Wine has been grown in Friuli since the days of the Romans and it has been influenced through the ages by the Romans, the Celts, the Furlani and the Illyrians. Kingdoms came and went and when the Goths, the Lombards, the Carolingian and the Frankish rulers finally left, it heralded the beginnig of hundreds of years of discord between the Habsburgs and Venice.  Under the Hapsburgs, Trieste served as a distribution point of imports and despite the Viennese built a majestic cultural centre that rivalled the finest in Europe. The merchants of Trieste understood the significance as a strategic port for Central Europe and created

huge trade centres to facilitate transhipments, imports and exports. Today Friuli is more tranquil and a haven of agriculture and tourism. After the disasterous phylloxera tragedy, winemaking in the Friuli region was quiet and very little happened until Mussolini saw the possibilities for viticulture and began settling Sardinians to inspire it and today, local descendants of the Sardinians are are still heavily involved. In 1970 viticulture flared up again and the fascination with Pinto Grigio in the 80’s and 90’s changed the dynamics of winemaking so dramatically that winemaking has become very successful in the region. The vineyards of Collio are owned and run by the winegrowers of Friuli and Slovenia and there are large estates on both sides of the border. The region is beautiful chiefly because masses of tourists have not yet managed to destroy the area or ruthless developers allowed to feed their greed. The climate is ideal for viticulture and a number of grape varieties are cultivated – both local and imported. Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc have made their marks and enjoyed by discerning wine lovers the world over.

The Merlot was  planted right after the phylloxera disaste and much attention is given to the  Schippettino, Refosco, Pignolo and Tazzelenghe from whence they made some really powerful and very individual wines.  Ribolla Gialla has become very well known and the sweet wines from Picolit and Verduzzo are the specialisties of the region  Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Riesling and Muller-Thurgau are commonly planted today and exported, but the local varieties are fast gaining popularity (Tocai Friulano, Picolit, Verduzzo, Malvasia Istriana, Refosco, Pignolo, Schiopettino and Terano) and these grapes seem be more suited to the terroir than the imports. White Friulan wines exude apple and pear aromas, are light to medium-bodied, brilliant, acid-driven, balanced and complement local specialties, pasta with seafood, risottos, pizzas, fish, shellfish and crustaceans, they are meant to be enjoyed within a few years of harvest except for the Picolit which is a unique, sweet wine with an incomparable floral aroma and refined texture. It is produced in small quantities and seldom exported as locals and Italians in general buy them as soon as the vintage becomes available. Friulan reds are light and fruity, more resembling Beaujolais in style than other Italian wines and should be enjoyed for that they are; well-made, acid-driven, medium-bodied wines, particularly suited for cold cuts, pork dishes, roast turkey, semi-soft cheeses, pastas with meat sauces and pizzas.  Cabernet Franc,  Merlot and Refosco are the most poplar and successful

TAJUT

The time honoured cutom of tajut or cajut is one of the oldest drinking habits in Friuli – when two friends meet on the street, one stands the other a glass of wine and the recipient must respond by buying another glass of wine. Considering that in the small villages of Friuli, friends can see one another quite a few times in aday which means that many would arrive home quite trashed – were it not for the tiny glasses in which wine are served, to prevent exactly that!