Italian Wine Podcast stands with Friuli winery devastated by landslide
VERONA, Italy, Nov. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A devastating landslide in Friuli triggered by heavy rains across northeastern Italy on Sunday 16 November 2025 claimed two lives when a house collapsed after it was submerged with mud. The Borgo del Tiglio winery bore the brunt of the storm, with catastrophic consequences. In a special edition of the Italian Wine Podcast, Stevie Kim spoke to Mattia Manferrari of the Borgo del Tiglio winery to understand the extent of the damage and to discuss what the international wine community can do to support the winery and other victims of the disaster.
The family-run Borgo del Tiglio winery is located in Brazzano, in the Collio region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in north-eastern Italy, near the Alps and the Slovenian border. The Manferrari family has been making wine in the area since the 1970s with Collio Ronco della Chiesa Friulano and Studio di Bianco amongst its signature wines. It remains a small artisanal winemaker that produces approximately fifty thousand bottles a year.
When more than 300mm of rain fell in a few hours on the night between Sunday and Monday the hill on which the winery sits collapsed. The subsequent landslide destroyed three historic properties and struck the internal courtyard of the winery with tragic consequences. The winery's oenologist was directly involved in the rescue effort to try and save the two victims of the landslide as it surged through the winery. He is recovering in hospital and is expected to make a good recovery.
The inner courtyard of the winery was filled with a mountain of dirt and trees all the way up to the first floor. There was also extensive damage to the vineyards, including the historic Ronco della Chiesa which was partially hit by the landslide. Saving that vineyard remains a priority as the cleanup continues and they evaluate the full extent of the damage. After an initial assessment, the winery's bottle storage area was found to be intact. In fact, the entire 2025 vintage in barrique is intact in the underground cellar, which is temporarily holding up, although it is buried under tons of mud. Unfortunately, the winery lost 10,000 bottles of its historical archive, swept away by the landslide. Despite the devastation, the family hopes the winery will soon begin shipping again.
While Mattia Manferrari expressed the belief that the immediate focus should be on those who have lost their lives and their homes in the disaster, he also wants to use this moment to raise awareness about the sustainable and traditional way Borgo del Tiglio operates. He also wants to reflect on the wider impact of climate change, which, he believes, will affect everyone sooner or later.
Following its conversation with Mattia Manferrari, the Italian Wine Podcast has made four suggestions for how the international wine community can support winemakers in Friuli at this difficult time:
- Recognise the sudden and devastating impact of climate change on fragile ecosystems, environments and small businesses.
- Promote sustainability and tradition by supporting wineries like Borgo del Tiglio.
- Support small independent wineries like Borgo del Tiglio by ordering directly from the winery (email: [email protected]).
- Reach out to Borgo del Tiglio's US importers, Grand Cru Selections, Lyra Wine in California, Vineyard Road in Massachusetts, Volio in Colorado.
You can listen to the full conversation with Mattia Manferrari of Borgo del Tiglio winery at www.italianwinepodcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
About the Italian Wine Podcast: Cin Cin with Italian Wine People! launched in 2017 as a project dedicated exclusively to the Italian wine world. The program uncovers the unique world of Italian wine in conversation with some of its key protagonists. Under the umbrella brand of Mamma Jumbo Shrimp, Italian Wine Podcast aims to inform, educate, and entertain listeners with content for wine professionals and casual listeners alike. The only daily wine podcast in the world, content includes wine business, food & travel, diversity and inclusion, wine producers, science, and marketing and communication. Italian Wine Podcast is available on SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, XimalayaFM (for China), and on the official website. It now boasts over 2500 recorded episodes with a growing online following of nearly 7 million listens. Donations to the show are welcomed and help fund a portion of the show's equipment, production, and publication costs. To advertise in the show, please request a prospectus and/or customized advertising plan from [email protected]. Cin Cin!
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SOURCE Italian Wine Podcast
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