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filari collina

The territory and the DOC areas

Friuli Venezia Giulia is a patchwork of vineyards. The climate rules out the mountainous areas, as they are unsuitable for the vine. The region currently counts nine recognised Controlled Denominations of Origin and one Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin (DOCG), Ramandolo, in the Udine province. The province of Friuli encompasses the Colli Orientali del Friuli (with its Cialla and Rosazzo sub-zones), Annia, Aquileia, Latisana and shares the Grave denomination with Pordenone. The province of Gorizia is home to Collio, Isonzo and the upper reaches of the Carso area as it extends into the Trieste province. The region also counts two Typical Geographical Indications (The IGT indications ‘Venezie’ and ‘Venezia Giulia’), which are worthy of note despite representing wines of inferior quality and price than DOC denominations.
This is the geography of wine in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, but it is what it is solely thanks to the physical origins of the land itself. Approximately 100 million years ago, the Friuli plain was a vast expanse of water extending up to the Alps. In a slow process of accumulation, lasting millions of years, the rivers deposited the by-products of erosion, sand and clay, as sediments along the coastlines. The tectonic thrust of the African continent lifted these sediments out of the sea to create hills of marl (calcareous clay) alternating with strata of sandstone (calcified sand). This process created the geology of the “Ramandolo dei Colli Orientali” and the “Collio Goriziano” areas.
Further south, the plain remained marshy. Approximately one million years ago, these marshes were covered by glaciers which, as they moved, sculpted the hills, carrying with them enormous quantities of gravel and detritus towards the sea. These now form the typical soils of the Grave del Friuli and the Isonzo DOC areas, as well as forming the banks of the rivers Tagliamento, Meduna, Cellina and the Isonzo itself.
Even further south, at the outermost limit of the Quaternary glaciers, the gravels are replaced by silts, clays and sands. The waters, flowing unseen through the substrata of gravel, meet an impermeable barrier here and emerge along the ‘spring line’. To the south of this boundary are the Friuli Aquileia and Friuli Latisana DOC areas, separated by a recently reclaimed strip of land, which has enjoyed protected status since 1995 under the name Friuli Annia. While the portion of the Carso DOC area in the Gorizia province is similar to Collio, the “red soils” of the Carso Triestino are a completely different entity. These are red as a result of the solubilisation of the calcium carbonate making up the rock, which contains iron rich, and therefore red, clays.
The wide variety of microclimate and soil types is complemented by perfect conditions for the vine and winemaking, with the mountains providing shelter from the cold northern winds and the mitigating effect of the Adriatic. The coordinated actions of the climate and terrain confer to create wines that stand out for alcohol content and colour in the warmer areas, acidity and bouquet in the cooler areas, and greater structure and fuller body in the dryer areas.
 
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