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At just 30, Ilaria Felluga is leading not one—but two—of Friuli’s most respected wineries: Marco Felluga and Russiz Superiore. After the sudden loss of her father and grandfather, she stepped into a legacy shaped by six generations of winemakers.
In this episode of The Wine Centric Show, Ilaria shares how she’s carrying forward the family tradition, while championing Collio—Italy’s third officially recognized wine consortium after Chianti and Barolo. Despite its rich terroir and heritage, Collio remains one of the most underrated regions in Italian wine.
We talk about:
- What makes Friuli and Collio unique in Italian winemaking
- The Adriatic Sea’s influence on the region’s microclimate
- Why more people should be drinking wines from Friuli
- The cultural connection between food, family, and wine
- The pressure (and privilege) of inheriting a multigenerational legacy
- Leading two wineries as a young female in Italian wine
Whether you're a wine lover, storyteller, or legacy-builder, this is a conversation not to miss.
🎧 Listen now and follow The Wine Centric Show for more stories behind the bottle.
Creators and Guests
What is The Wine Centric Show?
🎙 Bringing wine stories, tips, and expert interviews to everyday wine lovers. 🍷
17 WineCentric - Ilaria Felluga
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[00:00:00]
Matt Weiss: Welcome to the Wine Centric Show where we talk to the titans and luminaries of the wine industry, but make it all relatable for everybody, no matter what part of your wine journey you're on. And today, with our second in studio guest ever, we are taking a trip to Italy to not just any part of Italy, to the beautiful shores of Oli.
And to help us, take us there is this very special lady who is a sixth generation wine maker of the Marco Feluga Winery. She is the incomparable. Feluga.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. Thank you. I mean, whoa. What an introduction. Thank you, Matt's,
Matt Weiss: it's deserving, you know, I mean, I would say you, your family is part of the reason that we drink for you in [00:01:00] wine in America. Right?
Ilaria Felluga,: Thank you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. A little bit. Yes, yes. I have to be honest. A little bit. Yes. A little bit. Yes. A little bit.
Yes.
Matt Weiss: Yeah. I mean, we've talked about it on a, on a previous episode, but like, there's Yourman, which is very famous. Um, your, your grandfather and your father, and then, um, and your uncle.
Yeah. Like
Matt Weiss: those are the, those are the top three really, that put it on the map. Yeah. Yeah. And so. Why don't you tell us a little bit about your region, about what the grapes grow?
And I'll just give it, I like to say this because, you know, I always refer to, and we'll show on the map that Italy, when we talk about it in a wine wise, it looks like a boot. You know?
Ilaria Felluga,: It is.
Matt Weiss: Yeah. And, uh, so Oli is in the way Northeast, on the Adriatic coast. Mm-hmm. And it's kind of like, like, like just below the, where the, the back of the knee.
I think yes, yes. Is like the best way to describe it. Yes, yes, yes.
Ilaria Felluga,: Absolutely. Yeah. So take us there.
Matt Weiss: Take us, tell us about the place, about the wines.
Ilaria Felluga,: You know how we call it, [00:02:00] talking about the region thrill, magic because in thrill you have everything you want. Yeah. Because as you said, we are the north east region of Italy with Mediterranean climate.
So we have mountains, the Alps. That are kind of protecting us from the Cold Winds of the north, because in the North end part we border with Austria. Mm-hmm. Then on the east side, actually five minutes from where we are, we have the VIN border and then Thera Sea. Yeah. So you can go swimming, half an hour skiing, one hour and a half, but being then in the countryside, in the middle of the region and enjoy this beautiful rolling hills.
Hmm. So, yeah, we're lucky. We have an incredible climate. Brings us to have kind of warm days and cold nights. But yeah, it's, it's amazing. Uh, the thing that I always say is that through, it's even kind of a mix because, you know, [00:03:00] we had the Republic of Venice, Napoleon for a bit, uh, then the Asberg Empire.
Yeah. And there's actually an official language that it's. Yeah, that it's a mix of Latin, French, and, uh, German speaking. It's too hard to, to to know this language that I cannot speak it and sometimes even understanding it, but
Matt Weiss: did you grow up learning it or listening to it?
Ilaria Felluga,: No. No, no, because my grandfather, Marco, he was from, uh, au, a small village close to the coast, and over there used speak more dialect close to the, the Venetian dialect.
Okay. So, but they were talking, my grandmother and my grandfather together in grad, this dialect from Rado, but not with their sons. So with them they were talking in Italian. So my father just understood, but never spoke about it. So with me again. [00:04:00] No, just Italian speaking. Okay. So, yes, yes. I took, I, I decided to attend a course of 10 lessons, uh, how to learn free language.
But no, I, I have to be honest. It's too hard. Come on. Tell, tell us something to learn. Say, say,
Matt Weiss: introduce yourself in this free alien language.
Ilaria Felluga,: I, I can say this. Yeah. That it's, how are you? Okay. So I'll say it in Italian and then in Ian. So how are you? It's es. Mm-hmm. In it's
Matt Weiss: che.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yes. Okay. I mean, something completely different, you know?
Yeah. Yes. Yes. I love
Matt Weiss: that though, that 'cause that colors the personality of the people of the place and the wines.
Yes, yes. That's very true.
Matt Weiss: Yeah. And um, I just, I find this stuff fascinating. I mean, I was a history major in college and so you think about the influences of not only the place, but like you said, you have this Slovenian, almost Slavic culture.
Mm-hmm. Um, you have [00:05:00] that Austrian German culture and then the Italian side. And like you said, I mean if you, for the people who. If you haven't read up on your history, the Republic of Venice was a major country at that time up until Napoleon overran that government. And then so you also have the French influence there.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And uh, and, and so yeah, when you look at these wines and the styles and the, and the wines you make, Pinot Grigio, cabernet frog, some merlott in the area, and, and the Fri ano, they're all influenced by these, by these. People in these cultures. I think it's, it's awesome. I mean, amazing. Yeah. At one point, like your fa your grandfather actually moved the, like you, border wise, you would've been properly in Slovenia.
