Friuli’s comeback

After a period of decline in popularity, many Friuli wines are sparking significant public interest.

Friuli Venezia Giulia is a small region in northwestern Italy and yet, at the same time, it is a fundamental link between different peoples and cultures. Aside from the Friuli natives, the region also hosts those whose origins are from the Veneto region, Slovenia and even Austria. The Carnic people are closely related to the Ladins and these areas have always been a crossroads for different ethnic groups and their respective traditions.

Among the latter is winegrowing and winemaking, which is one of the most important agricultural activities in the region. This is because the area benefits from particularly diverse climates, especially considering its small size. But then again, Friuli Venezia Giulia is also a crossroads for different climatic conditions. The Bay of Panzano and the Marano Lagoon are in the northernmost zones not only of the Adriatic Sea but also the whole Mediterranean basin, sitting at a latitude of almost 47° north, which is even higher than Bordeaux, just to give you an idea.

Moving away from the sea is the Grave del Friuli plain, between the Tagliamento and Isonzo Rivers, which has various designated appellations including the greater DOC Friuli, which spreads into the areas of Grave, Annia, Larisana, Aquileia, Isonzo and a small part of Lison-Pramaggiore, as well as a DOCG appellation which Friuli shares with Vento. To the east are the hilly zones of Colli Orientali and Collio, which even has specific DOCG appellations like Ramandolo and Rosazzo, among others. Then there is the Trieste side of the Carso (Karst) region, an area that in recent years has become better known with a small but very distinct line of wines.

The whole Friuli region is thus one where climates change quickly, where a more Mediterranean climate, while northern, mixes with a more continental, Central European one, creating significant differences which are then reflected in the characteristics of the various wines.

The region also hosts a variety of different grape varietals, which sometimes coexist in the subzone of the leading appellations, with differences that can even be quite marked. Although not officially recognized, those familiar with the wines of Friuli Venezia Giulia know well that certain areas are particularly suited for Pinot Bianco, while others are better for Ribolla Gialla or Friulano or Malvasia Istriana. The same is true for red varietals like Refosco, Schioppettino, Pignolo and Merlot.

This is because the amplographic spectrum of the region is vast and multifarious allowing for the production of many different types of wines. The majority of varietals are traditional, if not native. These include Ribolla Gialla, which has existed here for over 1,000 years and is enjoying great success, while Friulano undeniably represents tradition. But there are also some of the “international” or French varietals that have been cultivated in the region for many decades, if not centuries, and produce some very important wines. For example, should you order a “tajut” (a glass of bulk wine which is usually 1/8th of a liter) in Friuli tavern, you will often be given a Merlot, which has been cultivated here for over a century. Sauvignon has been around perhaps not as long but which in Friuli Venezia Giulia is producing results unmatched in the rest of the world in regard to quality and specific characteristics.

The fact of the matter is that, after a period of decline in popularity, many Friuli wines are making a very significant comeback. In the 1980s and ‘90s, many considered Friuli to be a kind of Langhe for white wines and it had Luigi Veronelli as one of its mentors. The region has also produced winemakers and producers of the caliber of Gravner, Schiopetto, Jermann, Felluga and Venica, which are regaining the positions they had in the past. And this is good news for Italian wine as a whole.