From Soil to Soul. From Past to Possibility

ABOUT

At Tenuta Della Casa, every vine, every stone, and every glass of wine carries the memory of deep time. From the ancient seabeds that formed Ponca to the quiet resilience of fungus-resistant vines, our story is part of something far greater — a slow, steady evolution shaped by geology, culture, and care. Rooted in Collio yet open to the world, we cultivate not just sustainable wines, but a living connection between past and future, tradition and innovation, people and place.

A journey Through Time, Soil, Science, And Soul

Timeline – From the Beginning to Tenuta Della Casa

From the Big Bang to the birth of our vines, this timeline traces the geological, biological, and human forces that shaped our land — and ultimately gave life to Tenuta Della Casa. It’s a story of ancient seas and stubborn soils, evolving species and enduring dreams, all converging in one small corner of Collio to become wine: not just a product, but a quiet expression of time itself.

13.8 Billion Years Ago

The Big Bang

The universe bursts into existence from a singular point — matter, energy, and time begin. Galaxies form, stars ignite, and the long arc toward life begins.

4.6 Billion Years Ago

Formation of Earth

Earth takes shape as molten rock cools and condenses. Oceans form, tectonic plates shift, and the conditions for life emerge.

3.8 Billion Years Ago

First Life on Earth

Simple, single-celled organisms appear in Earth’s oceans. Some begin to photosynthesise, producing oxygen and transforming the atmosphere.

250–65 Million Years Ago

Age of Dinosaurs – Mesozoic Era

Dinosaurs rule land, while early mammals and birds emerge. Volcanic activity and shifting continents reshape the planet. The Alps begin to rise.

55–34 Million Years Ago – Eocene Epoch

Formation of Ponca

What is now Friuli was once a warm, shallow sea. Marine sediments slowly compress into Ponca, the marly sandstone that would one day nourish some of Italy’s most distinctive wines.

2.5 Million Years Ago – Quaternary Period

Glaciations and Human Evolution

Homo habilis, and later Homo sapiens, evolve in Africa. Ice ages carve the land, and humans begin to migrate, adapt, and settle across the globe.

10,000 BCE

Agriculture and Early Viticulture

The Neolithic Revolution begins. Humans settle in fertile valleys, cultivating cereals, legumes — and the wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera sylvestris).

7000 BCE

World’s First Winemaking – Georgia

In the South Caucasus, humans ferment grapes in clay vessels (qvevri). Wine culture is born — a mix of agriculture, ritual, and social expression.

3000 BCE

Wine in Egypt and Mesopotamia

Wine becomes a staple of ceremony and medicine. Kings and priests drink wine, and it begins travelling via trade routes across the Mediterranean.

1000 BCE

Phoenicians Spread Viticulture

Seafaring Phoenicians carry vines across the Mediterranean — including Italy. Amphorae filled with wine arrive in ports from Spain to Greece.

1st Century BCE – 1st Century CE

Roman Viticulture Reaches Friuli

The Romans bring infrastructure, discipline, and winemaking to Collio. They cultivate vines on Ponca, export wine, and leave behind roads, cellars, and tools still found today.

476–1000 CE – Early Middle Ages

Monasteries Preserve Wine Knowledge

As Europe faces wars and invasions, monastic communities sustain viticulture — pruning, grafting, and keeping winemaking alive.

1300s–1500s – Renaissance and Expansion

Wine begins to reflect regional identity and terroir. It is traded globally and written about with increasing sophistication.

Late 1800s

Phylloxera Crisis

An American root-eating insect, phylloxera, devastates European vineyards.
Solution: grafting Vitis vinifera onto American rootstocks (V. riparia, V. rupestris, V. labrusca) — a radical innovation.

1845–1878

Fungal Diseases Invade Europe

Powdery mildew arrives in 1845
Downy mildew in 1878
European vines prove highly vulnerable
Researchers observe that Vitis americana species show natural resistance — evolved in humid, pest-rich environments.

1890s–1910s

Discovery of Vitis amurensis (Vitis asiatica)

In East Asia, explorers document Vitis amurensis, a cold-hardy, fungus-resistant grapevine species native to Siberia, Manchuria, and China.
It resists:
Downy mildew
Powdery mildew
Extreme cold
This species becomes foundational in later hybridisation efforts.