No.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. Yeah. So we need to take a while to tell this story because for, for me, tell the stories. It's incredible. Yeah. Yeah. This
Matt Weiss: is the, this is the time. What I, what I love is, uh, in this modern day and age of podcasting, we get to document these stories. Mm-hmm. With somebody like you [00:06:00] who's learned from six generations of the winery.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. So actually in the second half of 1800, the family started in this small village that it's still there, called it Ola. Mm-hmm. That at that time was connected to Italy through the Republic of Venice before, and Asberg Empire later. Uh, over there they started with a, with a restaurant kind of, uh, auster, we will say.
Yeah. That it's a smaller restaurant, more family owned. So, uh, but then the family wanted to, to grow up a little bit with the wine business, so they decided to buy lands and produce a little bit more. And, uh, this tiny little town that it's Isola is a port city, so in front of the sea, and they started to do shipments from Isola to gdo.
Mm-hmm. Gdo, I was mentioning it before. It's where my grandfather then was born because, um, the [00:07:00] family started there. But then they moved, uh, we're talking about now the 1920s. Indo especially, they decided to open a warehouse so it was easier ship the wine, having there and spread it through than the regional of Van Fuel.
Of course, later on. Mm-hmm. Um, but then especially my great-grandfather Giovanni, uh, he decided to move the Wolf family in between Grado and Ska, which is another city close by, uh, in 1938. Okay. The family was about seven ki kids. I mean, huge family, big family. And, um, moving. Now it's easy. You get your car and you drive and you go wherever you wanna go, actually.
But think about at that time in 1938, it was kind of, yeah, a little
Matt Weiss: contentious, just about to start World War II as well. Yeah. Yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: But that was [00:08:00] actually the fortune because the family was just moved there on the right side after the Second World War and everything that was in Isola. Was lost. Mm-hmm. So the houses, the lands, the winery there, but fortunately everyone was on the right side.
Yeah. And, uh, but if you
Matt Weiss: hadn't moved, you would've been on the wrong side mm-hmm. And would've been destroyed your land or whatever.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah, actually, uh, the family moved, I told you a little bit earlier, but the uncle. So the brother of, uh, of my great-grandfather, Giovanni, he was still there and running the Austria, the little restaurant.
Okay. And, uh, my grandfather told me that one night when he was going back walking to his house, a guy told him just, you know, like in the films that you walk and you meet someone and this guy's gonna Yes. Sliding doors? Yes. Kind [00:09:00] of. Yeah. And he said, uh, Chao, that was the name of, of the brother Chao.
Tomorrow they're gonna come to pick you. Hmm. Up. Because it was starting Tito and Yugoslavia. And so it was, yeah, kind of crazy. So he walk. Not even passing through house, just going to Tris. And I mean, threes from isa, it's about one hour driving. So So he
Matt Weiss: walked the whole way. Yeah. Didn't even go back, get his anything.
Just left,
Ilaria Felluga,: just left like that. And
Matt Weiss: so he lived and Navy's free. He escaped. Yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: Everyone was safe. But it's kind of crazy stories. That is crazy. Yeah. And we think about a hundred years ago, not 200, 300. So I mean, it's pretty close the time that when this happened. Yeah.
Matt Weiss: It's in somewhat living memory of like ancestors.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. Yeah. But then, uh, in 1938, I told you they moved there. Uh, my great-grandfather was still working [00:10:00] on the wine business and two of the seven kids decided to work with their dad. And these two kids were Marco and Olivia. So just, yeah. Hold
Matt Weiss: on a sec. So. Your, your, your grandfather's idea was to make wine to supply the tedia.
Was that the idea? Or ki
Ilaria Felluga,: kind of, kind of like, like they, they didn't have,
Matt Weiss: did they have vineyards historically? Yeah, they did. Okay. Yeah,
Ilaria Felluga,: yeah, yeah. Not that much. So they were buying and producing more. Buying and producing more so, yeah. Yeah. But no, the business started with Australia actually. Okay. So, yeah.
Yeah. Cool. And the building, it's still there. I've been there a couple of years ago. Oh wow. Yeah, for my first time in my life. And the building, it's there and the house where the family was living is there too, so kind of crazy. That's crazy. But then I told you back to the two brothers, uh, they, mark and Olivia stayed together till [00:11:00] 1956 under one name that was Feluga only.
Feluga, Feluga and Sons. And then they decided to split out and, uh, start their own way. So actually the year of Foundation of Mark Feluga and live feluga for both of them, it's 1956.
Matt Weiss: Okay. Yes. But why? I mean, there was still good relationships. Yeah. They weren't like angry. They just stylistically thought differently about the wine.
Do you know why they, why they split?
Ilaria Felluga,: They were growing very fast and uh, uh, my grandfather, he was one of the latest. Kids, and Louis was one of the first. So actually they had 10 years different in age. Yes. So even different, different point of view. And uh, that was a thing. But, uh, if I do have a look at the photo album of, of our family, they were always traveling together and make things [00:12:00] together.
Okay. And my grandfather always told me, you know, Eli, because I was alone, he was alone. And maybe if we will get a, a tractor in two, we will get a discount. So no, I mean, they, they always had a very good relationship though.
Matt Weiss: Got it. Yeah. Um, so let's let, let's cut to talking about the wines of this place and the wines that your grandfather and your father make.
Um, I have to say, and I talked about this on a previous episode. I get it. Pinot Pinot Grigio. Mm-hmm. I get it. Right. Um, I understand why it's such a popular grape, why people like to drink it. It's cold, it's crisp, it's refreshing. Um, it's not my, in general, not my favorite, but then I also like, you know, things, but then you experience them in a different way.
And you think about Pinot Grigio that comes from these specific places like Pinot Grigio that you [00:13:00] make, that comes from Oli. That comes from Lio. Mm-hmm. Um, and it's a whole different thing. Right. It's complex. It's, it's, it has more acidity and the flavors are, are, they take you within different fruits from orchard fruits to citrus fruits.
