Friuli’s 2023 Vintage:
Great Wine in the Face of Great Sacrifice

BY ERIC
GUIDO | OCTOBER 7, 2025

I’m
typically a glass-half-full person, but I have found it sobering to relay the
details of Italy’s 2023 vintage to our readers. From north to south, few areas
in Italy made it through the year unscathed. Sacrifices made by the country's
top winemakers often paid off, but at a significant cost: blood, sweat, tears,
time, money and—for some organic producers—a rethinking of entire philosophies.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1759847523251-The+town+of+Cormons+with+Mount+Quarin+in+the+background%2C+the+heart+of+Collio_Vinous.jpg">The town
of Cormòns in the heart of Collio, with Mount Quarin in the background.&nbsp;

Friuli-Venezia
Giulia endured extremely challenging conditions in 2023. Most of Italy suffered
through a rainy spring and cool conditions that spurred outbreaks of downy
mildew, but a series of intense hailstorms further worsened the situation in Friuli.
The 2023 wines may not perfectly resemble many winemakers’ typical styles, yet
they excel with unique attributes never seen before. In some instances, winemakers
could not produce single-vineyard wines or top selections, and in nearly all cases,
production levels suffered drastically. However, through it all, perseverance
paid off.

First, Some
Housekeeping

In past
articles, I've written about Friuli’s lack of regional identity, considerable consumer
confusion, quality disparity and disorganized outward communication. These
issues continue to plague the region, but it is worth sifting through the sea
of anonymous wines to uncover Friuli’s many hidden gems. Friuli is a treasure
trove of elite winemakers at the top of their game. These growers are inspired,
open-minded, insightful and willing to experiment, while always remaining
laser-focused on quality. They represent a vast stylistic range that encompasses
clean and precise wines, traditional styles that border on rustic, indigenous
and international varieties, well-crafted skin-contact wines and everything in
between.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1759847538829-Kristian+Keber+is+changing+the+way+people+think+about+Collio+Bianco%2C+by+looking+backward%2C+instead+of+forward_Vinous.jpg">Kristian
Keber is challenging preconceptions about Collio Bianco.

What changes
to the current methodologies would serve to benefit Friuli? Firstly, producers
should shift their focus away from the litany of monovarietal wines that litter
the market and focus on what they truly do best. Why make 14 wines when you
know you are the master of only two or three varieties? Mario Zanusso of I
Clivi explained, "The problem with Friuli winemakers is that they have so
many varieties within their vineyards, and they choose to treat them all the
same."

Secondly,
the Collio Bianco category could be better defined by limiting the permitted
varieties to only those that communicate a regional style, such as Friulano,
Malvasia Istriana and Ribolla Gialla. While many producers do well with
Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio in Friuli, the inclusion of these varieties removes
a sense of regional flavor from the Collio Bianco blend. This isn’t a new
concept—winemakers like Kristian Keber champion the traditional blend, and
others like Tamara Podversic of Damijan are also exploring the idea. Both
happen to be among Friuli’s best producers.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1759847574011-Classic+Ponca+soils%2C+stony+and+well-draining%2C+sandstone+and+marl_Vinous.jpg">Classic
Ponca soils consist of stony, well-draining sandstone and marl.

The
Collio/Brda Conundrum

The line
between Collio in Italy and Brda in Slovenia continues to blur, such that I
included several Slovenian wines and producers in this article. I plan to
revisit Slovenia in detail again in the future, but for now, these notes from
Brda provide a perfect example of how meaningless this border is for most
winemakers. Oftentimes, while I’m interviewing a producer in Collio and standing
in their vineyards in Italy, we’ll walk just across a road or a few meters into
another vineyard they own on the Slovenian side of the border. This situation
is readily accepted in Collio, which includes the town of Oslavia. Carso also
has a similar dynamic with the border it shares with Kras.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1759847595174-The+hillside+terrain+of+Slovenia+and+its+mountainous+backdrop_Vinous.jpg">The
hillside terrain of Slovenia.

