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Wine production in Friuli Venezia Giulia

The ‘Vineyard called Friuli’ covers 15,400 hectares and boasts nine different denominations of origin. Twenty four thousand individuals taking care of every stage in production, from the vine to the cellar and from the bottle to the market. A land of hills and plains, with 35% of wine farming carried out in the former and 65% in the latter. 9,000 hectares of white grapes and 6,400 hectares dedicated to red grapes, yet with relatively low average yields of less than 8,500 Kg.
In 2002, 130,000 tonnes of grapes were delivered to the wineries, to produce 97,600,000 litres of wine (64% of which Denomination of Origin - VQPRD): with 56,400,000 litres of white wine and 41,200,000 of red.
A border region by nature, 43% of all bottles produced in Friuli Venezia Giulia are exported to nearby Mittel-European countries. Nonetheless, an excellent promotional campaign is beginning to reap rewards in the more distant American and Asian markets. The regional wine industry is primarily made up of small or even very small wineries, which only rarely manage to produce significant quantities. The region boasts an impressive 1,420 bottling plants and 10 cooperative wineries (cantine sociali), accounting for 33% of the wine bottled (65,300,000 litres).
This is a region with consolidated wine producing traditions that has earned substantial recognition for its quality which, in spite of its many small producers, still manages to turn out 85 million bottles of denomination of origin wine, making it the undisputed leading Italian producer of white wines and, more significantly, boasting a heritage of ten, prestigious native varieties. Every one of these is integrated in full scale production as they not only represent the essence of the relationship between the wine and the land, but also because – as the growing success and recognition of this land and its products prove – they are a sure resource for the future of a sector whose products are already earning the respect of the market.
The whites include Tocai Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Verduzzo Friulano (Ramandolo DOCG), Picolit (soon to attain DOCG status), Vitovska and Malvasia Istriana, whereas the region’s reds include Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Schiopettino (also known as Ribolla Nera), Pignolo, Tazzelenghe and Terrano (Refosco d’Istria). These are the varieties native to Friuli Venezia Giulia: the wines of the territory embodying the substance beneath the figures mentioned here, but also wines of outstanding quality made from the finest international white varieties, which have found the perfect home here in this privileged corner of Enotria.
 
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