Wine region
Friuli
Friuli, in north-east Italy, is white wine country: Collio, Colli Orientali, Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Pinot Grigio and the pioneers of orange wine.
- Vineyard area
- about 28,000 hectares; Collio about 1,500, Colli Orientali about 2,000
- Main grapes
- white: Pinot Grigio, Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay; red: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Refosco
- Climate and soils
- Alps to the north, Adriatic to the south: warm days, cool nights; in Collio marl and sandstone (ponca)
- Signature wines
- Collio Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon, orange wine; sweet wines Picolit and Ramandolo (DOCG)
- Landmark
- Oslavia in the Collio on the Slovenian border, home of the orange-wine pioneers Gravner and Radikon
Friuli Venezia Giulia lies in the far north-east of Italy, between the Alps to the north, the Adriatic to the south and the Slovenian border to the east. With about 28,000 hectares of vines it is not among the largest regions, but it is one of the most important for white wine: at least two thirds of production is white. Alpine coolness and the mild influence of the Adriatic bring warm days and cool nights, which keep freshness and aroma. In the Collio, the hills around Gorizia on the Slovenian border, the vines grow on Eocene marl and sandstone known locally as ponca. Collio became a DOC in 1968 and covers about 1,500 hectares; to the west, the Colli Orientali del Friuli add about 2,000. On the plains of Friuli Grave and Isonzo the vines stand on gravel and clay, and on the Karst plateau near Trieste, the Carso, on red earth.
The range is wide. Pinot Grigio and Glera (for Prosecco) are the most planted varieties, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc next. More distinctive are the native varieties: Friulano, known until 2007 as Tocai Friulano, before an agreement between the EU and Hungary banned the name because of Tokaji, and Ribolla Gialla, already mentioned in documents of the 13th century. Among the reds, Merlot is the leading variety, as in Ticino; Cabernet Franc, Refosco and rarities such as Schioppettino, Pignolo or Terrano follow. Picolit and Verduzzo make the DOCG sweet wines Picolit and Ramandolo.
Friuli is famous today for orange wine. Around Oslavia in the Collio, growers such as Josko Gravner and Stanko Radikon began in the 1990s to ferment white grapes, above all the thick-skinned, high-acid Ribolla Gialla, on their skins for weeks or even months; Gravner later also used Georgian clay vessels, qvevri, buried in the ground. The wines are amber, tannic and nutty. Fermenting white grapes on their skins is a very old technique, known for example from Georgia; in Friuli these pioneers turned it into a signature. Across the border, Ribolla is called Rebula; it is widely planted in Slovenia’s Brda, a continuation of the Collio hills.
The quality pyramid includes several DOC zones such as Collio, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Friuli Grave, Isonzo and Carso, plus a few DOCGs. Prosecco, too, takes its name from a village near Trieste, and the Prosecco DOC now reaches beyond the Veneto into Friuli.
What to drink: Friulano with San Daniele ham, a Collio Sauvignon with asparagus, Ribolla Gialla with fish and vegetables, an orange wine with mushrooms and mature cheese, a Merlot with roasts and polenta. Picolit goes with pastries or blue cheese.