''Collio Goriziano'' (sometimes designated simply as ''Collio'' or ''Collio DOC'') is an

Italian wine Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted fo ...

and winemaking region in northeast

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located in the northernmost part of the

Province of Gorizia The Province of Gorizia ( it, Provincia di Gorizia, fur, Provincie di Gurize; sl, Goriška pokrajina) was a province in the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region of Italy, which was disbanded on 30 September 2017. Overview Its capital was th ...

, in the Italian part of the

Gorizia Hills The Gorizia Hills ( it, Collio Goriziano or ''Collio''; sl, Goriška brda or ''Brda''; fur, Cuei) is a hilly microregion in western Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies on the right bank of the Soča (''Isonzo'') river, north of the Ita ...

, which extend to neighboring

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. It has been recognized with the official the status of ''

DOC DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: In film and television * ''Doc'' (2001 TV series), a 2001–2004 PAX series * ''Doc'' (1975 TV series), a 1975–1976 CBS sitcom * "D.O.C." (''Lost''), a television episode * ''Doc'' (film), a 1971 Wester ...

''. ''Colli Goriziano'' predominantly produces white

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

s with Friulano,

Ribolla Gialla Ribolla Gialla (also known as Ribolla, in Slovenian: Rumena rebula, in Croatian: Jarbola) is a white wine grape grown most prominently in the Friuli region of northeast Italy. The grape is also found in Slovenia where it is known as Rebula. In F ...

, Malvasia Istriana, Chardonnay, Pinot bianco,

Pinot grigio Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gra ...

, and Sauvignon blanc being the leading

varietal A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...

s. Red wine is also produced under the ''Collio Rosso'' designation and is usually a blend of Merlot, Cabernet franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.M. Ewing-Mulligan & E. McCarthy ''Italian Wines for Dummies'' pg 132-140 Hungry Minds 2001 The name ''"Collio"'' is taken from the

word ''colli'' which means hillsides and describes the terrain of the ''Collio Goriziano'' region. The ''Collio'' extends from the Judrio river in the west, where it borders the '' Colli Orientali del Friuli'' DOC, to the Slovenian border on the east. To the south, it is bordered by the ''Isonzo del Friuli'' DOC. Most of the region's vineyards are centered on the ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of

Cormons Cormons or Cormòns ( sl, Krmin, german: Kremaun) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about west of Gorizia, on the border with Slovenia. Cormons borders the f ...

. The

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debri ...

of the region is composed of

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

marl and

flysch Flysch () is a sequence of sedimentary rock layers that progress from deep-water and turbidity flow deposits to shallow-water shales and sandstones. It is deposited when a deep basin forms rapidly on the continental side of a mountain building epi ...

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

. The 4th largest DOC in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia in terms of areas planted, it is also the 4th leading producer in terms of volume, trailing the ''Friuli Grave'', ''Isonzo'' and '' Colli Orientali del Friuli'' region in production. Over 85% of the ''Collio'' production is in white wine

grape varieties This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...

. While still low in comparison to the rest of Italy, the yields in the ''Collio Goriziano'' are higher than the 3.5

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

s an acre average of the ''Friuli-Venezia Giulia''. In the ''Collio'', the yields average around 4.4 tons/acre (77

hectolitre The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3). ...

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

) though some quality conscious producers have lower yields.J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 187 Oxford University Press 2006 Winemaker Mario Schiopetto was one of the first to incorporate German wine-making techniques like cold fermentation to white wine production in the ''Collio Goriziano''. Today, winemaking on the region is very technologically advanced with refrigerated fermentation tanks, pneumatic

wine press A winepress is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during wine making. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts contro ...

es, and centrifugal bottling systems. The objective of most ''Collio Goriziano'' winemakers is to maximize the fresh fruit and pure varietal characteristic of the grape. To that extent,

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

influence is not widely used in this region though some winemaking are experimenting with its use and different blends of grape varieties to produce more

complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

wine.

References

{{coord, 45, 59, 11, N, 13, 29, 33, E, region:IT-36_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Italian DOC Wine regions of Italy Geography of Friuli-Venezia Giulia