
The Gorizia Hills ( or ''Collio''; or ''Brda''; ) is a hilly
microregion in western
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
and northeastern
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. It lies on the right bank of the
Soča (''Isonzo'') River, north of the Italian town of
Gorizia
Gorizia (; ; , ; ; ) is a town and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, Region ...
, after which it is named. The region covers around and has about 7,000 inhabitants, mostly ethnic
Slovenes
The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( ), are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, Slovenian culture, culture, and History of Slove ...
, with a small number of
Friulian speakers in its westernmost part (in the municipality of
Dolegna del Collio).
Today, the majority of the region is in Slovenia, with around 60% of the territory and 80% of the inhabitants. The Slovene part of the Gorizia Hills lies entirely in the
Municipality of Brda. The Italian part lies within the boundaries of the
province of Gorizia, and it is divided among the municipalities of
San Floriano del Collio,
Cormons, and
Dolegna del Collio.
The region is predominately a white
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
producer with
Friulano,
Ribolla Gialla,
Malvasia Istriana,
Chardonnay,
Pinot bianco,
Pinot grigio, and
Sauvignon blanc being the leading
varietals. Red wine is produced under the ''Collio Rosso'' designation and is usually a blend of
Merlot,
Cabernet Franc, and
Cabernet Sauvignon.
[M. Ewing-Mulligan & E. McCarthy ''Italian Wines for Dummies'' pg 132-140 Hungry Minds 2001 ]
In Italy, the Gorizia Hills are designated ''
Denominazione di origine controllata
The following four classification of wine, classifications of wine constitute the Italy, Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine:
* ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; 'designation of origin');
* ''Indicazione ...
'' (DOC) and belong to the
Italian wine region of
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia () is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia has an area of and a ...
. The DOC is located in the
province of Gorizia, near the border with
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. Some
Slovene wine from the region of
Brda also carries the designation of ''Collio'' due to their vineyards overlapping across the
Italian border.
History
The history of the Gorizia Hills has been influenced by its close
Italian-
Friulian,
Slavic, and
Austro-Hungarian ties. Historically part of the
Patria del Friuli, then later the
County of Gorizia, it was annexed to the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
after the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the majority of the region became part of
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
, and only a small strip of territory between the villages of
San Floriano del Collio and
Dolegna del Collio remained in Italy. The boundaries of the traditional wine region thus extended further eastward into what is now
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
. In the 1970s, the ''Collio Goriziano'' was one of the Italy's leading white wine producers and was a pioneer in producing fresher, more vibrant white wines using winemaking methodology that focused on minimizing
skin contact and
oxidation
Redox ( , , reduction–oxidation or oxidation–reduction) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of the reactants change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is ...
.
[J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 187 Oxford University Press 2006 ]
Geography
The name ''Collio'' is taken from the
Italian word ''Colli'', which means 'hillsides' and describes the terrain of the ''Collio Goriziano'' region. The Slovene name ''Brda'' has the same meaning.
The Gorizia Hills extend from the
Judrio River in the west, where it borders the
Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC, to the Slovene border on the east. The region continues into Slovenia, where it is entirely included in the
Municipality of Brda, which extends from the Italian border to the
Soča (Isonzo) River.
To the south is the
Isonzo del Friuli DOC, also in the province of Gorizia. Most of the region's vineyards are centered on the ''
comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' of
Cormons. The
soil
Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...
of the region is composed of
calcareous marl and
flysch sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
.
Viticulture and winemaking
The ''Collio Goriziano'' is the fourth-largest DOC in the
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia () is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia has an area of and a ...
in terms of areas planted. It is also the fourth-leading producer in terms of volume, trailing the
Friuli Grave, Isonzo, and Colli Orientali del Friuli region in production. Over 85% of the ''Collio'' production is in white wine
grape varieties. While still low in comparison to the rest of Italy, the
yields in the ''Collio Goriziano'' are higher than the 3.5
tons per
acre
The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
average of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In the ''Collio'', the yields average around 4.4 tons/acre (77
hectolitres/
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
), although some quality-conscious producers have lower yields.
The winemaker
Mario Schiopetto was one of the first to incorporate
German/
Austrian winemaking techniques like
cold fermentation into white wine production in the ''Collio Goriziano''. Today, winemaking in the region is very technologically advanced, with refrigerated fermentation tanks,
pneumatic winepresses, and
centrifugation bottling systems. The objective of most Gorizia Hills winemakers is to maximize the fresh fruit and pure varietal characteristic of the grape. To that extent,
oak influence is not widely used in this region, although some winemakers are experimenting with its use and different blends of grape varieties to produce more
complex wine.
See also
*
Uskok War
References
{{Authority control
Landforms of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Hills in the Slovene Littoral
Hills of Italy