And I, I just notice like. I'm wondering how you as an Italian person, as somebody who makes really beautiful Pinot Grigio, thinks about the idea, the idea of the Dee Pinot Grigio that you buy in the grocery store for, you know, $9, $11, whatever. But it's, it's like a, a collage of three different regions, right?
And so we talk about wine, we talk about wine being being of the place coming from that farm, right? Wine comes from grapes, and we talk about it as an agricultural product for people that are making wine. The quality that you're making of, and, and, and then it becomes almost like a marketing thing when you're making wine from three different [00:14:00] regions that yes, they're close, somewhat in proximity, but they're very distinct flavors.
So that's my long way of saying they're just making a Pinot grigio that is supposed to taste like this modern day idea of Pinot Grigio. But you don't do that. So what do you think about that?
Ilaria Felluga,: So I agree with you.
Matt Weiss: Mm-hmm. Thank you.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. And I understand that yeah, you can absolutely find in the market different, completely different styles of poggio and, um, I know that sometimes can be a marketing thing and, uh, we have a, a huge kind of example here in US that it's Santa Margarita.
Yeah. That it's still, I don't know if I could say that, but Yes. No, no. We're talking about the business. Everybody. I'd be okay [00:15:00] for something that, yeah. But the, the, the point is that they let people know Pinot Grigio. Maybe wouldn't, wouldn't have
Matt Weiss: known it.
Ilaria Felluga,: So that's, I don't know.
Matt Weiss: It's a double edged sword, right?
Yeah. 'cause it's like, so, I mean, another, you're, we, we talked to Brian, uh, Larkey in a previous episode. The, uh, the owner and creator of Della Terra and who was talking, um, about Alice Lator. Mm-hmm. And they make Pinot Grigio, but it's from Alto Aje. Mm-hmm. And it's very different. And so it's like, if you think about taking those two Pinot Grigios and mixing them together into one wine, it's like, ah, that makes me like, yeah, it makes me angry a little bit.
Um, but that's essentially what they're doing for a Devee, Pinot Grigio. And so it's al So it's a double edged sword because if you think back, I know you're, I, I don't mean to talk about your age, but you're very young. You're very wise, but you're very young, so you don't remember, but there were, or maybe you [00:16:00] do, but 'cause you have a lot of generations behind you.
Um, there was this thing in the USA called Rio Needy. Do you remember what TI was? No. So ti is Le Brusco. Okay.
But
Matt Weiss: it was a bastardization of what they're making. Like, you know, you're with, you're in the same portfolio, ASTO Chi. Right. Okay. Yes. See, which is making fantastic Le Brusco. Yeah. Okay. That's very representative.
This ti was extra high sugar, low alcohol, you know, just very something, uh, very manufactured. Mm-hmm. Expression of it. But people loved it, you know, especially in, in the United States, and that's a different culture. We, they loved it. You could buy it in every grocery store. It was in every home. It was cheap.
It was sugary and, and it's it. So yes, you could make the argument there that people were buying Lambrusco, but then now to come back. 25 years later. And by Kto Kiley from somebody that had that, you have to retrain the brain.
Yeah.
Matt Weiss: And that's kind of what we're doing with, uh, with [00:17:00] Fri and Pinot Grigio and
Ilaria Felluga,: Pinot Grigio, I believe.
Um, but that's my thought that we are gonna be a generation. I'm talking about my generation. I'm, I'm turning 30 this year and congratulations. Congrat.
Matt Weiss: Yeah. Thirties, the new 20. Yeah, I know.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. I'm, I'm gonna celebrate then That's right. As my 20, but um, yeah. Uh, that my generation take more kind of attention of what are drinking or what are eating and.
I believe that instead in the past, not maybe your generation, but the previous one. Are you calling
Matt Weiss: me an old guy?
Ilaria Felluga,: No, of course not. No, I've been joking. It's okay. But, um, I mean they were coming off a, a period where you didn't ha, [00:18:00] you just had, I dunno, bread and, uh, what you were finding out, I mean, after war.
Yeah. It was a period that everything was. Exploding. So I, I don't wanna say that, uh, less quality and more quantity, but in a certain way everything was new. Everything was so, I don't know.
Matt Weiss: So we wanted more of it, and it was just like mass producing things and like you had this new export arm that you could like, um, you know, that people wanted Italian things, so you just give them the basic and high quantity, not necessarily quality.
Yeah.
Matt Weiss: Yeah. It was different though than like fashion and stuff like that, you know? Yeah. Um, one second here, because. Talking about quality, I'm gonna give you something that's really high quality. Alaia What?
Ilaria Felluga,: You
Matt Weiss: like coffee?
Ilaria Felluga,: Of course. I'm Italian.
Matt Weiss: Okay, good. So this is a coffee that is actually, the beans are from Peru, but it, they're roasted here, uh, in Chapel Hill.
Yeah, [00:19:00] please. This is called the Tastemaker series, and it's a collaboration I did with, uh, yeah, with with Carbo Coffee. Um, so it's a single origin coffee. So like a single vineyard, almost K
Joe Woolworth: in one.
Matt Weiss: Yeah. By a farmer named Edith Mesa. Um, it's a Pacamara blend. She does, um, a natural. Fermentation process. Thank you.
Much. So it was really delicious. Yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: I didn't have to You can bring that back. And there, there's you. Here's my gonna here. Thank you very much. Oh, my pleasure. Congrat. Yeah. Thank you cia. Thank you for being
Matt Weiss: here. Uh, okay. So let's get back to this idea of, uh, first of all, let's talk about the other, the other grapes.
I mean, um, you're known for Fri ano this, this beautiful white crisp, other white queer grape that's there. Um, but it's actually, it's what's signature in the region, but it's actually very small amount of plantation on Yeah. On that, right? Yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: Very small. So I'll give you an overview Yeah. About the region.
Um, [00:20:00] the region in general. Foli, it's, it, it's a very productive area. Uh, I'm unhappy to say that the first grape variety planted talking about the world region, it's ra. I do say unhappy because ra, you know, Prosecco grape. Mm-hmm. It's, I believe that it's more planted for business than for tradition. Of course.
Yeah.
