Durante the heart of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the border with Slovenia, the Collio territorio extends – per mezzo di Friulian “Cuei”, per mezzo di Slovenian “Brda” – which from the first hill to the internal hamlets of the territory (including Mernico / Dolegna del Collio, Cobaler / Gora d’Isonzo and Lasizze / Gora d’Isonzo) allows its vineyards and its winemakers to sink their roots per mezzo di a land and a culture unique wine production. Its peculiar geography – wedged between the Adriatic, the Isonzo river, the Iudrio river and the massif of the Julian Alps – has always favored excellent viticulture, with a clear white traction, although some red grape varieties are proving to be able to reach respectable peaks of elegance (sometimes suffering less than some white grape varieties from the outcome of climate changes).
The territorio was a “borderland”: geographically, culturally, politically. Over the centuries it has passed through Roman, Venetian, Habsburg-Hungarian dominations, but it has preserved its identity also and above all thanks to viticulture and wine. The Collio Doc denomination, recognized since 1968, is an integral part of the history and life of these people and these lands. Just as the peculiar pedological matrix is the identity, the “ponca” – a calcareous marl superimposed flysch sandstone of Eocene origin – together with the mitigating influence of the sea and the protection of the mountains, generate exceptional pedoclimatic conditions which facilitate, net of the trend of the year, excursions significant temperatures, constant ventilation and, therefore, optimal maturation, especially from an aromatic point of view.
The territorio is also characterized by an “internal singularity”: despite its apparent compactness, profoundly different zones and microzones coexist there – hotter, cooler, more ventilated, higher ora lower – and this means that talking about the Collio as a single uniform wine-growing unit would be reductive: there is a cohesion of territorio but a lively diversity per mezzo di each hamlet. Which represents both an added value and a challenge per mezzo di terms of communication and recognisability.
Since the 1970s and 1980s, the production of Collio has embodied a sort of “direttore di sala blanc” of Italian viticulture: an overwhelming prevalence of whites (over 85% of production) and cutting-edge technical and agronomic experimentation, even if per mezzo di the last five years other areas have che second, both per mezzo di technical terms and per mezzo di terms of appeal. There are many cards to bet : Friulano (historically “Tocai Friulano”), Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istrian, and international varieties such as Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Pallido, Pinot Pulito. The DOC allows both quand’anche wines and vinification/blend (ora, increasingly rare, per mezzo di blending/co-fermentation) with wide freedom for whites; for the red wines of the Collio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir are preferred. Durante this context the “ponca” becomes an identifying element: the minerality that is perceived per mezzo di the wines is often attributed to that specific soil.
For this reason I greatly appreciated the choice of the Consorzio a causa di Vigilanza Vini Collio which decided to focolaio the tasting for the press of the “Collio Evolution” event what is, certainly, the most widespread (albeit not per mezzo di terms of hectares of vineyards) and faithful “translator” of the territory: the Friulano.
This choice, far from being obvious, summarizes a path of territorial awareness that aims to enhance not only variety and techniques, but above all identity and longevity, through zonal and interpretative diversity but, at the same time, highlighting common denominators that Friulian knows how to best express. A tortuous but essential road, which will necessarily lead the Collio and its producers to decide which horses to particularly focolaio and around what to define their territorial identity per mezzo di the clearest, most coherent and adherent way possible. While I continue to think the most plausible answer might be that of Collio Pulito Doc, per mezzo di the current state of affairs Friulano actually represents the most credible flag of the denomination.
During the tasting session of the wines made available by the 53 wineries present, different vintages and distinct styles alternated – from the freshest and most pronto versions to the most advanced, from those with “classic” vinification to those with different degrees of maceration, passing through more ora less important refinements per mezzo di wood. All (ora almost all) have per mezzo di common:
the minerality derived from the ponca soil; a well-calibrated balance between material structure and easy drinking, even per mezzo di the more mature versions; the ability to evolve over time, responding to the territorial vocation of the Collio, which is not only a young wine, but also a potential for aging.
