Between Borders and Barrels: Exploring the Taste of Tenute Tomasella
Tenute Tomasella is a picturesque winery that beautifully fuses the gap between two history-rich winelands of Italy. Located right on this unique border in the province of Treviso, the winery crafts exceptional wines from vineyards that extend across both Prosecco D.O.C. and Friuli D.O.C. regions. Their wines showcase the very best, ranging from bold, expressive reds to elegant bubbles, reflecting the distinctive characteristics and traditions of each terroir.
The winery is celebrating 60 years of viticulture on a borderland that spans across 50 hectares of land, 40 of which are grown in Veneto and 10 in Friuli. In 1965, Luigi Tomasella founded the winery, but it wasn’t until 30 years later, when his son Paolo took over, that the Tenute Tomasella philosophy changed to focusing on the land and sustainability by crafting low-intervention wines that express the beauty of each territory.
“It is essential for us that each bottle constitutes a symphony composed in the vineyard.”
Cultivating with Care: The Organic Path of Tenute Tomasella
The winery is on schedule to become fully certified organic in 2026, but they’ve already been practicing organic viticulture on several fronts since 2021. They developed sustainable farming methods which allowed them to be certified by SNQPI (National Quality System for Integrated Production), which ensures quality from vineyard to winery. These practices center around respecting the health of the environment and humans.
A Mildew-Busting Robot
One of those methods is the use of the ICARO X4, the first hybrid robot in the world for treating vineyards with UV-C rays to prevent pathogens, eliminating pesticide use.
The ICARO X4 destroys the cells of unwanted vineyard micro-organisms such as botrytis, powdery mildew, and downy mildew. It uses specific vineyard and climate conditions to create an algorithm and protect vulnerable areas.
A Forest for the Bees
Tenute Tomasella became part of the Saving Bees project by creating a forest of 550 native bushes and trees on 1.7 hectares of their property to support bee life. By creating such a critical, pollinator-friendly environment, the biodiversity of the winery thrives.
Tenuta Tomasella Osé Demi-sec 2024
This is an elegant and aromatic, demi-sec Prosecco Rose crafted with Glera and Pinot Noir grapes. An abundance of summer peaches, strawberries and flowers on the nose. Tones of minerality - wet stone, and chalky feel weave through playful bubbles and a lifting acidity. The Pinot Noir in this delivers a concentrated cranberry lining that carries through with nice length.
Pair with watermelon slices or salmon dishes.
Friulano 2024
An immediate admirable and ensnaring Friulano upon first introduction. This wine undergoes 5 months of lees aging within steel vats before a 2-month bottle aging period prior to release. Vibrant aromatics that reveal lemon, peach, wildflowers, and an underlying spearmint note. It’s full-bodied and weighty mid-palate with intense bursts of lemon zest piercing thru like rays of sunshine, before bitter almond flavours build towards a long, refined finish.
Pair with lemon and herb seasoned chicken, fish or poutine.
Rigole Rosso2022
A charming Rosso that’s a staple for Tenute Tomasella, named for the winery’s location on the street of “Rigole”. It’s an unoaked, well-balanced blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Refosco that together, boasts both power and grace, winning the hearts of the locals to become a flagship wine. Blackberry, red plums, and an underlying freshness of mint aromas lead to a palate with a tight core of red fruit: cranberry, goji berry, and red plums etched amongst ripe, firm tannins. Dark cocoa adds complexity on an everlasting finish.
Pair with ribs or baked portobello mushrooms.
Chinomoro Vino Chinato
Become enveloped in this traditional Italian red wine - Chinato, that’s one for the senses. Reserve Merlot from Tenute Tomasella that’s been carefully barrel aged for 12 months is sent to Piedmont to a distiller who keeps the recipe for the intricate 20 herb infusion spirit addition so top secret that even the winemaker is kept in the dark. The complexity could riddle anyone, but glimmers of vanilla, eggnog, cherry and sage aromas came forward easily. An indulgent palate delivers walnuts, milk chocolate, dried herbs and cloves. Smooth, sweet, but quickly refreshed with a cleansing acidity. As if the profile wasn’t original enough, the flavours linger on the finish as an excellent reminder of this Italian treasure.
Pair with dark chocolate, brownies, or serve alone as an aperitif.