Matt Weiss: So let's just say, as you said, GLAD is the grape that's in Prosecco predominantly. Mm-hmm.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah, yeah, yeah. In Benito. Yeah. So, um, then especially talking about our appellation, that it's the DOC Colo. Mm-hmm. Collio It's one of the oldest appelation of Italy actually, because the recognization by the Ministry of Agriculture was given in 1968.
And then the Consortium Colo, so the Association of the Wine Makers was the third [00:21:00] consortium formed in Italy. Oh, wow. The first one was Chianti Yeah. The second one was Barolo and the third one was Consortium Collio in 1964. So, such a long time ago.
Matt Weiss: That's really good. Uh, company there to be considered amongst Chianti and Barolo.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. Yeah, yeah,
Matt Weiss: yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: But, um, yeah, especially Lio, we were talking about it before too. It's, uh, about whites. We do have the 87% of white production. From international grape varieties. You were mentioning some of them before. Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bian, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay to local grapes.
And then we have a tiny little part of Breads, uh, from are in incredible too, like more Melo Cabon and Cab Frank. Mm-hmm. There's a tiny part of pin too, but yes, these are the [00:22:00] main Mm. Yes. And then,
Matt Weiss: and you, you were telling me when we were talking offline that you think those grapes were brought there from the nap from Napoleon, like those French varietals, Souvignon blanc, French Ke Cabernet Franc, yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yes, yes, yes. Because these gray varieties are, some of them a hundred, some of them 150 years old that are growing. Okay. There, so yes. Yes, absolutely. Yes. Uh, but then talking about CO especially, I have to be honest, it's a, a very incredible area because it was mentioning that the microclimate that you have over there from this warm days and cold nights and this winds, you know, that the, we have a very famous wind that it's Bora, that it's coming from Tris pretty strong.
So it's even helping with the environment in general and um, 'cause it dries it out. Yes. Yeah. And you don't have
Matt Weiss: as much humidity.
Ilaria Felluga,: No. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And this is very [00:23:00] important, but another very important thing that we do have, it's the soil. We do have this incredible soil that, it's called Ponka. Mm-hmm. In Million Language, Ponka Ponka, uh, it's a flesh, a certification of Marlon Sandstones.
That was originated more than 50 millions years ago. And actually where now we have our gentle hills, uh, there was the sea 50 millions years ago. Right. And there's a huge rock that we have in Ruid Superior. And then I, I have it. I have to tell you a little bit about Superior too. Yeah, of course. 'cause there's a lot of history there.
And, um, yeah. This huge rock that we thought it was just a rock instead it's a piece of a coral reef.
Matt Weiss: Okay.
Ilaria Felluga,: That was,
Matt Weiss: so at some point the Adriatic Sea covered all of this region until it receded at [00:24:00] some point. And that makes the terroir what's in the soil unique and what gives the wine such power, finesse, elegance, complexity.
Yeah. And salinity. And the salinity party. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. This is, that explains
Matt Weiss: why the white wines are so, like I, if, if you've never had whites from Foli, uh, please get your, you should, yeah. You should get yourself some Again, um, Marco Feluga or the rusi that we're talking about, these wines are, um, they're unlike anything because like I said, they have such ageability complexity.
Not only do you have those beautiful citrus aromas up front, but then there's this, like you said, salinity, this acidity that just makes them mouthwatering and beautiful for, for eating or for having with food. And
Ilaria Felluga,: just complex, even if the high acidities that we do have are given by the, the wall thing.
So the terroir in general, rah, [00:25:00] I, when I say terroir, I mention the work from the person, the soil, the microclimate, everything. We don't reach that high altitudes because we go from 80 meters above the sea level to 270. Okay. So it's not that high. It's not that high. Yeah.
Matt Weiss: Yeah. But you have the, the winds like you were talking about that really.
Yeah. Um, before I wanted to talk one more question about wine and then I, I, and we'll get back to it later, but I want to talk about some family history. Um, I think yesterday you mentioned this, that you're starting to plant replant more rib jala. Is that right?
Ilaria Felluga,: The, yeah. Yeah. Kind of.
Matt Weiss: How do you take us through like from a very elementary level, how is it now thought about if you're starting a new vineyard or you're replanting 'cause you're replanting all the time thought about like, okay, should I plant [00:26:00] Pinot Grigio here?
Should I plant fri here? Should I plant rib jala? Like, what, what are going into those decisions?
Ilaria Felluga,: So, um, you think about how the market's going. Okay. A little bit. Of course.
Matt Weiss: So you start by thinking about the end consumer, what's selling, what, what, what would be successful business-wise,
Ilaria Felluga,: but at the same time, keeping our traditions.
Mm-hmm. Because I, I told you about Ebola and I told you about ano Yeah. Which are our two most important actus gray varieties. Mm-hmm. Uh, because I'll giving you other numbers. The, the first planted gray variety in Copulation, it's Pinot Grigio. Okay. Then the second it's Sauvignon Blanc, and the third at the same level are Ola and Ano.
Okay. Yeah. And, um, I, I always say that. The oc, [00:27:00] great varieties are great varieties that only you have. So when you talk about ano, we are not producing B, but I love it very much. Uh, you compare, you yourself, your winery, your wines into the world, but you don't have any comparison. So it's only you. It's unique.
Yeah. I do believe, and I always say that even when I'm talking with sales rep, that of course it's easier talking about a Sauvignon Blanc that it's produced in South Africa and France because people get used to know this gray variety. But as mentioned, it is unique. The OC autonomous gray varieties are unique.
Something that only you have, so. This is the aim that, that what we're trying to do, it's harder, you know, that's what sets
Matt Weiss: your region apart from any other region.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yes.
Matt Weiss: Yeah. Yes. [00:28:00] I love that word, auto. It's, uh, like, it's actually the more correct way of saying indigenous because indigenous. Yeah. Yeah. But no, but what you're saying, I, I forget the exact nuance, uh, of it, but there's something new, uh, uh, in the nuance where auto is, I'm probably not saying that right, is meaning that at some point it just grew, na grew naturally there, nobody planted it.
