Rocca Bernarda
Wines of the Knights of Malta, in the Colli Orientali del Friuli
In Premariacco, in the Colli Orientali del Friuli, Rocca Bernarda has made wine since 1559: around a 16th-century villa-castle, on terraced hills of ponca, grow the great Friulian whites and, above all, Picolit — the oenological pearl of Friuli.
The Friulian face of Terre dei Cavalieri: a history that binds an ancient stronghold of the Order to the noblest winemaking of Friuli.
Picolit, the oenological pearl of Friuli
Rocca Bernarda has always been the benchmark for Picolit, a rare meditation wine of the Colli Orientali. In the late 19th century Giacomo Perusini replanted its vines, saving a most precious grape from oblivion. To this day our Picolit DOCG comes from a few loose-clustered grapes, in tiny quantities: a golden nectar, sweet and elegant.
Our wines
Alongside Picolit, a range of great wines of the Colli Orientali del Friuli: thoroughbred whites and characterful reds, born on the ponca hills around the manor.
Whites
Reds
Among the manor's barriques
In the cellars of Rocca Bernarda the wines age in wood, sheltered by the walls of the villa-castle. It is here that the reds of the Colli Orientali and the precious Picolit find time and balance, before reaching the glass.
From vineyard to glass
The vineyards are laid out in terraces on the hills of Premariacco, open to the sun and caressed by Adriatic breezes. It is the terroir of the Colli Orientali del Friuli that gives the wines their unmistakable elegance and minerality.
Ponca, the soul of Friuli
Ponca is the typical Friulian soil, made of layered marl and sandstone. Crumbly and rich in minerals, it releases precious substances to the roots: it is the secret of the minerality and tension that make the whites of Rocca Bernarda unique.
Rocca Bernarda, a residence of the Knights
The villa-castle was built in 1567 by the counts Valvason Maniago, on hills already planted with vines since 1559. Through the donation of Giacomo Perusini it later passed to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta: since then Rocca Bernarda has been one of the Order’s historic estates, guardian of Picolit.
Five centuries of vines
The ancestral vines
Vines have been grown on the hills of Premariacco since 1559: the inscription «Vineis avitis rest et auctis» on the walls recalls the vines of the forebears, restored and enlarged.
The villa-castle
The counts Valvason Maniago build the fortified residence, around a splendid Italian garden overlooking the Friulian plain, among centuries-old cypresses.
Perusini and Picolit
The estate passes to Giacomo Perusini, who replants the Picolit vines and saves them from extinction: Rocca Bernarda becomes the absolute benchmark for this rare wine of the Colli Orientali.
In the Terre dei Cavalieri
Donated to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Rocca Bernarda is today the Friulian face of Terre dei Cavalieri: from its terraces come great whites and Picolit. The Order of Malta is today a subject of international law, with diplomatic relations with more than 100 States.
The Italian garden
The villa is built around a refined Italian garden, adorned with statues and overlooking the Friulian plain, among centuries-old cypresses and a view that reaches the Prealps. A corner of beauty that tells of Rocca Bernarda’s nobility.
The estate in pictures
Part of Terre dei Cavalieri
Rocca Bernarda is one of the historic estates of Terre dei Cavalieri: discover the Order's entire agricultural heritage and its products.