Food

DOC Collio: border wines

vespa_in_vigna
Written by EFW Staff

Collio territory and its great wines

collio1

Collio is the most eastern edge of the North of Italy, on the border with Slovenia and it has always been a cross of culture, languages and traditions that influenced the lifestyle of the population and the food and wine tradition of the place.
This area is the beating heart of the wine culture of Friuli Venezia Giulia with a sequence of small villages and around 1500 hectares of vineyards addressed to the production of 6,5 millions of bottles per year. It was declared DOC in 1968 and now the territory of Collio is fighting for the recognition as DOCG area (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to better safeguard the wine produced in the area and to bring in the table of the consumers a product controlled and guaranteed.

Collio: terroir

DOC Collio has the shape of a half moon and it goes from east to west in Friuli Venezia Giulia, involving more than 10 municipalities of Friuli between 120 and 250 meters a.s.l. Its terroir was born from the fusion between the soil and the climate where the vines grows: on one side, thus, the soil, is made of the so-called “ponca”, a sandstone marl with thousand-years-old layers, rich in mineral salts and microelements; on the other side the climate, mild, typical of the Adriatic sea and then the wind, Bora that decrease the level of humidity enhancing the ripening of the grapes.

Areas of DOC Collio

mappa_sturm_1280_minerality_ok

Gorizia: city rich in history and art, along the border with Slovenia, which architecture of the historical centre is characterized by the passage in the past of diverse population and cultures.

Oslavia: small historical centre, known for its war memorial where the bones of the dead in the First World War are hosted.

San Floriano del Collio: on the top of the hill with the same name, the city dominates as important wine centre.

Plessiva: quiet municipality among the hills with the famous Wood of Plessiva, a well-equipped park with paths and refreshment areas.

Ruttars: famous for its sheltered castles and medieval towers.

Dolegna del Collio: appreciated for its historical and literary heritage, here, in fact P. Zorutti was born, one of the major writers of Friuli.

Brazzano: it marked in the past the border between Italy and Austria

Cormons: medieval town, beating heart of the DOC Collio

Capriva: famous for the Castle of Spessa (1881) and Villa Russiz (1869) in Windsor style.

Mossa: it has ancient origins with relics that can be dated back to the Neolithic period and it is surrounded by lakes and flourishing nature.

Lucinico: popular for its trattoria and excellent food and wine shops.

Farra d’Isonzo: it is the last end of the DOC Collio, famous for its astronomical observatory.

Wines of Collio

vino-620x400

The favourable climate and the soil rich in substances allow the concentration of nutritive elements inside the grape, like sugars, pigments and aromatic substances. Specialized in white wines, in this area we can find Chardonnay wines, Malvasia, Müller Thürgau, Picolit, Pinot Blanche, Pinot Gris, Ribolla Gialla, Riesling, Riesling italico, Sauvignon, Tocai Friulano and Traminer. They are fresh wines, dry and aromatic, thanks to the white vinification.

Red wines, soft and elegant, they enclose Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot e Pinot Noir.

Immagine source: www.acinoparlante.it, www.sturm.it

About the author

EFW Staff