Study / Region guides
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
3 DOCGs and 9 DOCs. Examined in Unit 1: Northern Italy.
- Borders
- Veneto
- Wine provinces
- Udine, Gorizia, Trieste, Pordenone
The land
Friuli is the northeast corner of Italy, on the borders with Austria and Slovenia. The Alps shelter it from the north and the Adriatic warms it from the south.
The hills of Collio and Colli Orientali sit on ponca, a crumbly mix of marl and sandstone. The Grave plain is gravel washed down from the mountains. The Carso is a windy limestone plateau above Trieste.
The grapes
This is white wine country. Friulano, which was Tocai Friulano until 2007, is the local grape. Ribolla Gialla, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Malvasia Istriana follow.
The native reds are Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Schioppettino, Pignolo and Terrano. Picolit and Verduzzo make the sweet wines.
Which grape leads which appellation
- Friulano 1
- Rosazzo
- Picolit 1
- Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit
- Verduzzo Friulano 1
- Ramandolo
Local names
- Refosco d'Istria
- Terrano, in Carso (Carso-Kras)
In the vineyard and cellar
Friuli led Italy toward clean, cool fermented white wines sold by grape name from the 1960s. A second movement in Oslavia went the other way, with long skin contact for Ribolla Gialla.
History and trade
Much of the region was under Habsburg rule until the First World War, and the Collio hills continue across the border into Slovenia as Brda.
The DOCGs
Oldest first. The year is when each one became a DOCG.
| Appellation | DOCG since | Grapes | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramandolo | 2001 | Verduzzo Friulano (100 percent) | Udine |
| Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit | 2006 | Picolit (min 85 percent) | Udine |
| Rosazzo | 2011 | Friulano (min 50 percent), Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla | Udine |
The DOCs
| Appellation | DOC since | Grapes | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carso (Carso-Kras) | 1985 | Vitovska, Malvasia Istriana, Terrano (Refosco d'Istria), Glera, Merlot | Trieste, Gorizia |
| Collio (Collio Goriziano) | 1968 | Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco, Malvasia Istriana, Merlot | Gorizia |
| Friuli (Friuli Venezia Giulia) | 2016 | Pinot Grigio, Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc, Ribolla Gialla, Merlot, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Chardonnay | Entire region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia |
| Friuli Annia | 1995 | Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Cabernet Franc | Udine |
| Friuli Aquileia | 1975 | Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Merlot, Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay | Udine |
| Friuli Colli Orientali | 1970 | Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon Blanc, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Schioppettino, Pignolo, Merlot | Udine |
| Friuli Grave | 1970 | Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Friulano, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Cabernet Franc | Pordenone, Udine |
| Friuli Isonzo | 1974 | Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Malvasia Istriana, Merlot, Cabernet Franc | Gorizia |
| Friuli Latisana | 1975 | Merlot, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Cabernet Franc, Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay | Udine |
Facts that get tested
The kind of thing an exam asks about Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Cover the answers and try them.
Why was Tocai Friulano renamed Friulano in 2007?
The EU reserved the name for Hungary's Tokaj. After a long dispute the Tokaj name went to Hungary. The grape itself is Sauvignonasse.
What is ponca?
The layered marl and sandstone of Collio and Colli Orientali. Ponca, also called flysch, crumbles easily, drains well and is credited with the minerality of the region's whites.
Why are Picolit's yields so small?
Most of its flowers fail to set fruit. Floral abortion leaves each bunch with a handful of berries, which is why the sweet wine is rare and expensive.
Schioppettino is also known as
Ribolla Nera. It was close to extinct in the 1970s and was revived around Prepotto in the Colli Orientali.
The village of Oslavia, in Collio, is known for
Skin contact whites from Ribolla Gialla. Producers such as Gravner and Radikon led the return to long macerations, sometimes in amphora.
What is the Bora?
A cold, dry wind from the northeast. It blows hardest across the Carso plateau around Trieste.
Which red grape is the speciality of the Carso plateau?
Terrano. Terrano, from the Refosco family, gives sharp, dark reds on the Carso's iron-rich red soil.
Friuli Grave takes its name from
Its gravel soils. The plain is alluvial gravel washed down from the Alps, which holds the day's heat and drains fast.
Think you've got it?
Twenty questions on Friuli-Venezia Giulia, with every wrong answer drawn from the region and its neighbours.
Quiz me on Friuli-Venezia Giulia