Why Collio is poised to regain its place among Italy’s best white wines

Collio, a strip of land in the far northeastern corner of Italy, a border area, a crossroads of peoples, cultures, history and languages.

Sometimes referred to as Collio Goriziano after its main city, Gorizia, but usually simply called, Collio (and not to be confused with Colli Orientali del Friuli), the region is a key DOC within the broader area of Friuli-Venezia Giuli, and one of Italy’s easternmost wine regions.

Termed the ‘Gorizia garden’ because the producers treat the vineyards as they would their own gardens, Collio is a crescent-shaped hilly area located between the Adriatic Sea to the south and the Julian Alps to the north; bounded by the river Judrio to the west and the Isonzo to the east, with its northern edge comprising the border with Slovenia.

It enjoys an ideal microclimate in terms of ventilation and temperature range, with warm weather influences arising from the Adriatic and the Alps protect from colder weather intruding from the north.

Summers are not too scorchingly hot, nor are winters too bitterly cold.

The area also has a particular soil type: a marly-arenaceous flysch, known locally as ponca. This alternation of sandstone and marl gives the wines their unmistakable characteristics: notable sapidity, structure, freshness and longevity.

A land of white wines

The site of ferocious and bloody battles between the Italians and Austro-Hungarians during the First World War, today the peace and beauty of this unspoilt and authentic landscape is striking. There is no single-crop agriculture among these hills and the view stretches across rivers, mountains, pastures and woods.

The annual ‘Collio Evolution’ event – organised by the Collio producers’ consortium – is a tasting focused on the grape variety Friulano, the denomination’s native grape par excellence.

Collio is a land of white wines (and increasingly skin contact/orange wines as well), 89% of the production area is given over to white varieties.

Friulano is one of the standard bearers, but Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Ribolla Gialla and Malvasia Bianca are also widely planted. What few reds there are tend to be based around Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

While the region was pivotal in the popular rebirth of Italian white wines more than half a century ago, a subsequent downturn saw the denomination being overtaken by others.

However, Collio has everything it takes to regain its rightful place at the top of Italian white wines. Below are five examples made from Friulano that show what the region has to offer.

Collio: Five to try

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