An act of faith in the future of wine: Zorzettig opens “Cantina Viva” in Friuli

“We must, and I must, believe in the future of wine. There is no alternative. And, as my father always used to say (Giuseppe Zorzettig, the renowned winegrower from the Colli Orientali del Friuli who helped establish the reputation and success of the historic Zorzettig winery, founded in 1874, ed), people will always drink wine. Consumption patterns will change, the way people drink wine will evolve, and there will always be challenges in the marketplace. And even he, if he were alive today, would say that a time like this, with all the difficulties tied to a globalized market and a globalized wine world, had never been seen before. Yet he would also say that, with integrity, determination and without fear, we must keep looking ahead. I care deeply about my Friuli, and I hope that all of us producers in these wonderful areas, from Collio to the Colli Orientali del Friuli and the Isonzo, will show the same grit, determination and perseverance that Friulians have always had, and continue moving forward as we always have, even if it is not easy”.
This is how Annalisa Zorzettig, custodian of one of Friuli-Venezia Giulia most important winegrowing legacies, talked to WineNews today at Spessa di Cividale, in the heart of the Colli Orientali del Friuli, where she inaugurated the new “Cantina Viva”, a major investment of around 10 million euros. Among those attending were Italy Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida (with whom we discussed various issues affecting the wine supply chain), Ice Agency president Matteo Zoppas (with whom we will publish a video interview in the coming days, ed), and former politician, journalist, editor of “Il Giornale” and Friulian wine enthusiast Tommaso Cerno (here, the interview with WineNews). The new “Cantina Viva” project by Zorzettig, which encompasses 120 hectares of vineyards across the key areas of the Colli Orientali del Friuli, including 15 hectares of centenarian vines, producing around 800,000 bottles per year, generating revenues of about 8 million euros and exporting roughly 55% of its production, arose, the company explains, “from the need to rethink workspaces in a more functional way, while also becoming the concrete expression of an evolution that, in recent years, has redefined the company identity”.
The new winery combines modern new structures with historic spaces, such as the barrel cellar, conceived and built as a place where “work, hospitality, culture and conviviality coexist”, with a strong focus on wine tourism. The opening of “Cantina Viva” also marks a new phase in terms of winemaking, as from 2026 Zorzettig has been working with Luca D’Attoma, one of Italy most respected winemakers, “on a path based on vineyard balance, attention to biodiversity and the ability of wine to authentically express the character of the place from which it comes”.
It is a significant investment which, Annalisa Zorzettig explained once again, was made in the name of, and with gratitude towards, those who came before her, such as her father Giuseppe, alongside whom she always worked, breathing in the spirit of the “Friulian land” every day in the small village of Spessa di Cividale, “which, when I was a child, seemed like the center of the world”. At the same time, it was made with an eye on the future, on the generations yet to come, those of her daughter and granddaughter, and as a way of giving something back both to future generations and to the beautiful yet challenging land of Friuli, a border region by nature. A land which has shaped the identity of so many Friulians, including Annalisa Zorzettig herself. An identity built above all on resilience and on the determination never to stop moving forward, always looking ahead.