Why You Need to Know About the Wines of Friuli

Wedged in the northeast corner of Italy with a firm embrace from Slovenia, the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia is hardly top-of-mind among American tourists. But among wine connoisseurs, that might be a different story. No other region in Italy yields more consistent excellence from white grape varieties than Friuli. But which grape is the star of the show? Ribolla Gialla? Friulano? Malvasia? Or maybe even the indigenous red grape Schioppettino? Or the international stars or Merlot? Sauvignon Blanc? Or even — gasp! — Pinot Grigio?

Here’s the thing: Friulian wine is an ensemble cast without a lead actor. And because of that, we can draw from its beautiful bounty year-round and never grow tired of it.

On Sunday, March 5* at 8pm EST / 5pm PST, we will tour Friuli’s viticultural heartland: the Collio DOC, and the adjacent the Friuli Colli Orientali DOC. I’ll share photos from my recent trip in November, introduce you to several key producers and their story, and lead a tasting of three wines.

*Please note: This class was originally announced in our email for February 25, but due to a family conflict we have rescheduled it for this later date.

This class is available only to subscribers of Opening a Bottle. A recorded version will be made available in the days following the class, but it will be behind the paywall.

Access this class by subscribing to Opening a Bottle for just $5/month

Get access to the Zoom credentials and the buyer’s guide to wines with our Study Guide.