Vigna Lenuzza is a story of great passion for a land devoted to viticulture since the dawn of time. The first written records of the Schioppettino grape date back to 1282 and were found in an archive at Albana Castle, which can be admired today from the winery’s 8 hectares of vineyards.

Grandfather Silvano Pasqualini began winemaking in 1954, a love he later passed on to his son-in-law Gianpaolo Lenuzza, who was particularly dedicated to the ancient Schioppettino di Prepotto variety. This grape, which in the 1980s was at risk of extinction due to diseases such as phylloxera, today is one of the most popular Friulian reds and the gem of Prepotto production.

Our vineyards are our home, our family, just as the Degusteri@ is our safe place, where you can taste our wines.

(Tanika and Daniele Lenuzza)

An all-encompassing passion for his vineyards, which he passed on to his son Daniele, now the winery’s oenologist, who, in a perfect twist of fate, met Tanika Paris, a marketing graduate from Cape Town, at a wine fair in 2017. It was this shared passion for wine and travel that led Daniele to visit France, Australia, and South Africa to deepen his knowledge of winemaking.

Just as Vigna Lenuzza was a pioneer in the Colli Orientali area in obtaining organic certification in 2014, Daniele and Tanika have continued to innovate with the vision of rethinking traditional Friulian wines and bringing them into the most contemporary international context. Thus, in 2020, Vigna Lenuzza was among one of the first wineries in Friuli Venezia Giulia to begin aging its wines in concrete “eggs” to clearly express the identity of each bunch and the quality of their hand-crafted grapes.

In 2025, Daniele and Tanika fulfilled another dream: to create a place where guests could not only taste their wines, but above all, experience the same passion they had for their wines and Prepotto.

The Degusteri@ opened next to the production winery, 2 km from the vineyards, a wonderful tasting room with a panoramic window overlooking the Colli Orientali vineyards, just a few meters from the Slovenian border.

The interior design, developed by Tanika and Daniele, speaks of the territory. Particularly the two glass-clad counters where you can admire the layers of the unique terroir of the Judrio Valley, boasting a perfect microclimate and minerality of the soil, which they have created with their own hands.

The Degusteri@ is open 7 days a week, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and here you can taste all the Vigna Lenuzza wines paired with local products and platters of artisanal cured meats and cheeses, as a tasting or by the glass (always with small finger food pairings).

The wine tasting experience is one of the most beautiful and delicious options available in Friuli Venezia Giulia: the Lenuzza family will guide you through their winemaking process, including a tour of the winery and the cement cellar. Afterwards, you’ll sit down at the convivial Degusteri@ table and taste five wines paired with five different finger foods.

Unique and refined, they were created by Tanika in collaboration with renowned local artisanal producers such as Dorbolò Gubane, L’Asan e la Mussa, and Macino Fine Food, among many others still in development. (The five wines are poured simultaneously, so that, after the explanation, guests can relax and decide how much time to devote to each glass without any rush.)

A true sensory journey that will lead you to discover one of the small, family-run wineries of excellence in the Colli Orientali, a perfect stop for an aperitif or a tasting full of heart and passion.

The Secret

Tanika inherited her family’s passion for wine, having been born in South Africa, another region well-suited to viticulture. Aiming to build a bridge and bring the two families closer together, Tanika and Daniele founded Lenuzza Vineyards in 2019, based in Cape Town.

Useful Info

Vigna Lenuzza
Via Brolo 51
33040 Prepotto, Udine
hello@vignalenuzza.it
Tel. +39 389 0977817

Tasting: from €18 for 5 wines
Vertical tasting of Schioppettino di Prepotto: from €35