versions, ranging from 4 days maceration to the most extreme version at 108 days. There is also a blend of Sauvignonasse, Malvazija and Rebula (Pr Dobu Mix) with a short maceration and a more classic bouquet. Alongside the Rebula dedicated to his father Angelo on the centenary of his birth, produced with the stems, just as he used to do . The Amphora and Time In the small winery that resembles a garagelike space, alongside stainless steel tanks there are amphorae of 900 or 600 litres, elegant and pleasing to the eye , as written in Genesis. They do not come from Georgia but from Umbria; they are modern models, the result of research and one of the pillars of this new bet. And the reason is simple: Wood always leaves something behind. The amphora does not it is neutral, explains Silvio, but at the same time it breathes: slow micro-oxygenation allows the wine to evolve without being marked by the aromas and flavours that wood can impart. It is therefore a technical choice, but also a philosophical one, behind fermentation and ageing in amphora. The goal is to remove everything that is not essential. The choice of screw caps, also widely used at Jermann, goes in the same direction: eliminating variables and ensuring consistency. No two corks are ever the same; every bottle can be different, Silvio assures. He explains the still limited spread of screw-cap wines as a cost issue for small producers, as it requires a significant investment in bottling technology. History, Geography and Climate Here in the Collio region, whether seen from the Italian or Slovenian side, wine is also geography and history. The hills do not stop at the border. Italian and Slovenian producers share soils, grape varieties and climate. What changes is language, not substance. Once this was all part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The border came later, and geology has never recognised it. Today, cooperation is returning through charity auctions, joint tastings and cross-border projects. The Ribolla grape, once marginal, has become an identity symbol. It is a small, tangible Europe made of 86 vineyards rather than treaties. But the landscape is changing not only politically. The challenge today is maintaining acidity, says Jermann. The grapes ripen too much, and the wine becomes too warm. The response is to go higher, up to the well-known 470 metres above sea level, seeking thermal variation and freshness. Even difficult grape varieties such as Pinot Noir may find new opportunities here. Craftsmanship and risk The Sylvmann wines mature slowly, as already noted, and so far only the 2023 vintage has been bottled. It is distributed in Italy by Vino & Design, and direct purchases are also possible at the winery by appointment (info@sylvmann.si; Sylvmann d.o.o., Cu j - Drnovk 20, 5212 Dobrovo v Brdih, Slovenia). The bottles are found in high-end restaurants, and prices are significant. But this is not marketing it is a consequence: small production, long processes, low yields, and distribution inevitably mediated by importers and restaurateurs. It is an artisanal luxury, sustained by fragile balances. In the end, what remains is not only wine, but the idea of a return not nostalgic, but conscious. After building a successful model, Jermann chooses to reinvent himself: to work on a smaller scale, to take risks. If you don t have the right conditions, you can put in all the passion you want, but you won t get there, he says at one point. It applies to wine, but also to life choices. Here, among these hills that no longer have borders, his second act has just begun. And it offers nothing certain, nothing reassuring. But perhaps that is exactly what Silvio Jermann, the man of dreams, likes most. all round ] IT S NOT JUST A MATTER OF LABEL [by Marco Cucinotta ] A journey through the first and most immediate calling card of a bottle, a kind of promise which draws us straight from the shelves of a wine shop. Here are the choices of VIGNAIOLI FVG: starting from the legendary Geographical Map, which Livio Felluga recovered from an antique shop to the drawings of Edi Kante finally reaching the clear and simple line of Borgo San Daniele Silent. A wine bottle without a label is just a bottle. It does not tell you who made it, where it comes from, which story keeps in store. It is a simple glass container full of fluid. The label, instead, is the wine s first voice. It s the moment when the bottle speaks for itself even before the cork is pulled. Reducing that apparently simple stripe of paper to mere regulatory information denomination, alcohol content, lot means not understanding its real role. The label is the winemaker s calling card, but also the narrative threshold through which wine enters the consumer s mind. It suggests a character, evokes a landscape, and hints at a style to come. It s the first sensory encounter with the bottle: before smell and taste comes sight. On the shelves of a wine shop or on the wine list of a restaurant, the label works as a promise. It is therefore not surprising that the wines which are able to clearly describe their identity grape variety, location, winemaking philosophy draw more easily the attention of those who choose. In the world of wine, visual communication is never neutral: it guides, entices, and reassures. This is particularly obvious in the wine scene in Friuli Venezia Giulia, where, over time, the label has become an extension of the local story. The regional viticulture has built its reputation on three pillars: native grape varieties, a reputation for producing great white wines, and a strong sense of identity in the wine-growing regions. It is therefore not surprising that production regulations and wine consortia have played an important role not only in defining appellations but also in shaping the language through which wine is presented to the public. Here labels are much more than a mere design exercise, they are a statement of affiliation. Wines speak about terroir, authenticity and winemaking tradition. They tell us about hills, winds, ponca soils, rural memories and wine culture.In this sense, the label also serves as a tool for telling the story of the region: a symbolic gateway to the area, inviting visitors to explore the wineries and discover the landscape where the wine is made. Over the past thirty years, design has also played a decisive role in reinforcing the perception of the quality of Friulian wines.Unlike other parts of Italy, where the aesthetic sometimes leans toward a more baroque style, here a Central European sensibility prevails: simple, orderly, and minimalist. Regional labels are often minimalist, almost austere. The grape variety is clearly indicated, without rhetorical flourishes. The producer s name does not always dominate the visual space: often 87