Friuli-Venezia Giulia:
Both Sides of the Spectrum

BY ERIC GUIDO |&nbsp;APRIL 25, 2024Whenever
I return to Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a wave of calm immediately sweeps over me.
Something about this region and its producers puts me at ease, whether it’s the
food, the wine, the people or the architecture. Everyone moves at a steady pace
with purpose and pride. Cultures combine between Italian, Austrian and Eastern
European in a way that creates a society that holds their heads high, confident
and sincere, yet warm and welcoming. This doesn’t quite feel like Italy,
especially walking the streets of Gorizia or Trieste. With that in mind, I
suppose it makes sense that the wines, just like the cuisine, vary
significantly from what consumers might expect.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1713990165018-Hillside+Collio+vineyards+overlooking+the+town+of+Cormons_copy.jpg">Hillside Collio vineyards overlooking the town of Cormòns. The Friulian Conundrum The
past success of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (which I will refer to as FVG going
forward) was built on the acclaim the region received many years ago for wines
made in a highly international style. The Super Whites and Reds of the region
were a massive success in the American market. I recall many rich and stylized
Chardonnays and Bordeaux blends from the area that were undoubtedly well-made
yet lacked regional character or flair. Some producers, such as Borgo del
Tiglio, were able to achieve a perfect blending of both, taking indigenous and
international varieties that showed a distinct stamp of terroir. But in the
end, the majority of these wines could have come from anywhere in the
world.&nbsp;

Over
time, fads changed, as did consumer palates, and in many cases, along with
generational shifts, the wines of FVG changed with them. With the exception of
a few stalwarts, when visiting the area today, I find it hard to believe that
the region ever preferred this high-impact, international style. Yes, it has
left its mark, and I often come across heavily oak-inflected blends with a
sheen of new wood that can act like human catnip if properly applied. Yet,
beneath the surface, these wines lack depth and complexity. The Friulians'
preferred style appeals to their palates and the palates of local tourists who
regularly travel down from Austria and Germany. Whether blended or
mono-varietal, it’s a style that focuses more on indigenous grapes and a
combination of stern minerality, acidity and a small dose of residual sugar.
This mix throws off many international palates yet has secured export markets
to the north and in Asia.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Most forward-thinking and
world-traveling producers realize this is different from current market trends in
the West. Instead, FVG producers gear their practices toward the styles of
modern-day Burgundy. So, when tasting in FVG, I find a great divide between one portfolio
and another. Making it so that when buying a bottle of wine from Friuli, a
consumer must now look to the producer before the region itself. This creates
confusion over what the world can expect from Friuli and what Friuli can
provide to the world.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1713990186834-Limestone+infused+with+iron-rich+clay+in+Carso-copy.jpg">Limestone infused with iron-rich clay in Carso. 

That
said, FVG winemakers and industry leaders care significantly about what the
outside world thinks of the region and its wines. The most common question I
receive while visiting relates to blends versus mono-varietal wines, such as
the iconic Collio Bianco and how international markets perceive them. A traditional Collio Bianco blends Malvasia Istriana,
Friulano and Ribolla Gialla. Yet, it can also include Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio,
Riesling, Sauvignon and Müller Thurgau. I see this expanded list of varieties
as part of the bigger problem. If the blending rules of this category were more
strict, Collio Bianco might be able to stand out and become a brand for the
region. I’ve witnessed how incredible a traditional Collio Bianco can be in the
right hands. The Edi Keber Vino da Uve Autoctone is a perfect example and a polarizing
wine throughout the region. Many winemakers and Sommeliers question the bold
move that Kristian Keber made when he decided to stop bottling mono-varietal
wines and focus entirely on an indigenous blend. However, the wine has shown
many others what is possible from the category over time.&nbsp;

This
calls to mind the biggest hurdle FVG must still overcome: the massive amount of
forgettable mono-varietal wines bottled throughout the region. I’ve gone into
great depth on this topic in the past, and it remains an issue in FVG. I’m not
saying there isn’t a place for them, but a sharper focus on making the best
wines possible, not the most wines possible, would help push the region's
perception of quality to all new levels. Look at the iconic wineries of FVG,
the names we talk about year after year, and what you find in their portfolio
is a short list of varieties they excel with. If you were to visit FVG and stop
at the most important estates, the insights you would leave with would be
distorted regarding the overall reality of the region. Estates like Vie di
Romans, Miani, Borgo del Tiglio, Ronco del Gnemiz, Russiz Superiore, Venica
&amp; Venica and Meroi all create incredible wines using varieties like
Chardonnay and Sauvignon. However, they are the outliers in a region littered
with forgettable Chardonnays and weedy, one-dimensional Sauvignons. I
encountered a similar issue when traveling to Slovenia, just across the border,
where Chardonnay is the second most planted white variety.&nbsp;

While
confusing to the average consumer, the good news, and what FVG does have going
for it, is variety. However, as mentioned previously, the trick is that you
must look to the producer before the region. I can not recommend Ribolla Gialla
as the best interpretation of Friuli, nor can I recommend Friulano, Malvasia,
Merlot, Refosco dal Peduncolo or Schioppettino. However, I can easily recommend
the best interpretations of each of these varieties after tasting around 400
wines each year. I also assure readers that there are experiences from each
that are genuinely noteworthy or even remarkable. A mature Ronchi di Cialla
Schioppettino can be mind-blowing. A Malvasia from I Clivi can force you to
fall in love with the variety, while the Gris from Lis Neris can totally change
preconceptions about what Pinot Grigio can offer. I could go on and on, but in
the end, it’s all in the tasting notes.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1713990210037-Sunrise+over+the+twon+of+Gorizia+looking+out+toward+Slovenia_copy.jpg">Sunrise over the town of Gorizia, looking out toward Slovenia. 

