The Company “Azienda Agricola Livon”, founded in Dolegna del Collio in the early 1960`s, coincided with the creation of the “D.O.C. Collio” region. The two sons, Valneo and Tonino Livon, have continually developed and improved the winery and the estate which now include 385 acres of vineyards and three wine cellars.

Since the mid-eighties the Livon family has worked extensively to further develop their vineyards with the primary goal being to reduce production yields in order to maximize the quality of the fruit. They completely altered the layout of their vineyards, pioneering which was at the time a very unique and progressive approach to vineyard management. Shorter pruning, the application of more organic methods and high-density plantings (greater number of vines per acre) were strategies used, along with the introduction of integrating indigenous plants onto their land, the use of organic intervention to cure infections, maintaining low grape yields per vine and the construction of three great wine cellars for the development of the wine. This was the start of a long-term commitment and of a vision that has become highly regarded in some wine circles as the latest innovation of the wine industry.

Despite Livon’s success, other wineries still hesitate to construct high-density vineyards, due to the exorbitant initial investment in equipment and the amount of labor involved in a vineyard’s transition from traditional practices. However, the benefits from this practice are self-evident and are duly reflected in the character of the finished product.

Planting up to four times the “standard” amount of vines per acre allows the yield per vine to reduce to two pounds of grapes per vine, and in some cases as little as one pound of grapes. The many advantages of this technique include stronger and healthier vines developing the highest quality fruit. Stronger and healthier vines are less susceptible to diseases or infection. The welcomed result has been that the ripened grapes are of exceptional quality and even in an off vintage the grapes have displayed superb character.

Due to the unique terroir of Friuli, white wines can be made to develop with ageing potential much like the nobler reds. The Collio region promotes great structure, acidity and alcohol levels, all of which are the origin of the formula for great ageing potential. Due to their unique practices, Livon has proven to be a true pioneer in the Italian wine industry. Their trademark logo is recognized worldwide by ERTE’s numeral “5”. The mirror image represents the letter “C” for Collio on the wine label. They have divided their creation into three distinct categories: Classic, Cru, and Gran Cru.