Friuli Annia is a DOC of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine region in the far northeastern corner of Italy. The title covers a range of wine styles from the coastal vineyards around the Lugana di Marano. The presence of the lagoon, which is akin to a smaller version of the Gulf of Venice, is vital to the terroir here. It not only takes the heat out of summer afternoons and the frost out of winter mornings, but on an everyday level it reduces diurnal temperature variation.
The DOC is relatively recent, having been delimited in October 1995. This was, however, far from the start of viticulture in the area – archeological digs have unearthed ancient amphorae in the area, suggesting that wine has been made here since Roman times. In fact, the name Annia comes from an ancient Roman road between Aqualeia and Adria.
The red wines are mostly varietal, made from the key Bordeaux grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot) and the local Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso. The whites are just as common in varietal form, and are based on Friulano (Tai), Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Verduzzo, Traminer and Chardonnay. The DOC laws allow for rosato wines as well, and foaming spumante and semi-sparkling frizzante wines have been added to the appellation's portfolio in the past 10 years.
The presence of the lagoon has an important effect on the climate, and the region's sandy clay soils work in tandem to make an excellent winegrowing terroir. Alluvial in nature, the soils are composed of nutrient rich debris from the nearby Julian Alps, and have been deposited in the area over time. The mountains also provide some shelter from cold winds from the north.
The vineyards permitted to produce Friuli Annia wines are exclusively those in the communes of Carlino, San Giorgio di Nogaro, Marano Lagunare, Torviscosa, Castions di Strada, Porpetto, Bagnaria Arsa and Muzzana del Turgnano in the Udine province, Italy's easternmost province after Gorizia. The appellation is sandwiched by the long-established DOCs of Friuli Aquileia and Friuli Latisana.
