History
The history of Villa Russiz is a story of love, not only for the earth and its fruits.
Fondazione Villa Russiz manages the property and estate today, investing the proceeds in the Group Home..
The year Elvine Ritter de Zàhony, a protestant, married Theodor de la Tour, member of an ancient noble French Catholic family. Her father Julius Hektor Ritter de Zahony gave the new couple his large estate in Russiz, amidst the gentle slopes of the Collio district near Gorizia.
Theodor, an expert agrarian and wine-grower, knew how to take advantage of the great potential of a territory with a particular vocation for wine-making: he conducted innovative studies and developed pioneering methods such as introduction of French varietals.
Legend has it that the count brought in French cuttings in big bouquets of flowers to give to his wife. Theodor laid solid foundations for the growth of Villa Russiz as an advanced wine-making estate, with major commercial success: his wines were sampled by the royal families of Europe and the court of the Tsars.
During the First World War, Villa Russiz was transformed into a military hospital just behind the Italian front lines. Countess Adele Cerruti worked for the red cross in the hospital. At the end of the war, Adele, daughter of a minister in the Kingdom of Italy, used her prestige and acquaintances to obtain the transfer of the institute and the estate to Italy, and contributed to the reconstruction of the estate following the destruction of war.
Agricultural technician Edino Menotti took over management of the estate. He began the patient task of reorganising the vineyards and the winery, with the support of the entire community of Capriva del Friuli. His goal was to make top quality wine. On November 28, 1964 Villa Russiz joined the new-born Consorzio Collio producers’ association, which obtained DOC status in 1968.
In 1989, was created the Cru line dedicated to Theodor De La Tour. In 2002, Gambero Rosso awarded the Gräfin de La Tour as the Best White Wine of Italy. The same year, the company received the medal of Cangrande della Scala at Vinitaly as Azienda Benemerita D'Italia. Always alongside the great international wines of French origin, it promotes the native wines of our territories and satisfies new trends with simply elegant products of balanced drinkability.
In 2010, was created Les Enfants, a fresh blend, perfect for the aperitif. In 2011, was created a barrique-aged Sauvignon. Thus was born the Limited Edition Sauvignon Bleu, only in exceptional vintages. Over 300 prizes and awards have been won by the winery at national and international level, demonstrating the high quality level of the wines produced.
