the glass ] PAOLO DONADON AND THE FLAVORS OF GIARDINETTO [by Marco Ballico ] It all starts with Luciano, Paolo s dad. He took me with him to various wineries to taste and buy different wines, which we then bottled together at home. We used to go to wineries when I was little, and that s how I learned how to choose quality products. When Paolo Donadon tells a story, there is always a glass of wine in front of him one of those glasses filled with surprising wines you can find at Giardinetto, a wine bar on Via Paolo Sarpi in Udine, a landmark for enthusiasts and tourists alike, which reopened last October after a period of closure. > Where does the story of Giardinetto begin? My father was from Motta di Livenza, where he owned a fabric shop in the town centre, operating under the historic Donadon sign. Mum, Nicolina Rabassi, who still keeps a close eye on the tables at Giardinetto, is from Trasaghis in Friuli. She also worked in the fabric shop, but her passion has always been cooking. > Her speciality? I can t believe how many game dishes she has prepared! Almost by chance, but with great determination, we started managing a bar in Via Rialto in 1995, continuing until 2001, and then in 2004 we renovated and reopened Il Giardinetto. > In the past twenty years you have showcased great wines in rotation, including more than a thousand labels. Before careful selection, there were 1,800 and these included macerated wines, a niche that inspired our late friend Mauro Nalato to write a highly acclaimed book about producers who are true visionaries. > How do you rate the so-called orange wines ? Continuously expanding. What prevents them from spreading remains the cost, which is understandable given the complexity of the preparation. > Where do the Giardinetto wines come from? Seventy per cent is produced domestically (forty per cent of which is regional), with the remainder coming from abroad, mainly France. > What about Australia, New Zealand, California, Chile, Spain? We still have many places to visit. But I believe it was a trend that was not always supported by quality. At the moment, France and Italy are in the lead. And while France has an unrivalled history of winemaking, no other country can match ours in terms of quality and micro-production, with the South being a veritable treasure trove. > White, red, sparkling: which one prevails in your wine bar? White wine and sparkling wine prevail, because we have always sold them well and because they are my personal preference. Red wine is more easily consumed with a meal. Champagne remains unrivalled, but I have no doubt about Italy s growth. For more than a decade, people have been drinking 23