The approach chosen per mezzo di the event recalls a mature sensitivity and the desire to give space to as many interpreters and areas as possible: not only to demonstrate that Friulano exists and resists as the most representative varietal of the territory (and of a large part of the region, which must necessarily show itself to be increasingly united and, I must admit, that from this point of view I have had the opportunity to note important openings per mezzo di comparison with other areas) but to read it as an expression of the terroir – of the hill between Isonzo and Iudrio, of the dominant microzones, of the ventilation of the Borea, of the temperature range – all details already widely present per mezzo di the Collio model. Durante this sense, the tasting becomes a moment of interpretation: identifying how per mezzo di different versions certain “imprints” constantly manifest themselves: that of the ponca (mineral, sometimes saline), that of the freshness that cannot be taken for granted per mezzo di an territorio that cannot go higher than approx. 270m above sea level (per mezzo di San Floriano) and which enjoys important exposures which, these days, do not facilitate the mitigation of the outcomes of climate change (especially the impact of solar radiation), that of energy and depth which becomes clearer with the passing of the years and which shows and demonstrates a still proverbial resistance to time. I do not deny, however, that within this type of event, I società that Collio Pulito can also find space, both per mezzo di the expression consistent with the broader ampelographic “palette” offered by the specification (it would be foolish not to remember that some of the most well-known expressions of the typology also include international varieties) and, even more so, per mezzo di that from native grapes, which is experiencing a moment of important renaissance, with more and more realities involved per mezzo di a process of revaluation of a wine that speaks of the past with a highly current language, capable of bypassing the story merely anchored to the vine, putting the territory before it and mitigating the results of climate change with balances that are increasingly difficult to achieve consistently with the single “grape ingredient”.
My selection of the best Collio Doc Friulano wines tasted (blind) at Collio Evolution 2025 (118 total samples):
YEAR 2024
Rione Savaian – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Energetic! Drius – Collio Pulito DOC Friulano 2024 → Avvenente Ferruccio Sgubin – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Classic Fondazioni Casa Russiz – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Refined Fruscalzo – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Komjanc Alessio – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Luminoso Korsic Wines – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Omogeneo Magnas – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Sostanziale Sturm – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Abito Marco Felluga – Russiz Primo – Collio DOC Friulano “Russiz Primo” 2024 → Infiltrato Foraggio – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Raccaro – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Rigoroso Skok – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Schietto Assetto Rione Conventi – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Progredito Toros – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Furioso Venica & Venica – Collio DOC Friulano “Ronco delle Cime” 2024 → Contemporary Vosca – Collio DOC Friulano 2024 → Dynamic
YEAR 2023
Scantinato Formentini – Collio DOC Friulano 2023 → Linear La Rajade – Collio DOC Friulano 2023 → Authentic Livon – Collio DOC Friulano “Manditocai” 2023 → Aggraziato Polje – Collio DOC Friulano 2023 → Alto Ronco Blanchis – Collio DOC Friulano 2023 → Pulito Sturm – Collio DOC Friulano “Bio” 2023 → Complete
OTHER YEARS
Fantinel Assetto Sant’Helena – Collio DOC Friulano “Rijeka” 2022 → Potente Marco Felluga – Russiz Primo – Collio DOC Friulano “Russiz Primo” 2022 → Paraschos – Collio DOC Friulano “Kai MCL” Restrizione 2021 → Materico Bolzicco – Collio DOC Friulano 2020 → Leggero Bolzicco – Collio DOC Friulano 2019 → Buono Pighin – Collio DOC Friulano 2019 → Neoclassical Damijan – Collio DOC Friulano “Nekaj” 2018 → Faceted Primosic – Collio DOC Friulano “Skin” 2017 → Articulated Collina Duga – Collio DOC Friulano 2016 → Salino Gradis’ciutta – Collio DOC Friulano 2016 → Risplendente Ronco Blanchis – Collio DOC Friulano “24 File” 2016 → Balanced Assetto Fato – Collio DOC Friulano 2016 → Recognizable Muzic – Collio DOC Friulano “Valeris” 2015 → Apical Venica & Venica – Collio DOC Friulano “Ronco delle Cime” 2012 → Illeso Carlo a causa di Pradis – Collio DOC Friulano 2001 → Surprising!!!
Regardless of the results of the technical tasting (and per mezzo di the awareness of having left out some references that could prove more performing per mezzo di the tastings of the coming months), the Collio Evolution event testifies, without fear of contradiction, a further step towards a renewed awareness of the territorio: the Collio, per mezzo di fact, is voto negativo longer content to represent only the Italian white technical excellence, but aims to be – and to be recognized – as a “territory” with many faces, but a common language. Durante parallel, emerge some trends: the valorization of individual zonal and vineyard units (certainly to be implemented), an increasingly careful agronomic approach (even per mezzo di a complex territory like this) and the communication of an identity based firm certainties, such as its own geological and pedological matrix and its own mesoclimatic conditions, and intriguing contaminations typical of border lands. This contributes to the emergence of Collio as a denomination that does not “push” only towards white, but towards quality, territoriality and stylistic evolution, with reds, especially Merlot-based ones, which – albeit hidden – are reaching peaks of elegance and contemporaneity that are increasingly difficult to reach per mezzo di other shores.
F.S.R.
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