It was just absolutely in, embedded in the land. Yes. So that's cool. Yes. But yeah, that, that strikes such a, back to my initial question about deciding what to plant, where and when. Um, because me as a, you know, a wine professional, call me a wine nerd, I want to drink more Ebola, jla, maybe because I can't get as much hands, my hands on it, but also because it makes absolutely delicious wines, um.
It's hard to sell.
Ilaria Felluga,: It is. It is. But when you let taste this wine to the people
Matt Weiss: Yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: They love it. So the thing is, you [00:29:00] have to let them know. Yeah. It
Matt Weiss: so will you plant more of it?
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah.
Matt Weiss: Okay. Of course. So this is, this goes back perfect segue. Um, you're sixth generation, like we said, uh, you're just, you're almost gonna turn 30 years old.
You are the head face of the winery. Um, a sad news that your, your father passed and then your grandfather who outlived your father passed two years ago. Mm-hmm. Maybe a year ago. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Matt Weiss: Um, sorry about that. I know. Great, great people. Um, do you feel this pressure now?
Ilaria Felluga,: Of course. A little Yes. But I always say that, okay, it's you, but.
You can work it out on your own. You need to work with a team. Yeah. And our team from Marco Feluga and Ru it is, it's incredible. And, uh, [00:30:00] there are people working there before that I was born, so they.
Matt Weiss: They help you carry the tradition. Yes. So, okay.
Ilaria Felluga,: And they're family for me. Yeah. So this is important, surrounding you with good people and great people.
And
Matt Weiss: was it ever a choice for you to not work in, in the family business? Yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: I didn't know that I loved it. I mean, so I'm a mix. I'm not a hundred percent Ian. I'm even half Urian. Okay. That it's on the opposite side of Italy. Okay. Uh, because I was born in, um, in Gricia City that it's in Oli. So I did my elementary school there.
Then my parents divorced and my mom wanted to go back to her family in Ria. I see. Because the, the origin of the family were there. So I moved there with her. And I did my middle school and my high school there. Okay. Going [00:31:00] back and forward, of course, from Ria and Oli. And then I decided to go back, uh, to Oli, but after a gap year, because I didn't know what I wanted to do.
And my father, Roberto said that you don't know, but at least learn English because I, I was very bad. So I went to London. That it, it's full of Italians. Yeah. But at least I was living in a family, like an au pair. Mm-hmm. And I was going to school. And, um, on that occasion, my father was very happy because it was, uh, his first city that he lived alone too.
So he was like, oh, I'll, I'm gonna show you. So he came with me, uh, because he wanted to, to meet the family. And then he left me there for four months and then he came back to pick me up. But during those days, uh, he told me [00:32:00] that he was working on the market with our importer at that time, and he said, okay, you're gonna come with me the latest night and, uh, we're gonna have this dinner in this restaurant together.
I said, okay, let's meet up there. So I, I went there with my All stars shoes, my jeans and my t-shirt, and it was a Michelin star restaurant. Oh. And I do remember that just entering through the door, the chef was coming to me. Laia, the ones are amazing. We, it just study all the menu for your wines. And then my father was doing the, the wine dinner tasting and everyone was listening to him.
And, um, so it was actually my, my first big event. And, uh, then I decided to come back to Italy and join with Culture and Theology in ine. So, yes.
Matt Weiss: So your fa watching your [00:33:00] father conduct a wine dinner was the inspiration to come back and do it?
Yeah.
Matt Weiss: Wow. What would you have done though if you didn't? Like, what would be your other, what, what other business would you have been in if you didn't do wine?
Ilaria Felluga,: I like very much hospitality.
Matt Weiss: Okay.
Ilaria Felluga,: And it's actually what I'm working a little bit more now. At the winery because we have, uh, bed and breakfast that it's small, our seven rooms, but we are trying to, it's part, it's
Matt Weiss: a relay Chateau property, is that right? Yeah, yeah. Yes,
Ilaria Felluga,: yes, yes. That's pretty,
Matt Weiss: pretty amazing praise.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's in the middle of the countryside. It's very quiet place. And, um, what we are trying to do since, uh, COVID happened, it's to create different events. Experiences that are not only the wine tasting and the tour of the cellar, but uh, like [00:34:00] in the past years we did create yoga classes, uh, horse riding through the vineyards, and then, uh, wine tasting later, or cooking classes, cooking typical Julian dishes.
And, uh, in, in the past years, we have an incredible hospitality team. We're growing. We, we were couple and now we're gonna be a little bit more. And, um, and they're all under 30 years old. And what we do is, um, at the beginning of the year, think about which kind of other kind of experiences we can, might create.
And, uh, we did create this event that it's actually very simple, that it's, uh, a and dj. Mm. But because. I mean, it's, it's that simple, but at the same time, very effective because we wanted to bring younger people and let them [00:35:00] know that wine, it's not such a very huge thing. Yeah. Not
Matt Weiss: intimidating.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. So, and they're going very well.
Okay. The DJ is very good too. Yeah. The, the wine so and so, but the DJ is very good. Yeah. If you don't like a wine
Matt Weiss: stay for the dj.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. But yeah, this is a very important thing that, yeah. So hospitality. Hospitality in general. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So
Matt Weiss: you're kind of there, you're kind of in, in, in it anyway. Yeah. I mean.
Wine and hospitality go, go together. Together. Yes, for sure. Yes. Let's talk about, so you have Marco Falu, Marco Falu, they're, these wineries are both in this region called Lio.
Yes. Um, and, and the greater region, we said Foli, but it's Foli, uh, Julia, Venetia Vi Venetia, Julia, cia, Julia. Yes. Yes. So you have like three regions placed in one little confusing, but all in this area in the Northeast and on the Adriatic that we talked about. And [00:36:00] then you get more inland and stuff like that.
Mm-hmm. But the two wineries you have, uh, Marco Feluga and Ru Re. Talk to about the differences between them and, and the wines that are, and the, and the stylistic differences about those wines.
Ilaria Felluga,: Absolutely. So as you said, they are both on the copulation, but they are actually two independent wineries. Mark of Luga.
