and starts the history of
modern white wine in Friuli.
Mario Schiopetto, son of Angela and Giorgio, was born in 1930 and grew up in the Fireman’s Hostelry which belonged to the family, experiencing in first person the life of a fireman and then that of a lorry driver. For years he accompanied and helped his father to select the wines for the Hostelry, eventually running it himself after the demise of his parents.
Guided only by his personal taste and his love for wine, in 1963 Mario started to dedicate his time to the production and in 1965 brought out his first “Tocai”. Thus giving birth to the era of modern white wine in Friuli and transforming the conception of Italian white wine.
From the left
Bruno Ceretto (Ceretto Vini)
Piero Antinori (Antinori)
Giacomo Bologna (Braida)
Maurizio Zanella (Ca’ del Bosco)
Mario Schiopetto
Biondi Santi Franco (Biondi Santi)
Marcello Ceretto (Ceretto Vini)
Biondi Santi Jacopo (Biondi Santi)
Niccolò Incisa della Rocchetta (Sassicaia)
Angelo Gaja (Gaja)
amongst the great producers of Italian wines.
Mario travelled across Europe and USA with Luigi Veronelli to discover other wines and wine makers; with Luigi Soini he had many adventures and engaged in important discussions, he maintained a long collaboration with Professor Spath in Germany seeking new methods of production and vinification.
In the 1980s Mario is one of the elite of Italian wine makers and he becomes teacher and adviser for many young wine makers, opening the doors of his cellars to them.
Mario was a great winemaker, dedicated to the work in the vineyard and the cellar, motivated by his passion for the plants and the wine.
The vineyards were where Mario could use his skill and expertise for things made with great care, aiming always for quality; from the first vineyard planted with high density, to the creation of “mixed” vineyards, planting different varietals together in order to give birth to the blend right from the start in the vineyard.
Even in the moment that he realized that the bunches of grapes needed to be picked at perfect maturation, he didn’t hesitate to anticipate the grape harvest, defying tradition.
and German technology
In Germany Mario bought pine poles for the vineyard and he discovered the use of technology during the vinification process. In France he bought young new plants and he gathered ideas and suggestions as how to make his wines even more elegant.
Thus the “Schiopetto Style” was born.
his wine and his business.
The merit goes to Mario for the creation of the first Tocai and of the modern white wine from Friuli, but also for the introduction of new technology and revolutionary innovations fundamental to the work in the fields and the cellars, and nowadays peremptory for the production of high quality wines. Furthermore, Mario demonstrated that he was also an innovator in the field of promotion, distribution and commercialization of his wines working from the beginning of the 1960s on demand and personally contacting potential buyers.