Granted, a Collio Bianco or Collio DOC wine cannot be made from Slovenian fruit. For example, a Slovenian producer like Marjan Simčič, with ten hectares of vineyards in Italy, classifies their wine as Goriška Brda but labels others that are sourced entirely from Italy as Collio DOC. Kristian Keber is another example. He has a family property in Collio and another in Brda. Keber crafts his Collio Bianco from fruit on the Italian side of the border under the family name Edi Keber, but also bottles his Brda blend (the same blend of grapes but done with skin contact) from fruit on the Slovenian side and labels it as Goriška Brda.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1759847622597-Mateja+Gravner+discussing+vine+health%2C+biodiversity+and+season+in+the+Oslavia+region+of+Friuli+2_Vinous.jpg">Mateja Gravner
in Friuli’s Oslavia region.

The Brda
district in Slovenia is a natural extension of Italy’s Collio region, sharing
the same hilly topography (Collio is derived from collina, the Italian
word for “hill”) and Flysch soil (Opoka in Slovenian, Ponca in
Italian). From a bird's-eye view, Collio washes into Slovenia and continues
until the foothills of the Julian Alps. I hope the current collaborations
between the two regions will lead to a future that benefits both sides of the
border and allows more leniency for Italian producers.

Carso: A
Different World

Of all
the days I spend in Italy each year, my favorite is the day I visit Carso. In
this region, skin-contact wine is not just a trend—it's a heritage. While other
parts of Friuli were inspired to follow in Josko Gravner's footsteps after his
stylistic shift in the mid-1990s, Carso's tradition with macerated whites goes
back much further. That's not to say that Gravner didn't resurrect the style’s
popularity in Carso, primarily through disciples like Paolo Vodopivec, but it
was the region’s diverse varieties and harsh climate that kept the practice
relevant.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1759847638624-The+amphora+chamber+of+Vodopivec+seems+more+like+a+monastery+than+a+winery_Vinous.jpg">Vodopivec’s
amphora chamber seems more like a monastery than a winery.

To be
clear, there’s a big difference between skin-contact wines done right, as in
Carso and Oslavia, and the ones that turned "orange wine" into a
divisive category. The presence of volatile acidity, oxidation and
Brettanomyces, coupled with low to no sulfur additions, can quickly turn a
skin-contact wine from stunning to hideous. However, I invite anyone who claims
that this style of wine can't express terroir or vintage character to taste the
wines of Skerk, Skerlj, Vodopivec, Castelvecchio and Zidarich, as well as those
from Čotar across the border in Kras. I’ve witnessed the potential of these
wines firsthand, not just in new releases but in wines with significant
maturity.

Friuli’s
Red Wine Renaissance

For
years, you could count the top red wines from Friuli on one hand: Miani or
Radikon Merlot, Ronchi di Cialla Schioppettino di Cialla, Borgo del Tiglio
Rosso della Centa, La Castellada Rosso and Moschioni Schioppettino.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1759847664486-Friuli+is+about+more+than+just+white+wine%2C+as+these+indigenous+reds+are+sure+to+impress_Vinous.jpg">Friuli is
about more than just white wine. These indigenous reds are impressive.

That
list has since grown exponentially. In some cases, I find myself preferring a
producer’s red wines to their whites. In terms of native varieties, Refosco dal
Peduncolo Rosso and Schioppettino continue to gain momentum. These are often
made in a more immediate, fruit-forward style meant to move quickly through the
market, even if locals don’t appreciate the wines as much as younger drinkers
seem to. That said, the old-school category is far from dead, especially as
traditional producers like Ronchi di Cialla slowly release from their library
of back vintages. Pignolo is another indigenous variety making a comeback as
winemakers learn how to tame its aggressive tannins.

Merlot
has maintained more relevance than Cabernets in Friuli. The ever-expanding list
of world-class efforts proves that the region excels with this variety. Miani, Ronco
Severo, Ronco del Gnemiz, Vie di Romans, Ronco del Gelso, Vigna Traverso and
Sant'Elena are all top performers. Most recently, I've even encountered
promising examples of Pinot Noir. The days of pigeonholing Friuli as a white
wine region are over.