It's Inso where the first winery was opened by my great-grandfather, Giovanni. And over there we have more the, uh, let's say administration office. And uh, it's where we do even control the logistic. Mm-hmm. But we do have bottling, part enox tanks, and, uh, even the barric. So the barric section, uh. You drive 10 minutes and you [00:37:00] arrive in Ru Winery over there too.
We have a bottling section and inuk tanks and barix and everything. But over there is where even we do the hospitality. So we do have, uh, uh, where you can go and have the wine tours. You can taste both wines from both of the wineries. So Mark Feluga, and, and it's where even we have the, um, Baden B and where we do even have events, um, Marco Luga has about a hundred Heta, uh, between property and renting.
Okay. In four different areas of coloration. Uh, so four different altitudes. Sometimes the microclimate might change a little bit because we have, uh, two parts, uh, two, I mean, yeah. [00:38:00] Two parts I will say of um, of act in one of the highest point, so our 270 meters above the sea level over there. Over there.
And it's about some Flo Del that it's what one of the highest point. And actually from there, if it's a clear day. You might see the sea. Oh, nice. It's incredible over there. Then there's another part that it's slavia, that it's just right behind of it, of San Floriano. And then Farra is also that it's more, um, lower where about a hundred or 80 meters above the sea level and then hormones.
So as I said, four different areas. All of them in Copulation, and then instead Rui Superior, it's about 46 at. But all of them in Ru Rui Superior area because it didn't say that, but [00:39:00] Ruid Superior, first of all, it's the name of the geographical place. Mm-hmm. And, uh, Ruit means, um. Um, earth on an Ian dialect and superior, it's higher because actually this wall area, it's not that big, of course, it's about a hundred actors.
Uh, it was discovered by the Asberg Empire. Mm-hmm. And, uh, Asberg Empire were, was producing more wine actually, than what we're producing now. And, uh, they, the
Matt Weiss: Habsburg Empire as a whole was producing more wine at that time when they were,
Ilaria Felluga,: yeah.
Matt Weiss: Wow.
Ilaria Felluga,: And more red than white actually. Okay. Yeah. Um, what they did on a map was try to discover which were the most important areas for the production of wine.
And they did identify Ruit Superiore and what they decided to do to divide the, the area [00:40:00] in Ruit higher and ruit lower, that was made in 1960. In in, sorry, in 1767 and, uh, so it became Sid's sub and Ruit in Ferra, my grandfather, what he decided to do when he arrived there in the 1970s, he said, okay guys, all the vineyards are in Ed Superior, so why not call in the winery as the name of the geographical place where the vineyards are.
Matt Weiss: Yeah,
Ilaria Felluga,: yeah.
Matt Weiss: It's a geographical place. Not to say that you're superior, but it's just a place. Yeah. Yes,
Ilaria Felluga,: yes, yes, yes. A lot of people sometimes are asking me, you're very arrogant, superior. It's, it's superior in a certain way. I have to be honest, mark, of which we do have these two, let's say lines and, and stylistically talking are different because in mark of Luga what we try to reach is, um, the high [00:41:00] acidities, sorry.
There Drunkness and the crispiness that we were talking about it. Yeah, about Pinot Grigio too. So the wines are stainless and we leave them less on lease after the fermentation, kind of four or five months before leasing the wine to the market.
Matt Weiss: Yeah. Just want to, before you get into re so what you're saying there is, uh, so stainless steel meaning no oak, so you're really preserving the freshness.
You're not introducing any other flavors that are other than the wine. Yes. Uh, and then Lees are the dead yeast cells that end up on the wine that are often stirred back into the wine that can help create creaminess and texture. But in this, you want them very precise. So you're not doing that. Yeah. Or, or very or minimally doing that.
Yes. Okay. Yes. Yes. Versus Ru's Superior,
Ilaria Felluga,: where instead we do, uh, a single vineyard once over there, we. Kind of [00:42:00] have a very short maturation at control temperature in press, so that can contact my last maximum 15 hours. Then what we do is having a small part of the wine that's barrel fermented in French Oak barric that are neutral, so used, but are gonna give this a
Matt Weiss: different because you're having an oxygen exchange.
Yes. You are getting a little wood tannin on the wine. Exactly.
Yes. Yeah. So that's gonna give
Matt Weiss: it a different complexity.
Yeah.
Matt Weiss: Okay, cool. there's a lot of talk about orange wine these days. So a very simple level, orange wine is white wine or wine that comes from a, a, a green grape that is treated like a red wine, meaning that it is aged and in contact with the skins.
Mm-hmm. And then also aged in wood, similar to a red wine. This. You correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understand [00:43:00] it is Orange wine was essentially invented in this region, in in Foli, in, in, uh, Slovenia as well, right, right next door because you grew Pinot Grigio. Pinot Grigio is also known as Pinot Gris, so it mutated on the vine, meaning it changes colors.
Like you have this point in, in the wine grapes where on the vine they go, they become green or they become red.
Joe Woolworth: Mm-hmm.
Matt Weiss: But at some point, Pinot Grigio kind of tricks you, it could become pink or it can become gray. So originally the wine makers were confused and they said, okay, we'll make it like a red wine.
And then it came out orange. They liked the style, it became part of the tradition. And now, and now other people are doing this around the world and it's become kind of a on-trend thing. You can think about what you want to think. Some are good, some are okay, some are not so good. Do I have that right?
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah, yeah. Okay. No, no, no. You have it. Right.
Matt Weiss: What do you think about orange wines? Have you made any orange [00:44:00] wines?
Ilaria Felluga,: We tried yeah. To have some orange wines and I'm, I'm always curious. So I, I try them pretty much and um, like ones
Matt Weiss: from all around the world or ones that are made by your neighbors and in your
Ilaria Felluga,: region?
No, around the world. Yeah, around the world, yes. Um, I, I'm always curious to try different stuff and see how other people are liking, disliking or creating different things. Mm-hmm. So, yeah, it's, it's, I'm an open mind person, but. What I think about orange wines is that it's another technique. Yeah. I, I believe that in a certain way it's a wine that, how it started, like in, in, in the past, how the wine was made, was made in a certain way, sometimes in, in this ways.
