Friuli Venezia Giulia – In Constant Motion

BY ERIC GUIDO | JANUARY 26, 2021

It’s difficult to imagine the real dynamic of Friuli Venezia Giulia, its terroir and its people without looking at a map. The region, a melting pot of Austrian, Slovenian and Italian heritage, is also a blending of climatic influences and topography that creates a number of unique wine-producing areas, as well as a large selection of grape varieties that excel within each of them. When you combine this with winemaking styles that have evolved over the course of decades and remain ever-changing, add a wide range of producers who have chosen to follow different paths, teachings and techniques from ancient to modern, what you get is one of the most diverse regions of Italy. And, consequently, a bit of confusion over what to expect when buying a bottle of wine, but we’ll talk about that later.

The Gravner estate vineyards in Oslavia, in the Collio.

A Lay of the Land

Imagine, if you will, the well-draining, alluvial plains that stretch out, moving northward from the Adriatic, heavily influenced by the Mediterranean Sea, something that most consumers don’t associate with this part of Italy. While the region receives a larger amount of precipitation in average years, the combination of well-draining soils and ventilating winds from the north helps to maintain balance. A large percentage of Friulian wine is made here, within the regions of Grave and Isonzo; and while quality can be variable, specifically the latter remains home to a number of standout producers who find compelling balance in wines that are naturally large-scaled. 

The plains slowly evolve into undulating hills as you go further north and west, gently rising in elevation toward the Alps. This is the famed Collio, where Italy meets Slovenia, a district that is home to so many of Friuli’s leading estates. In fact, producers find themselves working vineyards on both sides of the border. Warm temperatures are moderated by the strong and chilling Bora winds that are channeled down from the mountains toward the Adriatic. Here you’ll find more white varieties than red. If there’s one thing that the average wine lover knows about Friuli, it’s the success it has had with international white varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Yet, as amazing as these wines can be (and they can truly be amazing), in my opinion, it’s the native varieties, including Ribolla Gialla, Friulano and Malvasia Istriana that deliver the regional experience and flavor. The same is true of Vitovska in Carso and Picolit in Colli Orientali, as we will discover below.

Stretching up from the hills above Trieste, we arrive in Carso, where the indigenous red Terrano benefits from the warming elements of the sea. However, readers will also find a number of captivating, if not unique, whites, most often Vitovksa, made in a high-skin contact and oxidized style.