Friuli Venezia Giulia is the easternmost region in Italy, bordering Slovenia and Croatia. Not well known to Americans, the area is mainly agricultural and dotted with hundreds of vineyards and small wineries producing excellent, world class Friuli wines.

Wine Regions & Wineries

The major towns in Friuli include the central city of Udine, Gorizia on the Slovenian border and the seaport city of Trieste. The major wine regions lie east and south of Udine, among them Carso nestled between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia, Isonzo to the north of Carso, Collio running east-west along the Slovenian border and Colli Orientali del Friuli north of Collio in the foothills of the Alps. Since much of the region is near Slovenia, you will find many signs in both Italian and Slovenian and many Slovenian influences on the Italian side, everything from the cuisine to the ancestry of local residents. Winemakers from both countries sometimes own plots of land on both sides of the border, which was de-controlled in 2007, allowing for free movement from both sides.

Many of the wineries featured in this article are family-owned and practice natural means of production, believe in low yield growing, harvest by hand and minimize intervention whenever possible. Most have distribution in the United States and all are worthy of being sought out even if you don't travel to Friuli yourself.

Grapes

The region of Friuli is best known for its white wines - the native Vitovska, Malvasia and Tocai Friulano, which due to the resolution of a dispute in the EU with Hungary, is now referred to as Friulano. Some winemakers will play with this designation, such as Stanko Radikon who calls his "Jakot" (reversing the spelling). In the Carso area, the Refosco grape is made into Terrano, a medium body red wine, while Picolit, a grape dating back to Roman times, makes the region's famous dessert wine.

International varietals such as Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc are also widely grown but don't be surprised if they taste nothing like what you are used to - Friuli Sauvignon Blanc is unlike the grassy New Zealand wine widely sold in the U.S. and is definitely one of the "wines to seek out" from the region.

A note on alcohol levels - white wines from Friuli tend to have somewhat higher alcohol, around 13-14% or more. However, the wines are so well made, you are not likely to notice it.