Not Your
Typical 2023 Vintage Report

As
mentioned above, the 2023 vintage in Friuli gave winemakers a run for their
money. While most of Italy suffered rainy and overcast conditions throughout
the spring that led to outbreaks of downy mildew, producers in Friuli will tell
you that vine disease was the least of their worries. For one thing, the cool
conditions didn’t end in the spring, instead lasting well past flowering and
into the summer months. Winemakers feared a delayed harvest while dealing with
fungal diseases that reduced yields. Some varieties ripened while others
appeared completely stagnant.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1759847685909-Ribolla+Gialla+vineyards+with+the+Radikon+winery+in+the+distance_Vinous.jpg">Ribolla
Gialla vineyards, with the Radikon winery in the distance.

The
situation was already bad, but it got even worse as a series of intense
hailstorms battered the region from July 18 to 25. The worst of these storms,
on July 24 and 25, hit the area with record-breaking hail and decimated large
sections of vineyards. The damage was severe, and some producers lost their
entire production. The plains of Grave suffered a near-total loss, while the
hills of the Colli Orientali (including Buttrio) and Collio were less affected.
Gianfranco Gallo, of Vie di Romans in the Isonzo Valley, explained that two
different storms within two hours destroyed the canopies in their Ciampagnis
Vieris vineyard.

A warm
spell through August did little to get the vintage on track, as most winemakers
reported harvesting seven to ten days later than usual. Luckily, conditions
improved leading up to harvest, turning warm, sunny and windy, but much of the
damage was irreversible at that point. The combination of built-up moisture,
warm weather, delayed harvest and damaged berries created a serious risk of
botrytis. Winemaker Mattia Manferrari of Borgo del Tiglio explained, "We
picked the Friulano on the verge of when the skins got brown and rotten, but we
had to wait until the very last moment. We harvested the vineyards three
separate times to achieve healthy ripeness.” Friulano is especially susceptible
to botrytis. Christian Patat of Ronco del Gnemiz commented, “Yields were down
by 35-40% with Friulano most affected. Working the musts was very hard. No
matter how much you sort and perform triage in the vineyard, you can’t get to all
the affected berries.” Red varieties were another casualty of the season, and
many winemakers chose not to bottle any of their red wines.

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1759847702977-Mattia+Manferrari+of+Borgo+del+Tiglio+in+their+Ruttars+vineyard+which+creates+the+Studio+di+Bianco_Vinous.jpg">Mattia
Manferrari of Borgo del Tiglio in the Ruttars vineyard, the source for the
Studio di Bianco.

So,
where does that leave the 2023s?

The
wines vary in quality across the board. In many cases, winemakers did a terrific
job of salvaging their best fruit and creating wines that impress with finesse,
minerality and exotic profiles. In some cases, the wines are absolutely
brilliant, wonderfully unique and exciting. In others, they are a total let-down.
The 2023s have lower acidity and higher pHs across the board. One standout characteristic
of the 2023s is a distinct, green streak, almost like a minty freshness.
Undoubtedly, Friulano was most affected by the growing season, and many of these
wines had botrytis-infected berries in the fermentations. This can lend
character if the rot was healthy or create a ticking time bomb in the bottle if
it wasn’t. How the wines will age is anyone's guess, but buyers should be
selective.

I tasted
the wines in this report in Friuli-Venezia Giulia in July 2025.© 2025, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/friuli-venezia-giulia-both-sides-of-the-spectrum-apr-2024">Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Both Sides of the Spectrum</a>, Eric Guido, April 2024<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/friuli-venezia-giulia-in-search-of-an-identity-jan-2024">Friuli Venezia-Giulia: In Search of an Identity</a>, Laura Bruno, October 2024<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/pride-and-tradition-the-friulian-way-apr-2023">Pride and Tradition: The Friulian Way</a>, Eric Guido, April 2023<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/veneto-the-land-of-opportunity-mar-2023">Veneto: The Land of Opportunity</a>, Eric Guido, March 2023 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/friuli-venezia-giulia-just-try-to-keep-up-apr-2022">Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Just Try to Keep Up</a>, Eric Guido, April 2022

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social