**In the amphora cellar with Joško Gravner.** *photo by Lisa Denning.*

Joško Gravner, a pioneering figure in the world of winemaking, has dedicated his life to crafting acclaimed wines in the picturesque region of Friuli, Italy. He has helped shape the modern orange wine movement by crafting skin-contact wines that reflect both tradition and innovation, always aiming to bring out the best in his grapes.

In 2022 I participated in a four-day whirlwind tour of Gravner’s vineyards, winery, and local community hosted by his daughter Mateja Gravner. I wrote about this amazing experience on Grape Collective: Another Way is Possible: Joško Gravner and the Never-Ending Quest for Improvement.

During my visit, I was struck by how Joško Gravner continues to search for ways to improve his winemaking, even though Gravner wines are already so highly praised by both critics and consumers. Now, two years later, I’m excited to share that he’s shaking things up again by incorporating small glass tanks and larger glass-lined tanks to his process. This bold move, set to be fully in place by early 2025, shows his ongoing quest to find the perfect vessels for his wines, adding to his well-known use of Georgian kvevri (amphorae).

**New Glass tanks that hold about 265 gallons of wine.** *Photo courtesy of Gravner.*

Following is an excerpt from the November 2022 article on Grape Collective about Gravner’s “Future Innovations.” It’s inspiring to see how he never gave up on his dream, which has ultimately led to its realization.

Despite being at an age when most people think about retirement, Gravner can most often be found tending the vines or working in the cellar with no plans to stop. Eventually, he will pass the baton to his grandson, Mateja’s 27-year-old son Gregor, who is now working alongside him. When you love what you do, it’s easy to keep going. So it comes as no surprise that Gravner is in the midst of an exciting new project. And fittingly, it involves a new way of maturing his wines.
“I would like to try glass,” he told us, “to see if it can shorten the six years of aging. After time in amphorae, the wine would be half in wood, half in glass. We are working on it, but it’s not easy to find someone to make glass vessels that can hold 12,000 liters.”
Where did this idea come from? Gravner had an aha moment when he saw a photograph of a glass swimming pool in Dubai that connected two buildings. He thought, “If this is possible, why not uplift the idea to winemaking?”
A new underground cellar has been constructed for the glass tanks, and now it’s only a matter of time before his dream becomes a reality. “He simply gets an idea, a feeling, and when he's convinced about something, he has to find a way to reach the idea, or he feels he's not doing his best. It can take a long time to make it a reality, but he never gives up,” said Mateja.
Time and again, Gravner does what fulfills him most: looking for new ways to improve the winemaking process. “It’s learning by doing,” he says. “There really isn’t anything to change. It’s just to make the process better. Every year, you find something you can do in a better way.”