1920s–1930s

Early Hybridisation Begins

Scientists in Europe and the US start crossbreeding Vitis vinifera with Vitis americana and Vitis asiatica.
Early hybrids show disease resistance but lack finesse — banned in many appellations due to poor quality.

1950s–1970s

Persistent PIWI Research in Eastern Europe & Switzerland

Despite rejection, breeders quietly refine crosses. With patience, they improve flavour while maintaining resistance.

1980s–1990s

Modern PIWI Breeding Begins

Institutions like:
Freiburg School (Germany)
Changins Research Centre (Switzerland)
Università di Udine (Italy)
Vivai Cooperativi di Rauscedo (VCR)
lead a new generation of PIWI grapes — more refined, more resilient, more accepted.

1999

A.T.E.C. is Founded (Italy)

The Associazione Tecnici e Coltivatori di Viti Resistenti begins to promote PIWI viticulture and support technical research across Italy.

1939–1945 – WWII

A Dream is Born in the Countryside

During the war, Umberto Della Casa and Adele Barbieri are displaced to rural countryside. Amid hardship, a vision takes root — to one day own land, live close to nature, and build something lasting.
Umberto’s father, also named Renato Della Casa, had held the same dream — but died young, before it could become reality.

1980s

Adele & Umberto Begin Acquiring Land

Starting in Preval, they purchase plots of land little by little. The dream begins to take shape.

1990s

Expansion into Collio

The family acquires hillside plots on Ponca-rich terrain — quiet, exposed, and ideal for vines.

1995

The Future B&B Site is Acquired

A new piece of land is added — destined to become Tenuta Della Casa’s hospitality and cultural heart.

2009

Fattoria Didattica is Born

Adele and Umberto establish the Educational Farm under the name Azienda Agricola Barbieri Adele, home to:
Bees and honey production
Guided nature tours
Animal care and environmental learning
A space for children, families, and visitors to experience sustainability through nature.

2019

Renato Della Casa Returns

After 26 years in Belgium, Renato returns to his family’s land — not to continue a tradition, but to begin one. His parents, Adele and Umberto, had cherished the countryside as a place of refuge and possibility, nurturing a dream that Renato would make real. He becomes the first to produce wine here, working partly with old vines already on the land, and planting new ones — both classic varieties and resistant PIWIs. With tools like concrete tanks and a deep respect for the land, he shapes a vision rooted in resilience: one that honours memory, embraces sustainability, and offers future generations not just a livelihood, but a cultural inheritance grounded in soil, responsibility, and hope.

2020

First Wines Produced (Rented Cellar)

With grapes from their own land and a borrowed space, the first, 2019 vintages of Tenuta Della Casa come to life.

2022

Vinification Begins in Concrete Tanks

The estate’s own cellar opens, fermenting wines in raw concrete — a material that breathes, stabilises, and allows the grape and soil to speak clearly.

2023

First Bottlings — 2022 vintages: PRELUDIO, OUVERTURE, SINFONIA, OPERA

The dream becomes reality. Wines that speak of territory, time, and quiet transformation — rooted in Ponca and elevated by intent.

A Living Estate

Tenuta Della Casa is more than a vineyard. It is a living, breathing ecosystem — a space where geology, viticulture, biodiversity, and human care coexist. With bees humming across wild herbs, concrete tanks resting beneath hillside vineyards, and children learning how soil feeds life, every part of the estate carries intention.
Here, everything is in motion — except the soil beneath our feet.

And Tomorrow?

No one can predict what wine will taste like in twenty, fifty, or a hundred years. The climate is changing. The soil is shifting. Grapes that thrive today may falter tomorrow. PIWI varieties — with their promise of resilience — may become the new norm. Or perhaps something entirely different will emerge.
What will never change is our commitment to listening to the land, adapting with care, and protecting what matters.
The Ponca will remain — silent, ancient, and steady beneath our feet.
And so will our intention: to cultivate something meaningful, rooted, and alive.

Agriturismo