For the second consecutive year at Parovel Winery Monday, October 3 a vertical tasting for experts and wine lovers was held: a meeting led by journalist and sommelier Liliana Savioli to study a particular grape variety, exchange ideas and compare different vintages, retracing climatic conditions, plant health situations and processes. Last year Refosco was chosen, this year it was another cornerstone of the Trieste viticulture. "Portrait of Vitovska" has in fact tried to emulate Henry James pen in outlining the fortunes and misfortunes of our "Lady”of the Karst through 8 years when climate was quite different, given the instability of the summers in the last decade. Today, thanks to the aging in the bottle, Parovel built a small store that is a treasure of comparisons to be drawn. 

As reported by the winemaker Claudio Fabbro, the cultivation of Vitovska, and other indigenous varieties, is performed by virtuosos who will not get off at all costs with the market terms, operating in a niche that does not have a large production, but offers high quality products, a "heroic viticulture" that would like a wine to live even after 4-5 years after its harvest and acts so that this can be possible. Vitovska has only begun in recent decades to be processed and bottled on its own, once it was used mainly in blends, while today in the Carso DOC it is vinified in white, orange and there are even experiments with dried Vitovska (passito). Parovel Vitovska before bottled as Vinja Barde and now Barde line, is vinified in white without the development of tannins. The journey took us to taste the vintages of Vitovska Onavè Barde 2013 Parovel (award-winning), 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2006 and only for teaching purposes the 2014, 2015 and 2016. All of these wines come from vineyards that now they are thirty years old on average and where irrigation is not practiced. The presence of constant breezes and Bora allow always minimal intervention. The meeting also discussed the link between Vitovska and Bora, since it is precisely the lash of the latter to make Vitovska crispy and to relieve it from pests and molds. The grape of Vitovska is indeed very compact and only the fresh and strong bora manages to "clean it" giving the winemaker very healthy grape that contains in itself a lot of flavor and minerality, which are enhanced with the aging in bottle, even after many years.

For a technical study we quote the tasting notes by Federico Alessio, author of "Heart of Stone. A journey into the soul of the wines of the Carso" that you can also find on his blog:

«Vitovska 2013 Vintage hot and dry. Straw, quite substantial. Nose of good fineness: white flowers, Mediterranean, talc, pear. Vibrant sip, fresh, mineral. Savory finish where hints of citrus and ginger echo.
Vitovska 2012 a bit 'wet vintage, late ripening. Straw with pale golden highlights, good extract. intense aromas of chamomile, acacia flowers and ripe fruit with hints of banana and melon. In the mouth it is soft enough, larger than the previous one. Full-bodied, savory.
Vitovska 2011 busted vintage, says Euro Parovel. Straw to golden. Nose shy and intricate, sulfur and limestone emerge. The palate is balanced, with good clearance between heat and acidity. slightly bitter finish, retrobocca with salt and lemon.
Vitovska 2010 rainy and cold Year. Straw, wispy. delicate olfactory spectrum which combines chamomile, white peach, ginger and lemon. The taste is fresh and vibrant, vertical. Mineral enriched return notes, above all ginger and peach. Pleasant despite the vintage.
Vitovska good 2008 vintage. Yellow with golden flecks, discrete consistency. Chamomile returns, talc, ginger. Then fruit, apricot and melon. Good taste density, intense, savory and fruity. It lacks in length, but it is a nice drink.
Vitovska excellent 2006 vintage. Golden, consistent. Noses evolved, tertiary distinctly, bathed in an aura of incense. acacia honey, propolis, candied citrus, resin balsamic notes and eucalyptus. Warm and enveloping sip, horizontally, but with a residual lively freshness. Full-bodied, intense and persuasive, with good persistence.
Beside were proposed also vintages not yet on the market.
Vitovska good 2015 vintage. Pale straw. uncertain perfumes and intricate, outcrop of white peach and citrus notes. In the mouth the acidity prevails, a still wine in the stabilization phase.
Vitovska 2014 The annus horribilis with a lot of rain. Greenish yellow. Olfactory notes citrine and limestone. Dizzying verticality of the mouth, almost an alcoholic lemonade. Emerges a shy white peach in the aftertaste. Acidity beyond measure.
Vitovska 2016 This is of course the fermenting juice, which for the moment is a great pear juice..!≫