And, um, it's different. Of course, [00:45:00] it's a different technique and, um, we did try Yeah. As I said, and I don't know if I do personally like this style very much. Okay. Uh, in a certain way. Um, on this side where I do like freshness, I acidities and, uh, a style that might be more lighter. Let me pass this word of lighter, but, um, something that it's more easy drinking.
So I do believe that these wines are very important, sometimes incredible, because even aging them, it's incredible. And the way how they're making them, it's incredible because think about living the wine there with the skin for such a long time. Yeah. And then, but in a certain way [00:46:00] it's, I don't know. I don't know if it's about me as a person that I always had, you know, this kind of taste, this kind of, but what I'm searching now as a person, it's freshness something more
Matt Weiss: Okay.
On that direction because they also, it would strike me as. Stylistically it could fit into Rui Re like, especially because you're aging some of the Sauvignon Blanc and, you know, Regio mm-hmm. With, with wood anyway, a little bit, even if it's neutral. Mm-hmm. So, I don't know. You could try it there.
Ilaria Felluga,: No, we did try, we did try.
And you didn't like it.
Matt Weiss: What did you do with the wine? Did you sell it locally or,
Ilaria Felluga,: uh, no, it was just for us. Okay. So, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But the, the point is that, so I do believe that having skin contact on the skin, you have aromas. So if you do skin contact, you abstract this Yeah. Aromas, you're not right.
Matt Weiss: You're, you're not just extracting color, you're abstracting Yes. Extracting tannin as well. Exactly. The [00:47:00] skin tannin and other aromas.
Ilaria Felluga,: But there is a certain point where maybe it's too much, you lose it. So that's why we decided to do short maturations at control temperature, not longers, because Yeah, you said it, you get even tannins and Yeah, in, in white wines are cool.
From my very poor point of view. Yes. Till a certain point. Okay. So, yeah.
Matt Weiss: So who in the, in your organization, your family, are you making those decisions with to say like, oh, I like it. I don't like it. Yes, let's make this wine.
Ilaria Felluga,: We are a team. We're a team. Who else is on that
Matt Weiss: team?
Ilaria Felluga,: Uh, we have two guys that are technical enologist, and then we have, uh, another enologist who's helping us.
And, uh, [00:48:00] and then an external enologist. So actually we're a team of, uh, five. Okay. Altogether? Yes. And
Matt Weiss: so you still, like, there's nobody else from the family that's involved? No. Yeah. Okay.
Ilaria Felluga,: I'm an only child. Okay. Yes.
Matt Weiss: Uh, uncles, like, is your, is No. No. Yeah. Wow. You are really, uh. A lone soldier in carrying this around.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah. Yeah. But I told you the, the team that we have, it's amazing. It's like family.
Matt Weiss: Yeah. Yeah. Okay, we're gonna, um, we're getting up to time here and, uh, you need to go to the airport. So before we
Ilaria Felluga,: Back
Matt Weiss: to Italy. Back to Italy for after being here for a month. Congratulations. You get to go. Or being traveling for a month.
Yeah. Um, I do a fun thing here where, and actually we'll make it very simple. So you have some of your wines there behind you. Mm-hmm. Or you can pick any wines from your portfolio, uh, and pair them with what, and tell us what are the best [00:49:00] dishes to, that we should be pairing those wines with. Shall
Ilaria Felluga,: I'll start from the most, let's say bright, bright and cool and pop and fresh white wine that we produce, that it's through bianco, uh, the only one that we produce with the screw cup.
And uh, this has to be served cold. Very cold. Yeah. During a hot summer day. Uh, so when I think about this one, I think about. Being close to a river, to a lake by the sea, uh, with, uh, a cold glass. And, um, just enjoying it like that. I mean, enjoying the view maybe with friends, like a comparative time Yeah. And something like that.
So I would say even chichetti, you know, Chichetti what it is. Yeah. Like, uh,
Matt Weiss: the bread [00:50:00] with, uh, all different types of, with something on top. Yes. Yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: And, um, thinking about even, uh. Uh, Balala Mancato might be very interesting. You know, what's Bala Mancato? No. Ah, that's tricky to to explain it. Yeah.
Matt Weiss: Bala Mancato.
Is it fish? Is it, is
Ilaria Felluga,: it fish? Yeah.
Matt Weiss: Like sardines almost.
Ilaria Felluga,: No, but sardine like a salty fish. It's another very good pairing. Okay. Um, no bakala. It's, um, a fish that it's pretty fat. And what people do with this fish is, um, sometimes it, it's salty. Yes. Yeah. And they let stay maybe under milk, just get the saltiness off and then you can create kind of a cream of it, uh, with some or olive oil or some milk.
It depends on you and your taste. And add, then add a little bit of, um, [00:51:00] uh, black pepper. Yeah. So you get this kind of very creamy, uh, fish, uh, thing that you put on the bread. Okay. It's an amazing chi. Yeah. So, yeah. Uh, yeah. If
Matt Weiss: you've ever been to Venice, that, that's like the main thing. All of the Austrias.
Yeah. Or little, uh, shops have the chii, which is like a little piece of bread with all types of different things. Say tomatoes or fish or liver, chicken, cheese or cheese. Yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: Lots of stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And it's amazing. So
Matt Weiss: we wanna be by the sea. Mm-hmm. Picnic basket, chilled glass. Yeah. And your getti coming out?
Yes. Okay.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yes. Got it.
Matt Weiss: Alright
Ilaria Felluga,: then. Pinot a hundred percent mon. Um. I always enjoying having it with the pizza and pasta. Not difficult. Pizza and pasta like margarita with a little bit of [00:52:00] basil on top, olive oil, um, like
Matt Weiss: a Neapolitan pizza, like thin crust, not like a yes. Yeah, yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yes, yes. So the other day, so with
Matt Weiss: red sauces and, and, yeah.
Yes. Okay.
