In 1772, Giacomo Casanova was in Trieste. There he met Count Luigi Torriani, the owner of Spessa, who invited him to his estate the following year. Casanova remained for several months and devoted several pages of his M\u00e9moires<\/em> \u2014 Histoire de ma Vie<\/em> \u2014 to his stay, praising the wines of the estate and describing them, in his characteristically precise and baroque prose, as being \u201cof excellent quality.\u201d <\/p>\n\n This is not the kind of legend invented for a brochure. It is documented history, recorded by Casanova himself \u2014 the man who perhaps embodied the spirit of eighteenth-century Venice better than anyone else: a love of beauty, of wine, of conversation, and of places capable of living up to the imagination. <\/p>\n\n The connection with the Serenissima was no coincidence. The Collio formed part of the Venetian mainland territories, and the noble families of Friuli \u2014 the Dorimbergos, the Rassauers and the Della Torre Vals\u00e0ssina family, who claimed descent from Charlemagne himself \u2014 were woven into the network of cultural and economic relationships centred on Venice. When Casanova arrived at Spessa, he was not a stranger. He was a Venetian returning to familiar ground. <\/p>\n\n The Pali family, who acquired the castle in 1987 and transformed it into a Golf Wine Resort & SPA, chose to honour that stay in the most direct way possible: by dedicating their flagship Pinot Noir to Casanova.<\/p>\n\n Casanova<\/em> \u2014 a Collio DOC Pinot Noir \u2014 is produced from vineyards in Capriva del Friuli, rooted in ponca<\/em>, the distinctive mix of marl and sandstone that defines the geology of the Collio. Fermentation takes place in truncated cone-shaped oak vats, with manual punch-downs carried out daily for 15 to 20 days. Then the wine descends, quite literally, into one of the most unusual places in Friuli. <\/p>\n\n Beneath the castle, 18 metres underground, lies a military bunker. It was excavated during the Second World War and only discovered in 1987, during restoration work. A constant temperature of 14\u00b0C, perfect humidity and complete silence. Today, this is where the Casanova spends 12 months ageing in barriques before being bottled unfiltered and given further time to mature in glass. <\/p>\n\n The result is a deep ruby-red wine, with aromas of red berries and spice on the nose, and a velvety, lingering palate. It is not the delicate, taut Pinot Noir of Burgundy, but something with a more southern character \u2014 warm, enveloping and persistent, with notes of blackberry and sweet spice that linger long after the last sip. <\/p>\n\n A visit to the castle is not something to be rushed. The ideal time to arrive is in the late afternoon, when the light falls at an angle across the vineyards and the hills of the Collio take on that golden-green glow that is impossible to capture properly in a photograph and impossible to forget. <\/p>\n\n The medieval cellars \u2014 the oldest in the area \u2014 can be visited by appointment, with a tasting of the estate\u2019s wines included. It is an opportunity to understand what terroir really means in a place like this: not a piece of sommelier jargon, but a tangible reality shaped by soil, microclimate and history. <\/p>\n\n The resort also offers the chance to stay overnight in rooms within the castle itself \u2014 some decorated in eighteenth-century Venetian style, and one suite, unsurprisingly, named after Casanova. Alternatively, there are apartments set among the vineyards, more rustic and secluded, ideal for a weekend of digital detox surrounded by the vines.<\/p>\n\n Golf enthusiasts will find an 18-hole course woven through the vineyards in a way that feels entirely unique. It is often difficult to tell where the golf course ends and the estate begins.<\/p>\n\n And if you choose to stay for dinner, La Tavernetta al Castello is one of the Collio\u2019s most accomplished gourmet restaurants, with a cuisine deeply rooted in the local territory \u2014 regional meats, wild herbs and Friulian cheeses \u2014 paired with wines from the estate\u2019s own cellars.<\/p>\n\n Castello di Spessa is not an isolated destination. It lies in the heart of a region \u2014 the Collio of Gorizia \u2014 that is perhaps Friuli\u2019s most compelling wine district and one of Italy\u2019s least known. Just a few kilometres away, towards Cormons, you will find many of the area’s historic wineries. <\/p>\n\n If you have a full day, you can do both: spend the morning in Cormons exploring the great white wines of the Collio, then head to Capriva in the afternoon for a visit to the castle and a glass of Casanova as the sun sets behind the Julian Prealps. It is the kind of day that stays with you long afterwards. <\/p>\n\n![\"Castello](\"https:\/\/www.thelandofvenice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3.avif\")
<\/figure>\n\nThe Wine That Bears His Name<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
What to Do at Castello di Spessa<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
Before You Leave: Understanding the Collio<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n