Josko Gravner

Josko Gravner is a third-generation winemaker born and raised in Oslavia, a tiny hamlet of around 640 people sitting less than 200 meters from the Slovenian border in Italy's Collio Goriziano. His family established their farm at this location in 1901, and the Gravners began bottling wine commercially in 1973. After mastering modern enology in the 1970s and 1980s, winning multiple Tre Bicchieri awards from Gambero Rosso, a formative 1987 trip to California left Gravner disillusioned with wines that were technically flawless but lacked character and terroir expression. The pivotal rupture came with the 1996 hailstorm that destroyed approximately 95 percent of his crop. Working with what little Ribolla Gialla survived, he conducted his first extended skin-contact experiment, discovering that the thick-skinned grape revealed its true complexity only when left on its skins. In 1997 he sold his stainless steel tanks and replaced smaller barriques with large wooden barrels, beginning the methodological journey that would lead him to Georgian qvevri.

• Third-generation winemaker born in Oslavia, Gorizia province; Gravner family farm established 1901 by Josko's grandfather
• 1987 California trip: tasted over 1,000 wines and returned convinced that modern technology was homogenizing wine and stripping terroir
• 1996 hailstorm destroyed roughly 95 percent of the crop, catalyzing the first skin-contact fermentation experiments with Ribolla Gialla
• 1997: sold stainless steel tanks, replaced barriques with large wooden barrels, began spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts and no temperature control

Gravner's approach to winemaking has evolved into what he calls the philosophy of seven, structured around a series of six-month and six-year stages. Grapes are harvested by hand and transferred by gravity into buried Georgian qvevri (1,300 to 2,400 litres), where they macerate on skins for approximately three to six months with spontaneous fermentation driven entirely by wild yeasts. The wine then rests for a further six months off-skins in qvevri before transferring to large old Slavonian oak casks for six years of maturation, followed by additional bottle aging before release, for a total minimum seven-year cycle. Since 2016, whole-bunch fermentation has been practiced. No temperature control, no cultured yeasts, no fining, and no filtration are used; only minimal sulfur is added. Gravner currently operates 47 qvevri buried in his cellar and, more recently, has begun a project of burying additional qvevri outside in his vineyard garden. Annual production ranges from approximately 22,000 to 30,000 bottles depending on the vintage.

• Fermentation in 47 buried Georgian qvevri (1,300 to 2,400 litres): three to six months skin maceration with wild yeasts and no temperature control
• Post-maceration: six months in qvevri without skins, then six years in large old Slavonian oak casks, then bottle aging before release; total minimum seven-year cycle
• Since 2016, whole-bunch fermentation employed; no fining, no filtration, minimal sulfur added only at bottling
• Reds (Pignolo) moved to qvevri fermentation beginning with the 2006 harvest; all production in qvevri by 2006
• Production: approximately 22,000 to 30,000 bottles per year; energy use minimal as qvevri provide natural temperature regulation

The Gravner estate spans 32 hectares in total, with 15 hectares of planted vines split across the Italian-Slovenian border. The Italian parcel, Runk, surrounds the family winery in Oslavia and was first planted in 1901. The Slovenian parcels, Hum and Dedno, lie just across the border, where Gravner's family has historical roots spanning over 300 years. The defining soil of the Collio is Ponca, a marine sedimentary formation approximately 45 million years old composed of alternating layers of marl and sandstone. It drains freely but retains moisture through its clay component, renders irrigation unnecessary, and imparts a distinctive mineral character to wines. The hills of Oslavia lie at approximately 150 to 190 meters, sheltered from cold northern winds by the Alps and moderated by the Adriatic Sea, with the Bora wind providing ventilation and diurnal temperature variation. Today the vineyards are planted exclusively to Ribolla Gialla and Pignolo, after Gravner uprooted all international varieties, with the last vintage of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Riesling Italico produced in 2012.

