Bastianich, Friulano “Plus”

“Plus” is a pride thing for restaurateur/vintner/television host Joe Bastianich—his homage to Friuli-Venezia Giulia, land of his Italian ancestors and arguably the best white wine-producing region in Italy.Back in the 1950s, his mother, Lidia, spent time in a refugee camp near Trieste as the world re-drew international borders following WWII. Later, after emigrating to the US and becoming a successful restaurateur, author, and TV chef, she was a culinary ambassador for a region—Friuli—that most Americans had never heard of. Her restaurant, Felidia, always had a reference-point Italian wine list, and as Joe’s own career as a restaurateur, etc. took off, it wasn’t enough to champion the wines of Friuli—like many sommeliers, he wanted to make wine of his own. In 1997, he began acquiring vineyards in Friuli’s Colli Orientali region and producing wines with the help of famed consultant Maurizio Castelli. But if you’ve seen today’s wine, “Plus,” before, it was likely in one of the Bastianich