Merlot in Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Radikon ★ 4.9

Stanko Radikon began extended-skin-contact whites in 1995 at Oslavia, the year before Josko Gravner's parallel turn. His sons Sasa and Ivan have run the cellar since Stanko's 2016 death.

Tasting: Cellar visit by appointment at Tre Buchi with a vineyard walk through the Oslavia parcels, a walkthrough of the cellar's no-added-sulphur protocols and a flight of Ribolla, Oslavje and Jakot from current and back vintages. English available.

Signature wines: radikon-ribolla, radikon-oslavje, radikon-jakot, radikon-slatnik

Tip: Order any Radikon back-vintage from the cellar's calendar release list rather than the latest one; the family ships when it considers a wine ready, not on a default schedule.

La Castellada ★ 4.8

Bensa family cellar at Oslavia founded in 1985 by brothers Giorgio and Nicolò Bensa. Now run with the next generation Stefano and Matteo Bensa.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Oslavia by appointment with a vineyard walk on the ponca slopes shared with Gravner and Radikon, a flight of the Ribolla, Bianco della Castellada and Friulano in current and back vintages, and a tasting of the Rosso della Castellada when available.

Signature wines: la-castellada-ribolla, la-castellada-bianco-della-castellada, la-castellada-friulano, la-castellada-rosso-della-castellada

Tip: The Bianco della Castellada (Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon, Friulano, Ribolla) is the cellar's whole-Oslavia statement; ask for a vertical flight if the family has older vintages open.

Damijan Podversic ★ 4.7

Damijan Podversic established his own cellar in 1999 after years of working with Josko Gravner. The 12 hectares climb Monte Calvario above Gorizia city, sharing the ponca slope with the Oslavia houses.

Tasting: Cellar visit by appointment at Gorizia with a vineyard walk on the Monte Calvario parcels above the city and a flight of the Kaplja Bianco, Nekaj, Ribolla and Prelit Rosso from current and back vintages.

Signature wines: damijan-podversic-ribolla, damijan-podversic-kaplja, damijan-podversic-nekaj, damijan-podversic-prelit

Tip: The Kaplja Bianco (Friulano, Chardonnay, Malvasia Istriana) is the cellar's house white; pair it with prosciutto di San Daniele for the canonical Friulian table.

Russiz Superiore ★ 4.8

Acquired by Marco Felluga in 1967 as the higher-elevation contiguous extension of the Marco Felluga estate at Capriva del Friuli. The 65 hectares climb the south-facing ponca slope behind the Russiz palace, with parcels between 100 and 200 metres feeding the Col Disôre and single-cru Riserva bottlings. Roberto Felluga leads the operation today.

Tasting: Estate visit at the Russiz hilltop by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Collio parcels and a flight of the Friulano Riserva, Sauvignon Riserva and the Col Disôre Bianco. The Tavernetta al Castello restaurant nearby pairs estate wines with regional plates.

Signature wines: russiz-superiore-col-disore, russiz-superiore-friulano-riserva, russiz-superiore-sauvignon-riserva

Tip: Col Disôre (Friulano, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon, Ribolla Gialla) is the cellar's Collio bianco icon; ask for a back vintage if the cellar has one open.

Livio Felluga ★ 4.9

Founded in 1956 by Livio Felluga at Brazzano (Cormons), and now run by Livio's four children Maurizio, Filippo, Elda and Andrea Felluga. The estate farms approximately 165 hectares across the Colli Orientali, the Rosazzo ridge and the Collio. Terre Alte, the DOCG Rosazzo blend of Friulano, Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon, is the Friulian icon; the Picolit DOCG and the Sossó Refosco anchor the sweet and red ranges. The estate has been certified organic since the 2020s.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Brazzano by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Rosazzo and Brazzano parcels, a Terre Alte flight (the iconic DOCG Rosazzo blend) and a tasting of the Picolit DOCG when bottled. The Friuli wine resort on-site offers extended stays.

Signature wines: livio-felluga-terre-alte, livio-felluga-illivio, livio-felluga-friulano, livio-felluga-picolit, livio-felluga-sossó-refosco

Tip: The Friuli wine resort at the estate doubles as the visit base; book a vertical Terre Alte tasting paired with frico at the resort restaurant.

Borgo del Tiglio ★ 4.8

Nicola Manferrari took over the family cellar at Cormons in 1981 and rebuilt it into one of the Collio's most-cited reference estates for Friulano.