• 15 hectares of planted vines across three parcels: Runk (Oslavia, Italy, planted 1901), Hum and Dedno (Slovenia); total estate 32 hectares
• Soil: Ponca, a marine sedimentary marl and sandstone formation approximately 45 million years old; low fertility, high mineral content, excellent drainage
• Altitude approximately 150 to 190 meters; Alps moderate cold northern winds; Adriatic and Bora wind provide temperature variation for extended, flavor-concentrating ripening
• Exclusively Ribolla Gialla and Pignolo since 2012, when all remaining international varieties were uprooted; entire estate managed biodynamically following Maria Thun's lunar calendar

Gravner is widely credited as the first winemaker outside Georgia to ferment wines at significant scale in buried qvevri, and his work from 1997 onward catalyzed what is now recognized globally as the orange and amber wine movement. Initially the Italian critical establishment was hostile. Gambero Rosso, which had awarded Gravner multiple Tre Bicchieri ratings, ran a critical response to his stylistic shift, and much of his existing customer base departed. Gravner persisted, releasing his first qvevri-based wines beginning with the 2001 vintage. By 2005, his entire production was made in qvevri. In 2010 Gravner joined a consortium of Oslavia producers known as APRO, comprising seven winemakers committed to the region's amber wine identity. His influence is directly traceable in neighboring Oslavia producers including Radikon, Dario Princic, and Damijan Podversic. Gravner himself dislikes the term orange wine, preferring amber wine, which aligns with Georgian terminology. Succession is being prepared through his grandson Gregor, who is being trained in the vineyards and winery following the tragic death of Gravner's son Miha in a motorcycle accident.

• First European producer to adopt qvevri fermentation at significant commercial scale; entire production in qvevri from 2001 (whites) and 2006 (reds)
• Pioneer of the modern amber and orange wine movement; Gravner prefers the term 'amber wine' in line with Georgian tradition
• Initial critical hostility from Gambero Rosso and market; Gravner persisted through the 1997 to 2001 experimental period with conviction over commerce
• 2010: joined APRO consortium of seven Oslavia producers; influenced neighbors Radikon, Dario Princic, and Damijan Podversic

Gravner's current production focuses exclusively on two indigenous varieties. The flagship wine, Ribolla, is a single-variety wine from 100 percent Ribolla Gialla, the grape Gravner considers the ultimate expression of Oslavia's terroir. The wine macerates on its skins for several months in buried qvevri before the six-year oak maturation, and is released only after the full seven-year cycle. Bianco Breg was historically a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Riesling Italico, though the estate ceased producing these international varieties from 2012 onward. The red wine, Rosso Breg (also labeled Rosso Gravner), is made from Pignolo, a rare indigenous Friulian red variety, and has been fermented in qvevri since 2006. All wines are labeled as Venezia Giulia IGT, as Gravner's uncompromising winemaking does not conform to DOC Collio production requirements.

• Ribolla: 100 percent Ribolla Gialla; flagship wine, fermented and macerated in qvevri, six years in old Slavonian oak, bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Bianco Breg: historical white blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Riesling Italico; production of these international varieties ceased after 2012
• Rosso Breg (Rosso Gravner): made from Pignolo, rare indigenous Friulian red variety; qvevri fermentation since 2006
• All wines labeled Venezia Giulia IGT; Gravner's methodology does not conform to DOC Collio production rules

The 2001 vintage holds a special place in Gravner's story and in orange wine history. Because nine of the eleven qvevri ordered from Georgia arrived broken in November 2000, the 2000 harvest was made in wooden barrels with a shorter maceration of twelve to fourteen days. From 2001 onward, the full qvevri fermentation protocol was employed. The 2001 wines were initially released in 2004, but Gravner and his daughter Mateja later concluded that this three-year maturation was insufficient. This experience confirmed his commitment to the seven-year minimum production cycle that defines the estate today. Since the 2007 harvest, this cycle has been strictly observed. The wines display remarkable aging potential, with early qvevri vintages continuing to evolve positively over two decades, developing layered notes of dried apricot, orange peel, persimmon, spice, and mineral salinity while retaining structural freshness.

• 2001 = first vintage fully fermented in qvevri; 2000 vintage used wooden barrels with 12 to 14 days maceration as qvevri arrived too late and mostly broken
• 2001 wines released in 2004 after approximately three years; Gravner later concluded this was insufficient maturation
• Since the 2007 harvest, all wines released only after a minimum seven-year production cycle from harvest to market
• Early qvevri vintages (2001 onward) demonstrate 20-plus year aging potential with evolving complexity