We focus on the production of few singular wines whose character is influenced by our native land, Friuli. Arbe Garbe is Friulian for the “bad weeds” which are often used there like here, as cover crops. Friuli is a region nestled between Austria, Slovenia and the rest of Italy. Like the “arbe garbe” it has been silently growing over the centuries, a border land that quietly and discretely provided fertile ground for the Roman Empire, the Barbarians, the Huns and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, all of which invaded it and settled there throughout the ages, all planting their roots and melting into the blend. A land of migrants, silent crossroad of cultures where sacred and pagan have been living next door to each other, the people timorously gathering in the village churches while the witches were gathering in the woods. Friuli hides in the Valleys of the Eastern Hills. Its real essence, like its quiet population, is concealed in the arcane valleys carved by the rivers of the Colli Orientali – Natisone and Torre. These valleys are traditionally populated with peculiar wicked creatures that human are not, while the wine has been free flowing on every kitchen table of every village, to our day. Our endeavors are motivated by this history of discretion and endurance, by the dignity and modesty typical of our people, Furlans, hard-working and iron-willed, humble yet proud of the cultural opulence and poignant beauty of this longtime forgotten Land. Working the land, making wine and baking bread were the everyday tasks of our ancestors and still inspire us today. Through crafting these wines we viscerally reconnect to our roots. The variables of winemaking are determined as vintage calls, through diligent study and raw guts. There are no absolute rules, no recipes. With a purely hedonistic approach, we create ever-changing blends that embrace the melting pot we live in, California, and the one we’ve left behind.
A le Salût,
Letizia and Enrico Maria Bertoz
The Wines
The packaging and the label artwork continuously vary as well, according to the ebbs and flows of inspiration, and are part of the same the creative process that originates the wines themselves.