Lying between the Austrian alps and the Adriatic, Friuli is regarded as one of the three pillars of Italian wine production, alongside Piedmont and Tuscany.
Made up of six individual zones, this region is covered by over 13,000 hectares of vines, all located in the south.
One such zone in particular, the Colli Orientale, is one of Italy’s most picturesque regions and forms Italy’s border with Slovenia and part of Austria. With 2055 hectares of vineyards, it was once a key military base for Julius Caesar’s Roman army. Historical documents show that the ancient Roman Senate developed vineyards in this area as far back as 181 BC. Its modern wine industry however, spans just over 40 years.
The Vineyard Zone
Fresh crisp mountain air and hillsides of friable soils derived from ancient sea-beds alternate and overlap all the way to the ocean. Rich in marine fossils, the eroded hillsides are now gentle slopes with both meandering streams and fast flowing rivers passing through them. Most vineyards lie between 100 and 300 metres above sea level, quite often on terraced hillsides.
This area is known for its celebrated white wines such as pinot grigio, ribolla gialla and tocai friulano, as well as its more unusual indigenous reds such as, refosco, schiopettino and tazzelenghe (which means to cut your tongue for it is a very tannic wine).
The whites have been nicknamed ‘Superwhites’, a corresponding sobriquet to Tuscany’s ‘Super-Tuscan’ reds. They are generally full-bodied with complex characters and aromas, and unlike many other Italian whites, these wines also develop well in the bottle.
There are many vantage points from where the seemingly never-ending vineyards can be seen but it is down on the vineyard slopes where the vines become more interesting. There are currently 196 wineries producing 220,000 quintals of grapes, or an average of about 11,000 tonnes per winery. Nearly all are Burgundian in style ie:family owned and run, however there are a few larger companies such as Zonin, one of Italy’s largest privately owned companies with estates in the zone.
Many vineyards are planted with up to a dozen or so different varieties so production levels under a specific label can be quite small.
Not exactly the norm - different trellising systems
Traditional trellising systems of extremely long canes stretched between widely placed posts are giving way to modern techniques with most vines now growing on the French Guyot or Italian ‘Cordone Speronato’ (cordon spur) styles.
The older vines still cling on to their Casarsa and Sylvoz wires, Sylvoz being the brainchild of Italian winemaker Carlo Sylvoz, who introduced it to produce high yielding vines that were left to develop unlimited amounts of fruit from lots of canes. The canes were tied to a high cordon wire which allowed them to be trained to around two metres high.
The Sylvoz system saw the vine sitting between two posts allowing the canes to be tied along wires on both sides of the central stem. The alternative system at the time was called Casarsa, where the vine was placed alongside the post and the canes trained along the length of the wire to the next post with the cordon wired but the canes left to hang loose, slowly dipping downwards due to their own massive weight.
Both of these trellising methods successfully produced lots of fruit, but fruit which was of questionable quality and contributed to Italy’s reputation of being a large producer of poor quality wine.
The success of ‘new world’ producers forced Italian growers to rethink their strategies and most now pay more attention to modern production techniques while maintaining traditional styles – fortunately a winning combination.
An unusual variety
Picolit, a native to this area is grown in very small quantities as it can be a very unprofitable grape. After flowering occurs, individual grapes die off and the grower is left with a long straggly bunch of about 15-20 grapes. But the wine produced from these very unattractive grapes has often been described as ‘a nectar of the gods’. Prior to the 1980s, the picolit grape had virtually disappeared. If it hadn’t been for the foresight of one particular grower who continued to cultivate it, it would have vanished entirely. Verduzzo is the more common variety used for dessert wines by most growers.
Another grape saved from extinction is Pignolo, a rough and tannic red when young, but a wine that ages and mellows with distinction. It was also saved from extinction, but who saved it depends upon who you talk to in the zone.
The DOC
The DOC of Colli Orientale produces 22 DOC wines, the largest number of DOCs for a single zone anywhere in Italy. Its winemakers association, the Consorzio Vini DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli has nearly 200 members. Most of the grapes grown in the zone are indigenous and with the exceptions of Sauvignon (without the ‘blanc’), Pinot Grigio and Merlot, are rarely seen outside of Italy.
As Italian wine regions go, this would have to be one of the most interesting and yet it remains one of the least known. If by chance you are given the opportunity to visit Colli Orientale, make sure you visit the Consorzio (winemaker’s association and marketing office) which is located in Cividale del Friuli where you will be able to sample wines from most of the local producers.
Recommended wineries to visit: La Tunella, Il Roncat, Il Roncal, Girolamo Dorigo
Glynis Macri - Glynis Macri has been visiting Italy for the past 20 years absorbing all that the country has to offer in the way of food and wine ...
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