Tasting: Cellar visit at San Giorgio by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Cormons parcels and a flight of the Friulano, the Studio di Bianco (the cellar's whole-Collio statement) and back-vintage releases. Reservation required.

Signature wines: borgo-del-tiglio-friulano, borgo-del-tiglio-studio-di-bianco, borgo-del-tiglio-rosso-della-centa, borgo-del-tiglio-malvasia

Tip: The Studio di Bianco (Friulano, Sauvignon, Malvasia) is the cellar's anchor white; pair it with a slow-roasted pork shoulder from the Trattoria al Cacciatore at La Subida.

Ronco del Gnemiz ★ 4.7

Ronco del Gnemiz farms 12 hectares on the Colli Orientali ridge around San Giovanni al Natisone and Manzano, on ponca soils. Serena Palazzolo took over the family cellar in the late 2000s with consulting from Christian Patat (formerly of Miani) and has pushed the cellar toward parcel-level bottlings of Friulano and Chardonnay aged in large oak. The wines are bottled in small batches and released late.

Tasting: Cellar visit by appointment at San Giovanni al Natisone with a vineyard walk through the Ronco del Gnemiz parcels and a flight of the single-parcel Chardonnay, Friulano and the cellar's Riservas.

Signature wines: ronco-del-gnemiz-friulano, ronco-del-gnemiz-chardonnay-il-roccolo, ronco-del-gnemiz-sauvignon

Tip: The single-parcel Chardonnay Il Roccolo is the cellar's library cuvée; ask for a back-vintage tasting alongside the Friulano.

Ronco dei Tassi ★ 4.6

Fabio Coser founded the cellar in 1989 on the Bosco del Merlo parcel above Cormons, and now runs it with sons Matteo and Andrea. The 19 hectares on Collio ponca around the Monte locality feed the Fosarin Bianco (Friulano, Pinot Bianco, Malvasia) as the cellar's signature blend and the Cjarandon (Sauvignon, Friulano, Chardonnay) as a second whole-Collio expression.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Monte by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Bosco del Merlo parcels and a flight of the Fosarin Bianco, Cjarandon Bianco and Bosc dal Sef Rosso. Farmhouse rooms on-site for overnight stays.

Signature wines: ronco-dei-tassi-fosarin, ronco-dei-tassi-cjarandon, ronco-dei-tassi-bosc-dal-sef

Tip: The farmhouse rooms double as a Cormons base; book the Fosarin vertical with a half-day of Collio cellar visits.

Franco Toros ★ 4.7

Franco Toros has run the small Novali cellar above Cormons since 1970, and the 10 hectares on ponca produce small lots of varietal Collio wines that critics regularly rank among the appellation's most precise.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Novali by appointment with a vineyard walk through the small Collio parcels and a varietal Collio flight of Friulano, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon and the Merlot Riserva.

Signature wines: toros-friulano, toros-pinot-bianco, toros-sauvignon, toros-merlot

Tip: The Friulano is consistently among the appellation's most-cited; book the cellar early since the tasting room only holds 6.

Bastianich ★ 4.7

Founded in 1997 by Joseph Bastianich (the restaurateur and Lidia Bastianich's son) on Felluga-family advice, the Colli Orientali cellar at Cividale del Friuli farms 35 hectares between Cividale and Buttrio.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Cividale del Friuli by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Buttrio and Cividale parcels and a flight of the Vespa Bianco, Plus Friulano, Calabrone Rosso and Refosco. On-site farmhouse rooms and restaurant.

Signature wines: bastianich-vespa-bianco, bastianich-plus-friulano, bastianich-calabrone, bastianich-refosco

Tip: Book the on-site restaurant for a tasting menu paired with the cellar's range; the Vespa Bianco lands particularly well with the Friulian gnocchi de susini.

Miani ★ 4.8

Enzo Pontoni rebuilt his family's small Buttrio cellar from 1985 onward into one of Friuli's most-allocated reference cellars. The 16 hectares of old-vine parcels around Buttrio (Buri, Filip, Saurint, Calvari) are dry-farmed at very low yields, fermented spontaneously and aged in large oak. Miani's whites are among the most concentrated examples of Colli Orientali Friulano and Sauvignon and have a long-running auction-market following.

Tasting: Cellar access is essentially closed to the public; the cellar does not run a standard visitor programme. Wines are allocated through a small distributor network and traded in the secondary market. Reference here is editorial only.

