FRIULANO & PINOT GRIGIO
FRIULANO-
In the far northeast of Italy lies the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Slovenia is the eastern border and Austria on the north. The Alps separate Friuli from Austria and the Adriatic Sea lies to the south. There is a good amount of mountains and coastline!
This region produced 24.5 million cases of wine in 2022 from 70,400 acres of vines. Of that production, 86% of it was white wine. Pinot Grigio, Prosecco being the top wines. More on that later.
Friulano or also known as Tocai Friulano, is a grape that plays second fiddle to Pinot Grigio in this region. It has many aliases from Sauvignonesse to Sauvignon Vert.
Originally it was Tocai. In 2007 the EU forced them change the name because it could be confused with the Hungarian wine Tokaji. Any wine exported must have Friulano on the label.
Friulano can be compared to Sauvignon blanc but they are not identical.
Friulano is a bit more floral, softer, and leans toward more white peach than citrus.
There still is some acid in the wine but more mellow.
Generally, they are lighter to medium bodied wines depending on the producer.
There are few aging requirements, if any, and that is up to the individual DOC’s.
There is quite a bit of diversity of grapes grown in this region. Friulano is a bigger influence in the region.
Friulano is great alternative to Pinot Grigio. Of course, there is far more Pinot Grigio in the marketplace than Friulano. I feel a quality Friulano can be very enjoyable.
One word to keep in mind is Bianco! This is a mix of the approved grape varieties for that DOC, DOCG, or IGP. There is a pretty good chance that any Bianco from Friuli Venezia Giulia probably has a good percentage of Friulano in the mix. That is why it is one of the primary grapes of the region.
Food Pairing:
Excellent with most fish in lighter sauces, or cream sauces. Great with poultry, be it baked, grilled or fried. Also handy with appetizers! Does it require food, no, but the acid in it does add to the flavors of many foods.
PINOT GRIGIO-
Pinot Grigio is the most exported wine from Italy.
Most of the production is from the northeastern part of Italy; Trentino, Veneto, & Fruili-Venezia Giulia.
Yes, they do grow Pinot Grigio in Sicily but the wines I have had from there seemed lackluster compared to the northern regions.
Perhaps the wine snob in me is coming out and I am not being objective.
Pinot Grigio grapes are pink in color. The wine is usually made by not having the juice contact the skins which is why it is clear or pale golden.
If you see a Pinot Grigio that is pink in the glass or bottle, it is made with the skins in contact with the juice of the grape for a period of time.
This contact of skins to the juice is creating quite a stir in the industry. They call white grapes that have skin contact with the juice, “orange wine”. They are not orange in color or flavor.
Normally, white grapes are pressed without contact with the juice. Skins provide color, tannins, and more flavor. It is different from what is commonly done for years.
Pinot Gris is the same grape as Pinot Grigio.
The Gris is the French word, Grigio is the Italian word.
Stylistically, they are different with the Gris from France being not as bright or crisp as the Italian Grigio. Same flavors, just a different presentation.
Delle Venezie DOC is a unique situation to DOC boundaries.
The boundaries of this DOC are the entire regions of Veneto & Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as the Trentino side of Trentino-Aldo Adige.
Over 18 million cases of wine are produced in this area with 95% of being exported. The main grape varietal?
Yes, Pinot Grigio!
This a very large DOC boundary, which has other DOC’s & DOCG’s within these boundaries and it incorporates 3 individual regions.
That is a great collaboration of governments for the overall good of the wine producing industry.
The Friuli Colli Orientali DOC is one of the sub-regions that produces ample quantities of quality wines.
Friulano and Pinot Grigio are just two of the many varietals produced in the area. This region alone produces 722,000 cases of wine.
The region does produce red wines but most of the production is white wine.
You can be assured that Pinot Grigio from this region is bright, medium-bodied, and full flavored.
A moderately one-dimensional wine with good character.
Hot days and cool nights in these elevated areas are great for growing well-developed grapes.
Another reason why Pinot Grigio is so popular and tasty!
The downside of Pinot Grigio is the popularity of it causes some wineries to scrimp on quality to fulfill the demand (quantity).
Mass produced wines are generally lower in cost. I feel in the wine industry, you generally get what you pay for.
Granted some wineries are living off a reputation created from the past, but that exists in almost every business or industry.
Pinot Grigio is the quintessential crowd-pleasing wine.
It is hard to go wrong with Pinot Grigio at any gathering. It isn’t too sweet and not very dry. It is refreshing, food friendly, and light enough to have another glass.
Most of the time, the wine is styled the same from producer to producer. There isn’t any use for oak aging as the wine is meant to be consumed now and not put away in the cellar for a few years. Drink them now and enjoy the easy-going white wine.
