strategy, and rolled up my sleeves, working both as a waitress and a sommelier.
In this improvised cellar, the Friularo di Bagnoli from Asjarigato was one of the highlights of the stock: an exceptional bottle, displayed at a high price that I feared I would not be able to sell given the usual clientele. And yet, history had other plans.
Many customers were French and it was a real relief for them to be able to talk about wine in their mother tongue. One evening, while charming two couples of tourists with stories from the region, I recommended the Friularo to them: they were so taken with it that they immediately ordered a second bottle. I sold the very last one to a group of young Russian women who were celebrating a birthday; they were looking for the most expensive wine and, as it was the height of summer, I preferred to avoid a too warm Amarone. The Friularo turned out to be the perfect choice and completely amazed them.
Despite these professional successes, the adventure in this restaurant ended badly: the promises of a permanent contract evaporated and, after a heated discussion, I decided to hang up my apron for the last time.
This experience was over, but the Friularo had won my heart. For a long time, I sought to visit the estate, without success. But once settled in France, when it came time to choose my first suppliers for my site, I thought to myself: why not take a chance?
An exchange nourished by email turned into a face-to-face meeting at the Verona fair with the sales manager. The chemistry was immediate.
Today, I am happy to offer the Friularo in my catalogue, alongside other magnificent cuvées from the estate. I invite you to discover it: you will see that behind an initially wild and slightly rebellious nature lies an incredibly versatile grape variety, capable of offering a powerful, refined, and unforgettable wine.
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