Beyond just whites: Colli Orientali is crafting thrilling reds from Friuli’s native varieties

Mention Friuli and most wine lovers immediately think of white wine. Yet, in Colli Orientali, there is a flourishing production of some of the most fascinating native reds in Italy's northeast.

The Colli Orientali (‘Eastern Hills’) of Friuli is the natural geographical extension of the Collio DOC, separated only by an administrative boundary.

While Collio lies in the province of Gorizia, Colli Orientali belongs to Udine.

The two regions share a great deal: predominantly hilly terrain, similar elevations, and the same calcareous marl soil locally known as ponca. They also share the white grape varieties that made Friuli famous.

What truly sets the Colli Orientali apart, however, is red wine. While a marginal presence in Collio, red wine accounts for around a quarter of the Colli Orientali DOC production, according to the Consorzio Tutela Vini Friuli Colli Orientali.

More significantly, while Collio lacks its own local red varieties, Colli Orientali boasts a trio of native red grapes that are vital to its terroir: ageable Pignolo, dark and fruity Refosco, and dry, spicy Schioppettino.

Refosco: The late-ripening survivor

Refosco is not a single variety, but rather a family with at least half a dozen members in the Colli Orientali alone.

Historical references date back to the 18th century, though the generic use of the name makes its exact lineage uncertain.

Peduncolo Rosso

Today, the most widely planted iteration is Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso, named for its unusually red stems. This vigorous, thick-skinned variety is late-ripening and demands abundant sunshine.

While under-ripe versions can suffer from dominant acidity and harsh tannins, it is currently thriving thanks to a string of warm vintages.

When it succeeds, the variety boasts a bright, deep ruby-violet colour, vibrant cherry and raspberry fruit, and a vigorous mid-weight palate.

Because it can suffer from reduction if aged solely in stainless steel, judicious barrel-ageing is highly recommended.

Nostrano

A lesser-known family member, Refosco Nostrano, shares only a name with Peduncolo Rosso.

It is an entirely different variety, yielding highly attractive wines with less rugged tannins and greater finesse.

The DOC even includes a sub-denomination, Refosco di Faedis, dedicated to Nostrano wines from this specific village.

Schioppettino

Extensively grown in the upper Judrio valley until World War I, Schioppettino subsequently vanished, likely due to its delicate nature, irregular flowering, and susceptibility to disease.

In 1977, pioneering wine writer Mario Soldati reported finding only three or four remaining producers making wine from this variety.

Paolo Rapuzzi of the Ronchi di Cialla estate is widely credited with saving Schioppettino from extinction.

He perilously planted an unauthorised vineyard from old vine cuttings, risking government mandated grubbing-up.

Fortunately, the vines survived, and Schioppettino entered the national grape register the same year Soldati visited.

Highly site-specific, Schioppettino rarely travels outside the village of Albana and the neighbouring Prepotto, which boasts its own DOC sub-zone.

Like Refosco, it ripens late and retains high natural acidity, but features much more refined tannins.

The wines pour a pale ruby colour, offering dark berry fruit on the nose and a mid-weight palate that finishes with distinctive peppery spice.

Approachable in its youth, it acquires a silky elegance with age that distinctly recalls mature Pinot Noir.

Among the region's native grapes, it has made the most significant strides in both volume and quality in recent years.

Pignolo

Wine writer Ben Little famously subtitled his book on Pignolo ‘Cultivating the Invisible’ (self published in 2021). It perfectly captures the paradox of this grape: despite being grown by around 60 producers, it accounted for a mere 44 hectares in the 2024 Colli Orientali vineyard register.

Rescued from obscurity around the same time as Schioppettino, Pignolo's trajectory has been slower.

Once highly regarded in historical texts, it lost ground by the mid-20th century and practically vanished by the 1950s, until it was rediscovered close to the Rosazzo abbey, where a few surviving vines remained.

Pignolo is notoriously complicated to grow: it suffers from low, irregular yields, is prone to disease, and is incredibly fussy about its site due to its late-ripening nature.

The resulting wine is equally uncompromising, possessing high acidity, potentially high alcohol, and – thanks to small bunches and thick-skinned berries – a massive concentration of tannins, comparable to Sagrantino.

The plus side of this structural intensity is that Pignolo has a prodigious capacity for ageing.

The DOC mandates a minimum of three years, at which point the wine typically displays dark berry fruit and a dense, tactile palate.

It starts to come to life after five or six years, and at eight to 10 years I have tasted fascinating examples of complex, mature wines of classic stature.

The road ahead for Colli Orientali’s native red grapes

Two decades ago, red grapes made up 40% of Colli Orientali's surface area, led predominantly by Merlot.

While red wine may not easily regain that kind of volume, producers nevertheless feel that a renaissance of kinds is underway.

Interestingly, this new momentum is not driven by the former champion, Merlot, but by the distinctive, characterful native grapes of the region.

Watch this space!

12 wines to highlight Colli Orientali's red potential

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