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Paraschos
Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy8 wines4.1 avg
53
A Greek restaurateur turned Collio vigneron - seven hectares on ponca between San Floriano and Oslavia, inspired by neighbours Gravner and Radikon, now run with sons Alexis and Jannis.
Evangelos Paraschos was running a family restaurant. He tasted and fell in love with the wines of his neighbours - Gravner and Radikon - and in the 1990s started making his own.
Today the winery is run by brothers Alexis and Jannis Paraschos with their father Evangelos. With Greek roots and an Italian-Slovene border address, the brothers speak Greek with their father, Italian between themselves, Slovene with their workers, and English with most of their clients.
The 7 hectares owned by Paraschos are divided among 10 terraced vineyards in Slatnik, between San Floriano and Oslavia, on ponca - a marlstone of Eocene origin, rich in minerals. The family cultivates Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, Malvasia Istriana, Pinot Grigio, Merlot and Pinot Noir.
Farming is organic, fermentations spontaneous, ageing in old oak and amphora depending on the cuvée. The whites see varying lengths of skin contact - from a light brush on some bottlings to the long macerations that made this corner of Collio famous. Sulphur is kept low or absent. The range covers Ribolla Gialla, Jakot (Friulano), a ramato-style Pinot Grigio, the long-macerated Orange One blend, and small-production Merlot and Pinot Noir. Compared with Gravner's gravity and Radikon's depth, Paraschos wines tend to read lighter and more aromatic - the same grammar, a quieter voice.
