Three wines from the rolling hills of Friuli in north-eastern Italy were enjoyed in excellent company in mixed weather conditions at l’Agape, an osteria-type restaurant in Rabat, on 30 April.

The wines come from the Livio Felluga estates, represented by Attard & Co. Foodstuffs Ltd: two outstanding whites, a Sauvignon and Sharis, a blend of Chardonnay and Ribolla Gialla varieties; and a red, Vertigo, a heady blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

A few days later, the owner of Livio Felluga, Maurizio Felluga, the son of the founder of the winery, attended a unique wine and dine event on the salt pans in Qbajjar, Gozo, during which no fewer than five Livio Felluga wines were tasted.

Livio Felluga is synonymous with the best of Friuli’s winemaking heritage. The estate extends over 160 hectares of which 135 hectares are planted with vines on a marl and sandstone flysch soil of Eocene origin. The wine collection consists of four reds and 10 whites, including single-variety whites and some interesting, high quality blended varieties.

The Sauvignon grape was introduced in Friuli by the Hapsburgs early in the 20th century. This Livio Felluga DOC wine is refreshing and captivating, with a generously wide, distinctive range of aromas, with notes of exotic fruit, yellow pepper, tomato leaf, mint and box hedge notes.

The blend of Chardonnay and Ribolla Gialla gives balance and complexity to Sharis, an IGT delle Venezie which is fruity and fresh with notes of pineapple, citron, white peach, fennel leaf, white flowers and hints of fresh spices.

Merlot, which is traditionally found in the Friuli region, is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon in Vertigo to bring a balanced, complex wine with structure and aging potential. Vertigo, also an IGT delle Venezie, is intense, fruity and herbaceous with aromas of cherries, red pepper, currant, blackberries and blueberries, integrated with sweet spices and liquorice.

L’Agape is situated a stone’s throw from St Paul’s church in a pretty little square behind the Police Station. It is owned by Chris Gherxi and Pierre Calleja, who have totally redesigned the restaurant and re-opened it in late 2010. It combines as an art gallery managed by Gallery Pi with its walls currently exhibiting works by Sergio Muscat, Carlo Muscat, Gordon Pace Flores, Rupert Cefai and Charlo Cassar.

Clearly influenced by their Italian peregrinations, L’Agape’s owners follow the kilometro zero practice of offering fresh products from as close to their operating base as possible, so their suppliers are mainly from the Rabat/Dingli area, including their seasonal vegetables, meat, fish and pasta, apart from fresh Irish beef and fresh Toscana beef (to order).

Their motto is: What’s good for us, is good for the client! There is an emphasis on service and patrons select their favourite dishes from the blackboard, with the menu constantly changing. A themed night is held on the last Wednesday of each month with this month’s theme being Sicily.

The extensive wine list includes 80 labels from Malta and Gozo, the major Italian and French regions, and the New World. Patrons can also buy wines from the enoteca to take home, benefiting from a 25% discount on wine list prices.

L’Agape is open for dinner from Monday to Saturday from 7.30p.m., apart from Sunday lunches for special events and on request. A private room can be reserved for groups of 10 or more, for those interested in a fenkata or stuffed pork belly banquet.

At the event in Qbajjar, for which catering was entrusted to Chef George Borg of Connection Caterers, guests had the opportunity to taste a Picolit, a Pinot Grigio, apart from the Sauvignon Blanc and the Sharis, and another red, the Refosco dal Penduncolo Rosso.

Each wine was served with a different course, with the Sauvignon Blanc accompanying a selection of canapés with fish and vegetables. The entrée, a timbale of zucchini on a bed of sautéed spinach with a mussels and saffron sauce, was accompanied by a Pinot Grigio.

This is undoubtedly the best known wine from Friuli around the world. The cooler climate on the hillsides is ideal for the Pinot Grigio grape and Livio Felluga’s vinification technique gives the wine finesse and elegance while preserving the faint coppery highlights that are this wine’s hallmark. It is extremely elegant, penetrating, crispy and complex on the nose, with evident notes of jasmine and magnolia, hints of white peach, apricot, orange peel, pear, golden apple, cantaloupe, wild rose and mint. Mineral and spice components are well integrated and there is a good balance on the palate with persistent aromatics.

The Sharis accompanied a fresh vegetable and pasta first course. The main course, roasted fillet of venison and pigeon strudel, was accompanied by the Refosco. This is a native variety of the Friuli with the young wine aged in small French barriques for a year. This is a complex, elegant, highly intense and articulate wine with aromas of blackberry and prunes, sensations of small black fruits, integrated into notes of ferns, moss, Marasca cherry, tobacco, maple wood and sweet spices. It has dense tannins integrated into a presence of sweet fruit. There is a long aftertaste, marked by notes of currant, fig, cherry and a recall of clove.

The dessert of strawberry mascarpone cream with ginger and hot chocolate was accompanied by a Picolit, Friuli’s noblest wine, the choice of Europe’s nobility. Only a few, concentrated berries from each vine ripen and are harvested. This golden-coloured, complex wine marries sweet and acidulous sensations, releasing a pervasive aroma of candied peel, vanilla and spring flowers. It offers a persistent aftertaste with aromatic sensations in harmony with the nose of hints of orange peel, apricot, fig, candied fruits, floral notes of citrus and acacia, and hints of spice.