Bosco del Merlo（ボスコ・デル・メルロ）

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your winery.

Bosco del Merlo was born in 1977 in Annone Veneto, when Valentino Paladin fulfilled his dream of creating wines made through sustainable practices that best express the potential and identity of the territory. His innovative vision has been carried on by the generations that followed, and today the wines are born in the territories of Eastern Veneto and Western Friuli. Over the years Bosco del Merlo has drawn on the advice of renowned oenologists such as Franco Bernabei and Leonardo Valenti, and on the best technicians from the Oenology and Agriculture faculties of the Universities of Padua and Milan, always seeking the most advanced solutions to achieve the highest quality with the lowest environmental impact.

How do you normally enjoy drinking wine?

I drink wine every day. I enjoy it at the end of the day with my family and friends, or during the day with our clients.

Where is your winery located and what are the unique features of wines from your location?

Bosco del Merlo wines are born where the lands of Western Friuli and Eastern Veneto meet, both areas with a long winegrowing vocation. At the foot of the Carnic Alps lies a vast area created by the floods of the Meduna, Cellina and Tagliamento rivers: the Grave del Friuli. The alluvial, limestone-dolomitic soils and the clayey-calcareous Caranto of Eastern Veneto, rich in stones (called claps locally), reflect heat and light during the day to ripen the grapes well and return that heat at night. Sheltered from cold winds by the mountains, the vines enjoy wide temperature ranges that concentrate aromas, giving wines of unmistakable minerality, expression and elegance.

How does local history and culture influence your lifestyle and winemaking?

The background, the history and the territory shape our work deeply. Tradition, roots and where we were born are very important. Valentino Paladin taught us to respect nature and take the best from it. We base our lives on producing sustainable wines that respect biodiversity and the environment, making sure those values are upheld across the whole chain.

What is your best memory of winemaking, so far?

My best memory is harvesting with Valentino. The whole family eagerly awaited that moment. It was a way to be together with friends and colleagues and to breathe in our love for nature and wine, a day of celebration. At the end of the day we all ate bread and salami together while Valentino told us stories until dusk.

Can you tell us about the first wine you ever made?

An important wine for Bosco del Merlo is Sauvignon Blanc Turranio, a wine Valentino believed in from the very start as the fullest expression of the territory. Aromatic, long-lived and very fruity, it represents Eastern Veneto and Western Friuli, and has been awarded worldwide: Special Trophy at the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon 2011 and Gold Medals for the 2009, 2016 and 2019 vintages.

Tell us what wine represents for you.

Wine represents passion, tradition rooted in family, strong values, art and sustainability. For us, wine is the love for our family and the wish to let people enjoy life through our wines, sharing high-quality wines and a love for a unique territory that will last forever.

What do you think about the future of sustainable winemaking?

Sustainability is essential to the future of our planet: it means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. Casa Paladin has created the 4V project as a philosophy of sustainability, built on the four identities of the winery and its ecosystem: Vite (vine), Verde (green/environment), Vino (wine) and Vita (life). In the vineyard we use no chemical herbicides, fertilising with organic matter and managing weeds mechanically, with pruning done by hand. For the environment we monitor biodiversity, use solar power (covering about 70% of our needs with renewable energy) and recyclable materials. In the cellar, gentle low-temperature, oxygen-free processes reduce the use of sulphites; and for life, we make vegan wines and support social causes such as the Life in Rose project for breast-cancer prevention. We will keep pursuing a sustainable wine quality centred on the universal value of the vineyard-cellar ecosystem.