Ilaria Felluga,: Because this Pinot Grigio has the texture and a little bit of structure too. Prepared for this kind of dishes. So yeah. Not a carbonara, of course. Uh, but yeah. Or even a, a creamy risotto. Okay. Might be interesting. Yeah. Yes.
Matt Weiss: I like that because I find it very hard to pair white wines with red sauce.
Mm-hmm.
Ilaria Felluga,: It's, it's not, but I think you're right,
Matt Weiss: because of the complexity, because of the, like the, the, the, almost the crunchiness of this wine that it would. Go Well with the red sauces? Yes. Yes. Okay. What's Hmong Greece, by the way?
Ilaria Felluga,: Hmong, Greece. It's, uh, the combination of two words, mon, [00:53:00] mon variety because it's a hundred percent Pinot Grigio and Greece.
It's gray in Ian language. So today I, I talk to you three words in fluent language. Yeah. Do you remember them?
Matt Weiss: Uh, it was a, it was, it was. How are you?
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah,
Matt Weiss: but I don't remember how to say it.
Ilaria Felluga,: Tta.
Matt Weiss: Tta, yeah. Yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: And then, uh, come on.
Matt Weiss: I forgot
Ilaria Felluga,: the soil.
Matt Weiss: Oh, uh, uh, Ponka.
Ilaria Felluga,: Bravo. Yeah, bravo. You got it. Ponka. And now Greece.
Matt Weiss: Now Greece. So, great. Wait, so Monan Greece, like single Variet Greece. Yes. The, so basically it's a freewheeling way of saying Pinot Grigio kind of. Okay. Yes. Cool. Uh, where would we go next
Ilaria Felluga,: to the other Pinot Grigio that will produce. From Rui Tore. Uh, so if I was saying over here you have Mark, in mark of Luga freshness, [00:54:00] crispiness, isness, uh, in Rui tore, you have more structure, more complexity, more volume, more texture.
Um, so you can pair it with, uh, fish. I will. I like it very much. Even with oysters. Hmm. That it's this strong taste of the sea. Yeah. Uh, with, uh, even, um, Otto with, um, fish in general shells too. So yeah, shrimps, and it has the, the highest CDT mm-hmm. That cleans, cleans up, cleans up perfectly. Your mouth. So even fried fish.
Okay. It can be amazing. So, yeah. Yeah. And are
Matt Weiss: all of these things you're talking about, like, I mean, risto and, um, some of, and, and the dishes you were talking about there, like those very fian dishes that you would see and those types of fish
Ilaria Felluga,: kind of [00:55:00] Mm, more, yeah. More fish that I was mentioning? Yes. Okay.
No. Yes, yes. Actually, if I would have, um, a typical dish, I would have Rico.
Matt Weiss: Rico,
Ilaria Felluga,: yeah. It's, um, kind of, uh, smashed potatoes and cheese, um, cake. Okay. It's, it's salt tea, but what you do is boiling the, the potatoes, scratch them a little. Uh, then have the typical montio cheese from Oli that it's a cow coming from cow milk and it's aged for 30 or 60 days.
Uh, you make very short piece of, um, of cheese too, because you have to melt potatoes and cheese and cheese together. And you let this [00:56:00] kind of melted thing on the pot, on the fire, and you have to wait that get this crunchy. Yes.
Matt Weiss: So it crisps up the potatoes and then the cheese melts within it. Yes. Oh yeah.
Yes. It's like a, like a croquette almost. Kinda, yeah.
Ilaria Felluga,: Yeah, yeah. Okay. And it's amazing. It it's, it's not light. No, that's okay. It's not a, a summer dish, but, uh, it's, it's amazing. And, uh, and it can go with, uh, both actually white and reds, but talking about whites, I will pair it with the ano Okay. That it's our local grape that has more structure.
It's an half aromatic grape variety close by to the Sauvignon Blanc, that it's very interesting because it has the structure to be paired even to kind of white meats or something like that. Yeah. So, yeah. Yeah.
Matt Weiss: I love that you said that because I think, [00:57:00] I'm gonna say most of the wine drinking world beyond like the professionals or the wine geeks, have not ever, never had Fri leono, you know,
Ilaria Felluga,: a.
I'll be okay. I mean, because
Matt Weiss: it's only produced in this region. In the region, you don't even make that much of it in that region. Yeah. And like, unless you've been there or unless you've had a, uh, you know, been to a, a, some restaurant, I mean, like Yeah, some people have, but I bet most people have never even tried it.
But I think that's, I hate the fact that we have to pair it to a more known varietal, but it's, yeah. It's got the texture of Sauvignon Blanc, but maybe more of the, um, orchard fruit than the Yeah. Than the citrus fruit that Yes. Like, especially not, it's not gonna be New Zealand, it's gonna be closer to like French Sair,
Ilaria Felluga,: Isto Isto.
Yes. Yes.
Matt Weiss: Okay. Last one.
Ilaria Felluga,: And then we arrived to the Merlo Marco Luga er, it's another, um, name. My father gave this, this name to this [00:58:00] wine, um, because Ra, it's Look in Ian. Look, yes. Neri, when you say, give me a, a glass of red wine, you say, give me a Nero. So it's look at the black glass of wine. Okay. Yes. Yes. So, and, um, it's a merlott that, uh, of course doesn't have residual sugar, so it's dry.
Yeah. And, um, with, uh, with meat in general, even tartar, it's amazing. So yes, roll like a beef tartar. Yes. Yeah. Yes. Yeah.
Matt Weiss: This wine is for merlott, for your big red wine drinkers. It's grippy, it's got tannin, it's got, it's got power. You need that fat for it.
Yes. Cool. So, yeah.
Matt Weiss: Okay. This is amazing. Um, I. I have to say, [00:59:00] aria, it's been so fantastic getting to meet you, getting to learn about this region.
And I will say for all of you out there, please go get your hands on some Marco Feluga or some Ru Rui Superior Wines, and you will drink deliciously.
Ilaria Felluga,: We're waiting for you. Thank you. Matt has been a pleasure being here with you today.
Matt Weiss: Amazing.