Page 126 - GV2020 Portfolio Master

FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA &
SLOVENIA
The compact little area of Friuli-Venezia Giulia is
tucked up in the corner of Italy and Slovenia, but has
and continues to lead the way in Italian white wine
production. Before it became part of Italy, the area was
part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bordered by
Slovinia on the east, Austria to the north and the Adriatic
Sea to the south, much of the region is mountainous,
with cool breezes from the Julian Alps mingling with
mild sea breezes from the Adriatic.
It was the late Mario Schiopetto who first introduced
stainless-steel to the Italian wine world, implementing
his drastic change back in the 70’s. Since then, Friulians
have paved the way for most modern wine-making in
Italy, and have also led the charge in the encouraging
tendency to revive ancient varieties. Friuli has only one
DOCG (Ramandolo) but has two excellent DOC zones –
Collio Goriziano, or simply Collio, and Colli Orientali
del Friuli, two areas adjacent and sharing borders with
Slovenia.
The Collio DOC (“Collio” means “hillsides”) is the
narrow, hilly borderland closest to Slovenia, wedged
between sea and mountains, with some of the most
favorable conditions for winegrowing in Italy. Here,
along with neighboring Goriska Brda in Slovenia, the
soil is a particular type of marl known as “ponca,”
which is clay that is rich in limestone and sandstone; it
has proven to be excellent for vines, providing minerals
that enhance the aromatics of the wines. The
microclimate of the area, combined with the ideal soil
composition and south-facing hillsides interlaced with
terraced vineyards, make Collio a unique terroir for the
production of extraordinary wines.
Our Slovenian producers take the Friulian wines to a
different level, extracting greater fruit and body enough
to withstand, and benefit, from barrel ageing.

Attems
There is documentation that
confirms ownership of land
dedicated to viticulture in Collio
by the Attems dynasty dating as
far back as 1106, whereas the Attems
production of Ribolla Gialla and vintus.com
Refosco can be seen listed in the Attems Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $203.90
1764 general ledgers. Attems Pinot Grigio 2018 $203.90
Count Douglas Attems helped 90 JS
found the Consorzio dei Vini del Attems Pinot Grigio Ramato 2018 $203.90 90 JS
Collio (Collio Wine Consortium)
in 1964 . It was – in chronological
terms – the third to have been
founded in Italy and the first in
the Friuli region. Since 2000
Attems has been the property of
the Frescobaldi family. Fantinel augustwinegroup.com
Borgo Tesis Pinot Grigio 2017 $143.90
Fantinel
Fantinel winery was born from
the passion of Mario Fantinel, a Tenuta Sant’Helena Collio Pinot Grigio 2017 $203.90
well-known restaurateur in Friuli
Venezia Giulia, who in 1969
purchased the first vineyards to Borgo Tesis Ribolla Gialla 2017 $225.90
raise the standard of the products Borgo Tesis Chardonnay 2017 $167.90
offered to his customers.
Nowadays, with the third
generation has become an Borgo Tesis Refosco dal Peduncolo 2016 $203.90
internationally prestigious Borgo Tesis Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
company. $167.90

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