The Colli Orientali del Friuli is a ''

Denominazione di origine controllata The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipi ...

'' (DOC) located in the

Italian wine Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted fo ...

region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The region is located in the province of Udine and is sub-divided into three main sections;

Ramandolo Ramandolo is a sweet white Italian wine from the village of the same name which is situated in the hills near Nimis in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine region of northeast Italy. It is made from a local variety of the Verduzzo grape. Since 2001, R ...

in the north, Cialla and

Corno di Rosazzo Corno di Rosazzo ( fur, Cuar di Rosacis) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about southeast of Udine. , it had a population of 3,313 and an ...

. The climate and soil is very similar to the neighboring DOC of Collio Goriziano and the two region share many winemaking similarities as well. The main distinction between the Colli Orientali del Friuli and Collio Goriziano lie in the increased red and

dessert wine Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines in the United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert. There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal ...

production of the Colli Orientali del Friuli. The region also includes within its boundaries the three ''

Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipi ...

'' (DOCG) of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia

and the two ''

passito Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but is a much older process and suitable for warm climates. The technique dates back ...

'' wine DOCGs of Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit and Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit-Cialla.M. Ewing-Mulligan & E. McCarthy: ''Italian Wines for Dummies'', pp. 132-140. Hungry Minds 2001 .

History

Viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...

has existed in the area since the time of the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. In 1866, during the

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

, the region was united with

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. In the 1970s, the white wines of the region began to receive international attention due to innovations in

winemaking Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...

techniques that produced fresher, more vibrant white wines. In the 1980s, winemakers in the Colli Orientali del Friuli focused on increasing the quality of their red wine production. Following in the footsteps of the " Super Tuscan" producers, Friuli winemakers decided to produce red wines outside of DOC regulations under the ''

vino da tavola Table wine (rarely abbreviated TW) is a wine term with two different meanings: a style of wine and a quality level within wine classification. In the United States, the term primarily designates a wine style: an ordinary wine which is not fortifi ...

'' designation. Fuller

bodied ''Bodied'' is a 2017 American battle rap comedy-drama film directed by Joseph Kahn. It was written by Alex Larsen and produced by Eminem, his manager Paul Rosenberg, and Adi Shankar. The film first premiered at the 2017 Toronto International ...

white wines made from Chardonnay and Pinot bianco

fermented Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

were also sold under ''vino da tavola'' to distinguish them from the crisp, lighter white wines that Colli Orientali del Friuli is typically associated with.J. Robinson (ed): ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'', Third Edition, p. 187. Oxford University Press 2006 .

Grapes and wine

The white wine production of the Colli Orientali del Friuli is dominated by the Friulano grape which accounts for nearly a third of the region's vineyard plantings. Other important white wine varieties include Sauvignon blanc,

Pinot grigio Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gra ...

Verduzzo Verduzzo (or Verduzzo Friulano) is a white Italian wine grape grown predominantly in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. It is also found in significant plantings in the Piave ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) of ...

, Pinot bianco and

Ribolla Gialla Ribolla Gialla (also known as Ribolla, in Slovenian: Rumena rebula, in Croatian: Jarbola) is a white wine grape grown most prominently in the Friuli region of northeast Italy. The grape is also found in Slovenia where it is known as Rebula. In F ...

. The

Picolit Picolit (also known as Piccolit and Piccolito) is a white Italian wine grape grown in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. The grape is allowed in the ''Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita'' (DOCG) wines of Colli Ori ...

grape is the primary grape for sweet wines and is the main grape behind two of the regions DOCGs. Red wines account for around 35% of the region's entire production and is centered on the towns of Buttrio,

Cividale del Friuli Cividale del Friuli ( fur, Cividât (locally ); german: Östrich; sl, Čedad) is a town and '' comune'' in the Province of Udine, part of the North-Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia ''regione''. The town lies above sea-level in the foothills of th ...

and Manzano. Merlot is the leading red wine variety followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot noir, Pignolo,

Refosco Refosco is a very old family of dark-skinned grape varieties native to the Venetian zone and neighbouring areas of Friuli, Gavi, Trentino, Istria, and Karst Plateau.

Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso is a red Italian wine grape grown predominantly in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. The grape is a variety in the Refosco family (which also includes e.g. Terrano) and derives its name from its re ...

and Schioppettino.

Other DOCs and DOCGs

In addition to the main Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC, there are two smaller DOCs centered on the sub-regions of Cialla and Corno di Rosazzo. The ''Colli Orientali del Friuli Cialla'' DOC is noted for its dry white wines and produces sweet and off dry wines from the Picolit and Verduzzo grapes. Dry red wines are produced in this region from the Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso and Schioppettino grapes. The ''Colli Orientali del Friuli Rosazzo'' DOC of Corno di Rosazzo is noted for its significant plantings of Ribolla Gialla which is believed to have originated in the region in the vineyard of the local

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The con ...

over 1000 years ago. Sweet wines made from the Picolit and dry wines from the Pignolo grapes are also common in this region. The dessert wines from the Picolit grape made in the ''passito'' style has two DOCG regions in the Colli Orientali del Friuli, the ''Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit-Cialla'' DOCG is centered on the commune of Cialla while the ''Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit'' DOCG encompasses most of the region.

References

{{coord missing, Italy Italian DOC Wine regions of Italy Geography of Friuli-Venezia Giulia