Collio

Authentic Friuli is never D.O.C. It’s the secret dawn knocking behind the Julian Alps from the balcony of Palavierte, above Zuglio. It’s the Tagliamento thundering beneath the stars between Pinzano and the mountain of Ragogna. The expanse of spring waters between Bugnins and Ariis. The emerald-colored roofs of Pesàriis. The bike cresting over Passo Puro, revealing the trigonometry of the bell towers.

— Paolo Rumiz

THE TERRITORY

At the far eastern edge of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in the province of Gorizia and right on the border with Slovenia, the Collio is one of Italy’s most renowned wine regions: a Controlled Designation of Origin (DOC) since 1968, among the first in the country to earn the status. From the hills of San Floriano del Collio and Oslavia above Gorizia to those of Cormons, Capriva, Mossa, Dolegna del Collio, Ruttars, Lonzano and Vencò on the banks of the Judrio — once the border between Italy and Austria — stretches an enchanting landscape of rolling hills, villages and vineyards, covering about 1,600 hectares.

THE PONCA, THE SOUL OF COLLIO

The character of Collio wines is born of the ponca: the Eocene marl and sandstone that make up these hills. A crumbly, mineral-rich soil that erodes and renews season after season, giving the wines the salinity, freshness and mineral tension that make them recognizable in the glass.

THE WINES OF COLLIO

The Collio is a land of great white wines. Friulano — the historic Tocai — is its symbol, alongside Ribolla Gialla, native and vertical, Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Malvasia. The Collio Bianco DOC is often a blend that tells the whole hillside in a single wine.

But the Collio is also red wine: Collio Rosso DOC, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon find elegance and finesse here on the ponca. The red wine of the Friulian Collio is measured in body, with fine tannins, far from muscular interpretations.

THE WINERIES OF COLLIO

The wineries of the Collio selected by #cerchiorosso — who makes the wines, where they are born, what to taste. Below you’ll find each winery with its wines; open a producer to explore its labels, or go to its page for the full story and upcoming tastings.

GASTRONOMY

The gastronomic excellences selected by #cerchiorosso for an even more immersive experience in the territory. Typical and artisanal products, organic and Slow Food, to accompany your wines!

Alimentari Tomadin

Born in the 1980s, when Marisa Tomadin took over the grocery shop of the Cormons Agricultural Cooperative, Alimentari Tomadin has been promoting the typical products of Collio and regional and national gastronomic excellence with passion and enthusiasm for more than thirty years.

Ristorante Rò

Our table is set to be shared with others, and the chef is the translator who accompanies guests through the meaning of the food that covers it. We start from what our land offers to arrive at an experience that reflects our territory.