Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Cool maritime to continental
Italy's north-eastern corner on the Slovenian border, celebrated for crisp, mineral whites and pioneering skin-contact 'orange' wines.
Overview
About Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia sits between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic, bordering Slovenia and Austria. The hilly appellations of Collio and Colli Orientali del Friuli produce the region's best wines — Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon and Pinot Bianco among the whites — while the flat Friuli Grave zone makes very large volumes, including much Pinot Grigio.
Reds include local varieties such as Refosco and Schioppettino as well as Merlot and Cabernet Franc, which is widely planted and often shows a green, herbaceous edge. Growers around Oslavia in Collio, notably Josko Gravner and Stanko Radikon, revived long skin-contact white winemaking — often in amphorae or large oak — and helped launch the modern orange wine movement.
Hover a marker to see what's grown there, and click it to open that place. On a touch screen, tap once to preview and again to open. Bigger markers have more grapes linked to them.
Italy
Shaded: Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Map units are states, provinces or départements, so a smaller place appears as the larger area that contains it.
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Cool maritime to continental
Sheltered by the Julian Alps to the north and moderated by the Adriatic to the south. Large day-night temperature swings preserve acidity and aroma in the whites, and rainfall is generous.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Collio and the Colli Orientali are known for ponca, a layered Eocene marl and sandstone. The Friuli Grave is an alluvial gravel plain, and the Carso plateau near Trieste has limestone and red clay (terra rossa).
Go deeper
Rules, years & producers
Friuli's classification is by zone, and its best-known wines carry a DOC name and a grape.
DOCGs
Small, specialised appellations, including Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit, Ramandolo and Rosazzo.
Hillside DOCs
Collio and Colli Orientali del Friuli, the source of the best whites.
Plains DOCs
Friuli Grave and Friuli Isonzo, making larger volumes.
Delle Venezie DOC
A wide appellation for Pinot Grigio, shared with the Veneto and Trentino.
Within Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Appellations
What's grown here
Grapes
Grapes linked to Friuli-Venezia Giulia or to a place within it. Each grape's page links back here.
Cabernet Franc
Grown as a varietal wine with a distinct green, herbaceous character.
Glera
The wider Prosecco zone reaches into Friuli, and the grape's name comes from a village near Trieste.
Pinot Gris
As Pinot Grigio, crisp and dry, and the source of much of Italy's export.
Sauvignon Blanc
Grown in Collio.