When Art and Wine Meet on the Collio and Brda Borderlands

In the San Floriano del Collio rolling hills, where the vines cross borders and the cultures blend so harmoniously, there is now a monument that bears witness to unity. Outside the Gradis'ciutta winery, on January 24, 2025, a Giorgio Celiberti stele was inaugurated that is striking. Sculptural, tall and inscribed with poetic form, the piece honors more than a new page in public art. It sets the tone for a culture-shifting year as Gorizia and Nova Gorica look forward to sharing the title of 2025 European Capital of Culture.

The installation is one of four stelae conceived by Celiberti, an internationally renowned Friulian artist whose artwork has long transcended time, geography and ideology. With both Italian and Slovenian collaborators, the artwork becomes a living testament to the cross-border identity of the region. It is not just a statement of beauty, but a testament to unity, strength and shared heritage.

Where Vines and Vision Meet

Award-winning estate Gradis'ciutta, which places tradition and innovation on the highest level, is the focus of this art and cultural partnership. Its owner, Robert Princic, opened his premises to the monumental sculpture with the same vision that has guided his work for decades. "To welcome a work of such dignity in our winery is not only an honour but also another step towards creating a stronger relationship between art, wine and territory," he says.

The positioning of stelae on winery land is not accidental. Wine in Collio and Brda is not just a commodity. It is a language. A lifestyle. And it is also now a platform on which cultural debate is conducted. With Celiberti's sculpture standing watch on the vineyards, there is not just a visual but an emotional connection drawn between land, people and heritage.

A Hymn to Peace and Shared Identity

Each of the four stele carries the same message. Though wordless, they have much to say. Celiberti's simple engravings carry the force of words and the density of agreement. The vertical forms tell of endurance, but their aesthetic vulnerability raises questions. They have been deliberately located one at Gradis'ciutta, one at the Ferdinand winery and two in the cities of Nova Gorica and Gorizia. They have been deliberately located to bring the region together in symbolic accord.

This part of Europe is well used to the complexities of boundaries. The Italian-Slovenian border is more than a line on a map. It is a place where cultures, traditions and languages have intermingled for centuries. That centuries-old history of coexistence is now being rediscovered in the form of programs like this one. And so the border is not a division, but a seam holding and not dividing.

Sinefins Brings the Collaboration Full Circle

If the stelae are the cultural backbone of this project, Sinefinis is its soul. Born out of Princic and Matjaž Četrtič of Slovenia's Ferdinand winery collaboration, Sinefinis is a name that transcends the label. It is a story bottled in Ribolla Gialla and Rumena Rebula. It is a testament to cooperation across nations, vineyards and minds. The pair first created Sinefinis almost two decades ago on the assumption that now appears prescient. They mixed grapes on both sides of the border to create sparkling wines that defied geography. The wines were not just about flavor. They also had a greater purpose a joyous celebration of what is possible when tradition turns to collaboration.

With the Celiberti stelae removed and the European Capital of Culture celebrations underway, Sinefinis bears witness to how deeply intertwined the agricultural and cultural identities of the region have become.

A Winery That Sees Beyond the Bottle

In Gradis'ciutta, wine production is only part of an overarching philosophy. Under Princic, the winery has also become a cultural ambassador for the region. Whether through design, heritage projects or sustainability, the whole is thought through and with intent. The placement of the stele on the winery's grounds is also reflective of this intent to have dialogue between disciplines.

This is a land where grapes are cultivated with respect, and where every bottle is a story of where it came from. It is also where the lines between agriculture and art start to become indistinct. The wine is then not just a vehicle for taste but for meaning. A shared glass could be the beginning of a shared destiny.

Facing towards a Common Horizon

As the stage is set for 2025 in Nova Gorica and Gorizia, the borderland patiently awaits. The region's capacity to convert history into harmony is uncommon, yet it is also motivating. Through initiatives such as Celiberti's and ventures such as Sinefinis, it is clear that the narrative being presented here is one of immense cultural value.

These works encourage us to re-examine the purpose of both art and wine. They remind us that culture is not static. It is living and breathing and growing, especially when it is nurtured by collaboration.

Where Wine and Art Define the Future

There is strength in standing before a stele in the center of a vineyard. Vines that have witnessed centuries of harvest encircle you, providing you with the weight of history. Yet there is also lightness. Potential. The sense that the best that we are capable of either sculpture or fine wine can carry us forward.

In Brda hills and Collio, where each grape carries a story and each sculpture carries a message, not only is the future of culture kept alive. It is being shaped in good earnest. And as a fine wine savored by friends on either side of a border, so is that future to be savored.