Speaking
of variety, I would be remiss to leave out the skin-contact wines of the
region. Having spent so much time discussing the confusion of styles and
varieties, FVG excels in this category. For anyone just joining the
conversation, Skin-Contact is the branding that producers are working very hard
to replace the phrase “Orange Wine” with. “Orange” has become a dirty word
within winemaking circles as producers try to separate themselves from the
natty and often faulty wines that soured worldwide opinions of the style. Globally,
the category is still fraught with wines that many consumers wouldn’t
appreciate, yet in Friuli, both quality and purity are remarkably high,
especially along the border of Slovenia, in the regions of Carso and Oslavia,
but also throughout Collio, Colli Orientali and Isonzo. While Carso and Oslavia
heavily focus on using extended skin contact with a mix of indigenous
varieties, outside of these areas, many producers create Pinot Grigios and
Ribolla Giallas using a shorter maceration on the skins to add depth, color and
texture.&nbsp;

Last
year, Sasa Radikon of the Radikon Winery in Oslavia discussed the ongoing work
to integrate the Skin-Contact wine category into the Collio DOC. However, he
sadly explained this year that their efforts were in vain due to issues with
creating production regulations or settling on how to name the category for
consumers. This was unsettling news and a step back. Considering that Carso and
Oslavia are producing some of the most interesting non-conventional wines in
FVG, this is a missed opportunity for the region as a whole.&nbsp;

However,
in Carso, producers seem unphased by being detached from FVGs and other
winemaking regions. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Carso is
geographically separated as well, jutting out from the most southeastern corner
of the region like a long shelf that runs along the border of Slovenia to the
north and the Adriatic Sea to the south. Just as Friuli doesn’t seem entirely
Italian, Carso is like a world in itself, and its wines are just as
unrelatable. The Ponca soils (sandstone and clay) of Friuli’s interior turn to
solid limestone infused with thick iron-rich clay. Most varieties are the same,
yet the wines are produced primarily using extended skin contact and aging in
large stone vessels made from the same limestone that defines the area. One
outlier is the crisp and mineral-intense Vitovska, which excels here and across
Slovenia's border, yet seemingly nowhere else. For red wine lovers, Carso also specializes
in Terrano, which is a woodsy, high-acid variety related to Refosco from
Croatia. Each year, I spend just one day in Carso tasting with producers, and
I’d be lying if I claimed that it wasn’t one of my favorite days of the year.
Make sure to check out the portfolios of Zidarich, Skerlj, Skerk, Vinogradi Fon
and Vodopivec in no specific order. It’s hard to go wrong here.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1713990238654-Tasting+at+the+famed+Enoteca+di+Cormons_copy.jpg">Tasting at the famed Enoteca di Cormòns. Looking Forward to 2022 and Back to 2021 Continuing
a succession of warm and dry seasons, the 2021s and 2022s in Friuli-Venezia
Giulia still have much to offer. While most Italian regions have recently
suffered through severe droughts, it's essential to recognize that Friuli’s
climate is significantly different, with a higher overall average of
precipitation yearly. With that said, the region is now starting to feel the
effect of drought, and with it, the need for irrigation continues to be a hot topic
in the region. It will be interesting to compare 2021 and 2022 over the coming
years. Generally, the 2021s are richer and more powerful, while the 2022s are
more harmonious, complex and light on their feet.

Lifted,
floral, soft-textured and ethereal are all words that can sum up the 2022s from
Friuli-Venezia Giulia. These open-knit and pretty wines trade power for grace
and present up-front appeal. The season's warmth was more tolerable than in
2021, without any extreme heat spikes, yet drought through the summer months
seriously stressed the vines and affected the younger vineyards. Irrigation was
often necessary where available. Harvests were pushed forward from one to two
weeks throughout the region without the intense sugar accumulation in 2021.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1713990308513-The+Reds+of+the+Region+are+Truly+Wild+Wines_copy.jpg">From
a vintage of extremes, the 2021s are often intense and rich with lively acidity
that brings balance. Soaring aromatics and vivid fruit add to the warm vintage
character of these wines. Two thousand twenty-one was a dry and warm year.
Spring frost reduced yields by 7% on average, yet some areas, such as the
Carso, suffered significantly more. The region dried out through June and July,
coupled with exceedingly warm temperatures. August continued with hot
conditions and remained very dry. The saving grace was the substantial diurnal
shifts that helped retain acidity in the grapes and the ventilating winds that
kept the bunches healthy. Christian Patat of Ronco del Gnemiz recalled waiting
for the perfect time to pick and offered that many producers were forced to
take action when sugar levels drastically increased. In the end, the 2021s
excel with their tangy acidity. 

For a
detailed explanation of the geography and soils and a deep dive into the
varieties of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, check out last year's article, <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/pride-and-tradition-the-friulian-way-apr-2023">Pride
and Tradition: The Friulian Way</a>.

I
tasted the wines in this article while in Friuli-Venezia Giulia in December
2023 and our New York City offices in January 2024.&nbsp;© 2024, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed 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/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 <div><div></div></div><div><div><div><div><a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/friuli-venezia-giulia-in-constant-motion-jan-2021">Friuli Venezia Giulia – In Constant Motion</a>, Eric Guido, January 2021</div></div></div></div>

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social