From the hills of Collio, on the eastern edge of Friuli Venezia Giulia against the Slovenian border, Venica & Venica farms Friulano on sites the estate calls ronchi — steep, terraced slopes that catch the sun and drain fast. The 2022 vintage gives a dry white of real weight: 14% alcohol, high acidity, and a texture that holds both together without either one winning.
- Friulano, the grape once known as Tocai Friulano.
- Collio DOC, Friuli Venezia Giulia, north-east Italy.
- 2022 vintage, 14% alcohol, dry.
- Medium body, high acidity, low tannin.
- Almond, citrus peel, white peach, saline minerality, bitter herbs.
How it is made
Friulano is a thin-skinned, aromatic white that ripens early and loses acidity fast if picked late, so timing matters more than anything else in the cellar. Collio's marl and sandstone hills, packed tight against the border, give the grape its shape: a wine with the flesh of a white and the grip of something more serious.
How it tastes
Sunny yellow with golden edges. The nose runs to almond and white peach, then citrus peel and a saline streak that pulls everything tight. On the palate it is structured and broad but cut through by high acidity, finishing on bitter herbs — the classic Friulano signature, that faintly bitter almond note that arrives at the very end and stays.
Good to know
The grape was called Tocai Friulano for centuries until a 2007 EU ruling forced the name to be dropped, to avoid confusion with Hungarian Tokaji. Friulano is now the official name everywhere. Collio DOC is one of Italy's smallest and most densely planted appellations, and Friulano is one of its two flagship whites, alongside Ribolla Gialla.
