Le Monde promotes a Friuli summer pairing with Alma Pinot Bianco and local prosciutto crudo

Le Monde, a winery based in Prata di Pordenone in Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia region, said Thursday it is promoting a summer pairing built around its Alma Pinot Bianco DOC and an 18-month-aged prosciutto crudo made by F.lli Molinaro Prosciuttificio in Ragogna, as the producer seeks to underline local identity and regional supply chains.

The announcement was made June 4 by the winery, which presented the pairing as part of its seasonal communication around Alma, one of the labels in its “Icons” range. According to Le Monde, that collection comes from the estate’s oldest vineyards and is intended to represent the house style and the character of Friuli through wines with structure and a clear link to place.

Alma Pinot Bianco DOC is made with a cold pre-fermentation maceration lasting 12 to 24 hours, followed by gentle pressing and temperature-controlled fermentation, the winery said. Le Monde said the process is designed to preserve varietal aromas and support long bottle development, with an aging potential of more than ten years.

In describing the wine, the producer said Alma shows ripe exotic fruit, white peach and flinty mineral notes, with a savory palate and sustained finish. The winery positioned it as a flexible food wine for warm-weather dining and lighter dishes, a category that remains important for white wines from northeastern Italy as producers continue to market freshness and versatility to both domestic and export consumers.

For the food pairing, Le Monde selected a young prosciutto crudo aged 18 months from Molinaro, a family-run producer in Ragogna. The winery said its winemaker, Giovanni Ruzzene, chose the ham for its balance and delicacy alongside the wine’s acidity and structure. The idea, according to the company, is to create a pairing suited to informal summer meals while keeping the focus on products made within Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Molinaro has been producing prosciutto for more than 40 years, according to the release. The company says it uses artisanal methods passed down through generations and makes its hams without preservatives or additives. Its curing facility sits between Mount Ragogna and the Tagliamento River, an area the producer says offers favorable natural conditions for aging because of airflow and climate.

The two companies also tied the initiative to the “Io Sono Friuli Venezia Giulia” brand, a regional mark used to promote products linked to Friuli Venezia Giulia’s identity, production base and traditions. In its statement, Le Monde said the label reflects a broader effort to connect wine and food producers under a shared regional message at a time when provenance remains central to premium positioning in Italian gastronomy.

The move fits into a wider pattern among Italian wineries and specialty food makers that are increasingly presenting wine-and-food combinations not simply as tasting suggestions but as tools for destination marketing. In regions such as Friuli Venezia Giulia, where white wine, cured meats and small-scale agricultural production are closely tied to tourism, these collaborations are often used to reinforce local branding and encourage visitors to associate specific products with place.

Le Monde’s summer campaign centers on that message: that a bottle of Pinot Bianco and a locally cured ham can serve as a compact expression of Friuli’s agricultural culture. By linking Alma with Molinaro’s prosciutto and with the regional certification mark, the winery is framing the pairing not only as a seasonal recommendation but also as an example of how producers in Friuli Venezia Giulia are trying to present a unified identity through wine, food and origin.