Signature wines: miani-friulano-buri, miani-friulano-filip, miani-sauvignon-saurint, miani-merlot-calvari

Tip: The cellar does not run public tastings; reach the wines through specialist Friuli importers and aged bottle lists at top regional restaurants.

Lis Neris ★ 4.7

Lis Neris has been in the Pecorari family since 1879, and Alvaro Pecorari has run the modern operation since the 1980s. The 75 hectares on Isonzo gravel feed Gris Pinot Grigio and Picol Sauvignon (the cellar's two single-parcel anchors), Confini (the cellar's whole-Isonzo blend) and Tal Lùc (a small-production late-harvest Verduzzo and Riesling blend).

Tasting: Cellar visit at San Lorenzo Isontino by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Lis Neris Isonzo parcels and a flight of the Gris Pinot Grigio, Picol Sauvignon, Confini and Tal Lùc late-harvest. Reservation required.

Signature wines: lis-neris-gris, lis-neris-picol, lis-neris-confini, lis-neris-tal-luc

Tip: Gris Pinot Grigio is one of Italy's most-cited Pinot Grigio bottlings; pair it with a salt-cured San Daniele prosciutto for the classic Friulian table.

Pierpaolo Pecorari ★ 4.6

Pierpaolo Pecorari built the cellar at San Lorenzo Isontino from 1974 onward, working the Isonzo gravel parcels in the DOC. Son Alessandro Pecorari now works alongside him.

Tasting: Cellar visit at San Lorenzo Isontino by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Isonzo gravel parcels and a flight of the single-parcel Pinot Grigio, Friulano, Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Reservation required.

Signature wines: pierpaolo-pecorari-altis-sauvignon, pierpaolo-pecorari-olivers-chardonnay, pierpaolo-pecorari-pinot-grigio, pierpaolo-pecorari-kolaus

Tip: The Altis Sauvignon is the cellar's lifted, aromatic flagship; the Pinot Grigio holds its own in any Friuli Isonzo lineup.

Borgo San Daniele ★ 4.6

Borgo San Daniele was founded in 1988 by siblings Mauro and Alessandra Mauri at the boundary of Cormons and the Isonzo plain. The 18 hectares on the river-shaped gravels feed a small range of single-parcel whites and a Bordeaux-style red. The cellar has been organic for over a decade and now works biodynamically.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Cormons by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Isonzo gravel parcels and a flight of the Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Arbis Blanc and Gortmarin Rosso.

Signature wines: borgo-san-daniele-friulano, borgo-san-daniele-pinot-grigio, borgo-san-daniele-arbis-blanc, borgo-san-daniele-gortmarin

Tip: Arbis Blanc (Chardonnay, Friulano, Sauvignon, Pinot Bianco) is the cellar's whole-Isonzo statement; pair it with the local Adriatic fish at La Subida.

Ronco del Gelso ★ 4.6

Giorgio Badin built Ronco del Gelso from 1985 onward at the boundary of Cormons and the Isonzo plain. The 23 hectares on river-shaped gravel feed single-parcel bottlings of Pinot Grigio (Sot lis Rivis), Friulano (Toc Bas) and a rare Friulian Riesling Renano (Latimis). The cellar has been organic for over a decade.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Cormons by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Isonzo parcels and a flight of the Pinot Grigio Sot lis Rivis, Friulano Toc Bas and the Riesling Renano Latimis. Reservation required.

Signature wines: ronco-del-gelso-pinot-grigio-sot-lis-rivis, ronco-del-gelso-friulano-toc-bas, ronco-del-gelso-riesling-latimis

Tip: The Riesling Renano Latimis is a rare Friulian dry Riesling; book a tasting against the Pinot Grigio Sot lis Rivis for an unusual Isonzo white flight.

Castello di Spessa ★ 4.6

Castello di Spessa is built around a medieval castle whose first documented mention dates to 1300, and the modern wine operation was rebuilt by the Pali family.

Tasting: Estate visit at Capriva del Friuli by appointment with a tour of the medieval Castello di Spessa, a vineyard walk through the Collio parcels and a flight of the Capriva Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Santarosa Friulano. The on-site golf course, the Tavernetta and the boutique hotel rooms extend the visit into a full estate stay.

Signature wines: castello-di-spessa-capriva-sauvignon, castello-di-spessa-santarosa, castello-di-spessa-pinot-grigio

Tip: Book the hotel rooms for an extended Collio base; the Capriva Sauvignon is the cellar's most-cited cuvée and the Tavernetta restaurant carries a deep estate-wine list.

