Collio Goriziano (often just Collio) is a wine DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) covering the hills around Gorizia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in the far north-eastern corner of Italy. The area is particularly known for its complex, aromatic Collio Bianco, a white wine whose pronounced aroma and purity of fruit put this district firmly on the Italian wine map in the 1970s and 80s.
The reigning white-wine grapes here are Friulano, Pinot Grigio and (more recently) Sauvignon Blanc. Although less common, other notable whites are those made from Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Bianca, Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco.
The area's red Collio Rosso wines are typically made from the Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. These are stylistically similar to the red wines from Chinon and Saumur in the Loire Valley, and are marked by the under-ripe 'green' notes also found in cool-vintage red Bordeaux.
The official Collio wine-growing zone curves in a banana-like shape around the international border with Slovenia. This is almost as far east as Italy's wine lands go; only Carso lies further to the east. This area became a permanent part of Italy only when it was annexed in 1918, just after World War I, and during its history has been part of both the Venetian Republic and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As a result, the local wines (including those of Collio's neighboring DOCs, Isonzo del Friuli and Colli Orientali del Friuli) show Slavic and Germanic traits as well as Italian.
Friuli is a complex patchwork of climate types, the result of several distinct geographical features. The most obvious of these are the Adriatic Sea to the south, the Alps to the north and the Friulian Plain in-between. The climate on the coastal plains is classified as 'humid sub-Mediterranean', while that up in the hills is much more continental, and in the mountains it becomes decidedly alpine. The climate around Gorizia is the complex result of these contrasting mesoclimates, and is of course influenced by the collio (hills) themselves, although at a much more localized level.
The Julian Alps (the Giulia in Friuli-Venezia Giulia) are the most visible factor to influence the region's climate. They provide a vast natural barrier against the cold winds that would otherwise blow southwards across the continent, from Germany and Austria. They increase rainfall significantly, however, by trapping moist air as it rises up from the Adriatic on warm summer days, creating short but dramatic rain storms (the Julian Prealps is the wettest area in all of Italy). While this has obvious drawbacks, it reduces drought risk to almost zero, even in the hottest of summers.
The Adriatic coast lies just 15 miles (25km) to the south of Gorizia. Its temperature-moderating effect removes the prickly heat from summer (with July averages of 75F / 24C) and makes winters slightly less bitter. It also plays an important part in creating the fresh breezes that blow northwards (towards the hills) on summer mornings and return southwards to the coast in the evening. These reduce the prevalence of fungal diseases, allowing healthy vine growth.
Because of the dramatic local topography, rainfall and cloud cover tend to be sporadic and intense rather than long-lasting. Storms are the exception in the otherwise bright, sunny climate that makes Collio's white wines quite so ripe and aromatically complex. At a more local level, the Collio Goriziano hills create subtle continental influences, with increased diurnal temperature variation. This means warm sunny days, which help to bring the grapes to optimal ripeness, and cool, fresh nights to help them retain their all-important acidity.
A few miles north of the Collio Goriziano, just the other side of the Colli Orientali, are the vineyards that produce Friuli's most distinctive wine, sweet white Ramandolo.
