After Deadly Floods, Friuli Winemakers Are at a Crossroads

• By WineBottleMag
• December 8, 2025
• Crossroads Deadly Floods Friuli Winemakers
• With 0 comments

The November rains came suddenly, with a verocity that Friuli-Venezia Giulia had not seen in ages. Within 24 hours, nearly a foot had fallen, nearly a third of the region’s annual rainfall, transforming hillsides into torrents of mud and debris. When the earth finally stopped moving on November 17, two lives were lost, villages lay buried, and one of Italy‘s most respected wineries faced potential ruin.

This marks the second catastrophic flooding to devastate Italian wine regions in just two years, following the Emilia-Romagna floods of May 2023. The increasing frequency and severity of these events has left winemakers questioning their futures in an increasingly hostile climate.

The storm that struck northeastern Italy and western Slovenia was unprecedented in its behavior. “It did not move; instead, it kept regenerating over the same area and continued to pour rain,” says Mitja Sirk, owner of Mitja Sirk wines. “Rain began early afternoon on Sunday, slowly and then it grew and grew and around 10 pm it began to pour. A very rare and scary storm.”

The village of Brazzano di Cormons bore the catastrophic consequences. A landslide destroyed three historic houses dating from the 1500s, the heart and soul of the village, now gone forever. The tragedy claimed the lives of Guerrina Skocaj, 83, and Quirin Kuhnert, 32, who died trying to save her. Borgo del Tiglio‘s enologist, Matteo Betteto, was severely injured while helping Kuhnert in the rescue attempt.

For Borgo del Tiglio, the landslide represents more than physical destruction: it threatens four decades of pioneering winemaking. The winery’s historic cellar, containing over 10,000 bottles, was obliterated. “A whole life of work,” says Mattia Manferrari, the second generation of the winery, his voice heavy with the weight of seeing his father’s legacy buried under mud.

The damage extends beyond buildings. The prestigious Ronco della Chiesa vineyard, source of Borgo del Tiglio’s acclaimed single-vineyard Friulano, suffered severe damage. While the 2025 vintage remains in the underground cellar, accessing it safely remains uncertain. “If we want to survive, we must save the vintage,” Manferrari insists. “This is a matter of survival for our family.”

Geological Instability and Widespread Catastrophe 

The disaster has exposed vulnerabilities in the region’s geological makeup. “Our geological matrix of our hills is unstable layers of marl and sandstone,” Manferrari explains. “The marl, locally known as ponca, becomes soft and friable when exposed to the air, and under heavy rain can eventually become liquid.” While wineries diligently manage their land with proper drainage and forest care, the same cannot be said for all property owners. Abandoned vineyards and inadequate forest management by other landowners and local governments created dangerous conditions that contributed to the catastrophe.

Rivers throughout the region overflowed, forcing the evacuation of 300 residents from Versa village as waters reached 1.6 meters in the town center. “With other natural disasters, I never saw it up close, but to now see people throwing away all their memories was very hard,” says Sirk. Other wineries, including Venica e Venica, Valentino Butussi, Martissima, and Casa Riz, also suffered damage, though none as severe as Borgo del Tiglio.

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Giampolo Venica of Venica e Venica, whose offices and other buildings flooded with half a meter of water, points to systemic issues hampering prevention efforts. “We, the Friulian people, have a great capacity to work … we just need it to be a little easier to get things done,” he says, citing bureaucratic obstacles to implementing drainage and safety measures. “We would rather have faster collaboration than anything else. It would be a dream to get the paperwork and permissions turned around faster.” 

Friuli at a Crossroads 

For Manferrari, the disaster crystallizes larger questions about viticulture’s future. “My fear is that these things are going to be more and more common and we have to rethink everything,” he says. With two young daughters, he wonders: “What kind of future are we going to give our children if we do not focus on the dangers of climate change?”

These winemakers represent generations of sustainable land stewardship yet face accusations of contributing to the instability. (Some non-farmers believe, unsubstantiated, that planting vineyards pose future risks of more landslides.) “Those who say farming has made it worse are wrong,” counters Sirk. “Farmers, when they make the terraces, they take care of the water situation via drains, cisterns, drain the water properly, and are conscious stewards of their land.”

Despite the devastation, Manferrari sees a path forward, one that requires collective action and renewed commitment. He believes the work his father began, creating a system that keeps locals employed while maintaining vineyards, forests, and flowing rivers, remains achievable. 

“Hopefully this will bring us together,” he says. “We—the wineries, farmers, and overall community—need to collaborate more.” The solution isn’t impossible, but it requires property owners, governments, and communities to unite with a shared vision.

“Can I go on like the generations before me? I am not sure,” Manferrari admits. “If the climate becomes so hostile, the costs become unbearable.” Yet he refuses to surrender to despair. The intact 2025 vintage represents not just wine, but continuity—proof that with proper management, cooperation, and focus on what’s possible, these ancient hills can continue nurturing both vines and the communities that depend on them.

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As cleanup continues and engineers assess the damage, Friuli’s winemakers stand at a crossroads. The choice is clear: come together to build a more resilient future, or watch centuries of tradition wash away with the next unprecedented storm. For Manferrari and his neighbors, giving up is not an option. Their vineyards, their villages, and their children’s futures depend on getting this right.

As of this reporting, authorities have informed Cantina Zorzon that they are restricted from accessing their winery for three months due to the area being considered at risk of further landslides. Borgo del Tiglio is currently unable to access their winery, sell their wines, or access over 50% of their vineyards, with authorities giving no timeline. Manferrari, understandably frustrated, laments, “It is unbelievable how complicated red tape makes your life as a disaster survivor.” The clock is ticking for these small family farms, who rely on the ability to work their land and sell their products.

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