Borgo Conventi ★ 4.5

Borgo Conventi was founded in 1975 by Gianni Vescovo and acquired by Tenute Folonari in 2001. The 35 hectares straddle the Collio and Friuli Isonzo DOCs at Farra d'Isonzo and feed a small range of varietal whites plus the Bianco delle Streghe (Friulano, Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Ribolla) blend. The cellar is the Folonari group's only Friulian property.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Farra d'Isonzo by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Collio and Isonzo parcels and a flight of the Borgo Conventi varietal whites and the Bianco delle Streghe blend.

Signature wines: borgo-conventi-friulano, borgo-conventi-bianco-delle-streghe, borgo-conventi-sauvignon

Tip: The Bianco delle Streghe is the cellar's whole-Collio statement; pair it with frico and prosciutto di San Daniele for the canonical Friulian board.

Foffani ★ 4.4

Foffani has been in the family at Clauiano (one of Italy's borghi più belli) since 1789. The 22 hectares on the Friuli Aquileia plain feed varietal whites and the cellar's traditional-method sparkling. Giovanni Foffani runs the operation today.

Tasting: Estate visit at Clauiano by appointment with a tour of the historic Palazzo Foffani in the medieval village (one of Italy's borghi più belli), a vineyard walk through the Friuli Aquileia plain parcels and a flight of the Friulano, Sauvignon and Refosco.

Signature wines: foffani-friulano, foffani-refosco, foffani-spumante

Tip: Clauiano village walk is the natural pairing with a Foffani tasting; the medieval streets carry the Aquileia patriarchate's architectural fingerprint.

Bressan Mastri Vinai ★ 4.5

Bressan Mastri Vinai is one of Friuli's oldest continuous wine families, with documented activity at Farra d'Isonzo since 1726. Fulvio Bressan runs the cellar in its modern form.

Tasting: Cellar visit at Farra d'Isonzo by appointment with a vineyard walk through the Bressan parcels (a Friuli holding documented since 1726) and a flight of the Pinot Grigio, Schioppettino, Pignolo and Verduzzo. Reservation required.

Signature wines: bressan-pinot-grigio, bressan-schioppettino, bressan-pignolo, bressan-verduzzo

Tip: The Pignolo is the cellar's library red and one of Friuli's revival varietals; ask for a back-vintage tasting alongside the Schioppettino.

Russiz Superiore Tasting Room ★ 4.7

Marco Felluga group cellar at Capriva above the Isonzo plain, pouring Friulano, Pinot Bianco and the Riserva degli Orzoni Merlot across vineyard walks on the south-facing ponca.

Tasting: Visit the Marco Felluga group's hillside Russiz Superiore cellar at Capriva, with a vineyard walk on the south-facing ponca slopes above the river plain and a flight of Friulano, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon and the Riserva degli Orzoni Merlot.

Castello di Spessa Tasting Room ★ 4.7

Castello di Spessa's 13th-century castle cellar above Capriva pours Sauvignon, Friulano, Pinot Grigio and the Casanova Pignolo across the 18-hole golf-course estate.

Tasting: Visit the 13th-century Castello di Spessa above Capriva del Friuli (Casanova once stayed at the castle in the 1770s), with a walk through the 18-hole golf course planted between the vineyards and a flight of Sauvignon, Friulano, Pinot Grigio and the Casanova Pignolo red.

Damijan Podversic ★ 4.7

Twelve-hectare Oslavia orange-wine cellar above Gorizia, extended-skin-contact Ribolla, Friulano, Chardonnay and a Merlot-Cabernet red.

Why locals love it: Smaller than the three other Oslavia cellars, with most of the production reserved for sommelier and natural-wine retail in Italy and northern Europe. The Gorizia urban-edge address makes the cellar easy to miss from the Cormons-side tour map.

Tip: Damijan's address sits above the city of Gorizia rather than at the Oslavia hamlet, so it pairs naturally with a Gorizia morning before driving up to Gravner or Radikon.

Miani ★ 4.8

Cult Colli Orientali cellar at Buttrio under Enzo Pontoni; tiny production of single-plot Friulano, Sauvignon, Refosco and Merlot.

Why locals love it: Cellar door visits are extremely limited; the bottles sit at the cult-collector end of the Colli Orientali. Allocations to the wine trade are small and waiting-list managed.

Tip: Miani bottles are easier to find at top Cormons and Cividale wine bars than at the cellar; the Enoteca Comunale at Cormons usually has at least one Miani open.