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Venezia Giulia Rosso “Ludvik”
Kante

Nestled within the tiny sliver of northeastern Italy between Slovenia and the Gulf of Trieste, the rugged limestone plateau called the Carso is home to some of the country’s most distinctive wines. Edi Kante, one of the Carso’s brilliant and uncompromising vignaioli, mostly farms white grape varieties such as Malvasia, Vitovska, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.
But he also grows a handful of red grape varieties, namely Terrano, Pinot Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, which he blends into this fresh, elegant, and fragrant multi-vintage (2017 and 2018) rosso that serves as a great introduction to the region’s cooler-climate reds. For this bottling, Edi vinifies each variety separately in the three-story cellar he carved out of the limestone bedrock.
Succulent dark fruit, floral perfume, and a dash of spice combine to form a distinctive Friulian bottling that is a match made in heaven with Chris Lee’s pork chops with fennel and coriander.
You can find Chris Lee’s recipe here.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | NV |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 40% Pinot Nero, 30% Terrano, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot |
Appellation: | Venezia Giulia |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Friuli |
Producer: | Edi Kante |
Vineyard: | 20 years average, 2 ha |
Soil: | Red Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Wine aged in barriques and 25-HL botti |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
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About The Producer
Edi Kante
About The Region
Friuli
Friuli may be forever tied to its bland, acidic Pinot Grigios, which at one point saturated the export market, but a deeper look reveals a captivating array of unique grape-growing sites, distinctive indigenous varieties, and passionate small growers keen on preserving a rich tradition of winemaking.
Here in Italy’s northeast corner, the region is shared between the Julian Alps in the north and plains leading to the Adriatic Sea in the south, bound by the Veneto to the west and Slovenia to the east. While it is one of the wettest regions of Italy—and all of Europe, for that matter—Friuli benefits from the push-and-pull of cool air currents from the mountains meeting warmer breezes from the Adriatic. A crescent-shaped slice of foothills, where both play a role, tends to produce the region’s finest wines.
Nothing is more emblematic to Friulian wine than a crisp, peachy Ribolla Gialla served with thinly sliced prosciutto San Daniele, a local specialty. And yet, this only begins to tell the story: high-acid, mineral-driven whites from a number of local varieties including Tocai Friulano, Pinot Grigio, and Malvasia range from light and crisp to powerful and age-worthy, complementing Adriatic shellfish, hearty mountain cheeses, and everything in between. Native reds like Schioppettino, Terrano, and Refosco all have something unique to say, while there has even been significant success with French varieties like Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot, all long established in the region.
Friuli’s diversity is its strength, and it keeps us coming back for more. In fact, Kermit imported one of the region’s first organic growers toward the start of his career; our more recent collaboration with producers like Vignai da Duline is a testament to the enormous potential when devoted artisans put their hearts into Friuli’s fascinating terroir.
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Where the newsletter started

Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch