Cellar candidate in Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

The estate's flagship red, blending the three indigenous Friulian reds (Refosco, Schioppettino, Pignolo). Black plum, tobacco and graphite over a fine grainy tannin and a long finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Late-harvest dry Friulano with brief drying on the vine before harvest. Honey, almond cream and candied citrus over a long saline finish, the most concentrated dry Friulano statement Bastianich makes.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Joe Bastianich's flagship white blend (Chardonnay, Sauvignon, dry-vinified Picolit). The Picolit gives the unique wax-and-honey aromatic register. Vespa Bianco was the first wine Joe Bastianich and Lidia Bastianich released after acquiring the Cividale del Friuli estate.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Manferrari's barrique Chardonnay Selezione, the estate's oak-led answer to white Burgundy. Vanilla, almond cream and yellow stone fruit over a saline finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Nicola Manferrari's classical Collio Friulano, with longer lees ageing than the everyday norm. Yellow apple and bitter almond over a saline almond-skin finish with cellar potential.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Nicola Manferrari's flagship Collio Bianco, three-variety field blend with extended lees ageing. Yellow apple and almond blossom over a wax-and-honey palate with the structural depth of grower Champagne.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Bordeaux-blend Friulian red from Bressan. Cabernet Franc-led blend matured in large Slavonian oak botti in the traditional house style.

Dry · Full-bodied · High tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Native Friulian Pignolo from cult Bressan at Farra d'Isonzo. Pignolo was nearly extinct before Carlo Bressan and Alessandro Dorigo led the revival; the variety is among Italy's most tannic native reds.

Dessert · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Late-harvest Verduzzo Friulano from cult Bressan. The cellar's dessert bottling from air-dried grapes.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

The estate's Friulian field-blend orange wine of Chardonnay, Malvasia Istriana and Friulano. Yellow apple and almond aromatics over a tea-tannin saline finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

The estate's Bordeaux blend from the Gorizia hillside, with no added yeast and four years in Slavonian botti. Black plum and leather over an iron mineral dusty tannin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Damijan Podversic's extended-maceration Ribolla from the Gorizia hillside, two months on the skins with no added yeast. Dried apricot and honey over a tea-tannin finish.

Dessert · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Late-harvest Picolit from Dario Coos in the Colli Orientali. Picolit is one of Italy's rarest grapes thanks to its floral abortion, which leaves clusters with very few berries.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Doro Princic's textbook traditional Collio Friulano. Yellow apple and bitter almond aromatics over a saline almond-skin finish, often cited as the most reference of reference Friulanos.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Princic's textbook Collio Pinot Bianco, yellow apple and almond blossom over a saline finish. Often cited as the most cellar-worthy serious Italian Pinot Bianco alongside Schiopetto.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The Riserva tier of Edi Keber's sole Collio Bianco, with three years on lees in Slavonian oak. Yellow apple, almond cream and wax over a long saline finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Franco Toros's Collio Friulano from the Novali holdings above Cormons. Yellow apple and almond blossom over a long saline finish, cellar-worthy in the textbook traditional style.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

Franco Toros's serious Collio Merlot with 18-24 months in barrique. Black plum and tobacco over a fine grainy tannin and iron mineral finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Franco Toros's Collio Pinot Bianco, often cited as one of Italy's most cellar-worthy serious Pinot Bianco bottlings.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

International-varietal field blend (Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Riesling Italico) vinified the same qvevri-and-Slavonian-botti way as Ribolla. Yellow stone fruit, dried orange peel and walnut over a tea-tannin amphora finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Josko Gravner's flagship Ribolla Gialla, fermented six to seven months on the skins in buried qvevri after his 2001 conversion to the Georgian amphora method. Dried apricot and orange peel aromatics over a tea-tannin palate and a saline pithy finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Indigenous Pignolo from Oslavia, fermented in qvevri and aged six years in Slavonian botti. Dried black cherry and leather over a graphite, firm-tannin core with the distinctive amphora signature.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Merlot-led Bordeaux blend vinified in qvevri the Gravner way. Black plum and violet aromatics with leather and iron mineral over a firm tannin spine.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

I Clivi's Collio Friulano from the Brazzano holdings, the estate's DOC Collio sibling to the DOC Friuli Colli Orientali Galea. Old vines and extended lees ageing.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Mario and Ferdinando Zanusso's Friulano from old vines at Galea (Corno di Rosazzo). Extended lees ageing in stainless steel with low alcohol; the estate's identity statement for low-intervention Friulian whites.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

The Bensa family's extended-maceration Ribolla, one of the four founding Oslavia orange-wine cellars alongside Gravner, Radikon and Damijan Podversic. Dried apricot, orange peel and almond over a tea-tannin finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Contemplative · Bold

The Bensa family Bordeaux blend from the Oslavia ponca slopes. Black plum and leather over an iron mineral core and dusty firm tannin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

La Tunella's flagship dry white blend of Friulano and Ribolla Gialla with extended Slavonian oak ageing. Yellow apple, almond cream and a long saline finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Savoury · Bold

Indigenous Schioppettino with the variety's signature white-and-black-pepper aromatics. La Tunella's Schioppettino is one of the modern references for the revived Friulian indigenous red.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Picolit from the family's Rocca Bernarda holdings, the heart of DOCG Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit. Dried apricot and honey over a saline-edged finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Indigenous Pignolo from the family's Rocca Bernarda holdings, aged 36 months in barrique. Black plum and leather over the variety's signature firm grainy tannin.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The estate's prestige Friulano named after founder Tullio Zamò, with extended lees ageing in large oak. Yellow apple and almond blossom over a long saline finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Single-vineyard Friulano from the family's Vigne Cinquant'Anni (50-year-old vines) at Corno di Rosazzo. Yellow apple, almond cream and honey over a saline finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The estate's barrique-led Friulian white, Pinot Bianco-led with a touch of dry-vinified Picolit. Yellow stone fruit and almond cream over a saline finish, the oak-aged counterpart to the stainless-steel Terre Alte.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Livio Felluga's flagship DOCG Picolit, the indigenous Friulian sweet-wine grape with naturally low yields and tiny berries. Dried apricot and honey over a saline-edged finish that keeps the wine from cloying.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

The estate's flagship Friulian red, a three-variety blend (Refosco, Merlot, Pignolo) with extended barrique ageing. Black plum and leather over a firm grainy tannin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The Livio Felluga flagship Friulian white from the Rosazzo amphitheatre, a three-variety blend (Friulano, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon) with partial barrique ageing. First vintage 1981; Italy's reference age-worthy white wine and the flagship of the broader Friulian white-wine movement.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Single-vineyard Friulano from the Buri plot at Buttrio. Enzo Pontoni's cult Miani is the Colli Orientali's most sought-after producer with tiny yields and decade-plus waiting lists.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Single-vineyard Merlot from the Calvari plot at Buttrio. Miani's flagship red, considered by critics one of Italy's reference Merlots for its structure and ageworthiness.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Single-vineyard Friulano from the Filip plot at Buttrio. The cellar's second top Friulano alongside Buri, with the same hand-farmed Pontoni approach.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Single-vineyard Sauvignon from the Saurint plot at Buttrio. Miani's Sauvignon is the cellar's most overtly aromatic single-vineyard wine but built on the same low-yield concentration spine.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Savoury · Funky

Indigenous-style Merlot from the Oslavia ponca slopes, vinified the Radikon way with no added yeast and three years in Slavonian botti. Dried red cherry and leather over a dusty, saline-edged finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Indigenous Pignolo from the Oslavia ponca slopes vinified the Radikon natural-wine way. Dried black cherry, leather and graphite over a firm grainy tannin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

Stanko Radikon's pioneering extended-maceration Ribolla, with three to four months on the skins. The wine that put Oslavia on the global orange-wine map alongside Gravner; sold in the distinctive 500 ml bottle Stanko adopted in 2002.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Rocca Bernarda's flagship DOCG Picolit from the Villa Rocca Bernarda estate at Premariacco. The villa was the historical seat of Picolit production under the Counts of Trento in the 19th century.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

Indigenous Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso aged 18 months in barrique. Black plum and violet over a firm grainy tannin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

Indigenous Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso from the Rapuzzi family's Cialla holdings, aged in large Slavonian botti rather than barrique. Black plum and tobacco over a fine grainy tannin.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Savoury

The Rapuzzi family's flagship Schioppettino di Cialla. The Rapuzzi rescued Schioppettino from near-extinction in the 1970s, planting the first new Schioppettino vineyards at Cialla (Prepotto) since the variety nearly died out. Their work led to the Schioppettino di Prepotto sub-denomination.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The Rapuzzi family's late-harvest Verduzzo Friulano from Cialla, aged in large Slavonian oak botti. Dried apricot and honey over a saline-edged sweet finish.

Dessert · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Late-harvest Picolit from Ronchi di Manzano. The cellar's DOCG dessert wine made from the historically rare grape.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · Medium acidity · Bold · Savoury

The estate's Bordeaux blend named Cjarandon (Friulian for the local plum). Black plum, leather and graphite over a fine grainy tannin.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

The Coser family's flagship Collio Bianco from the Monte holding above Cormons. Three-variety field blend with yellow apple and honeysuckle aromatics over a saline finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

The estate's Bordeaux blend (Merlot + Cabernet Sauvignon) with 18 months in barrique. Black plum and leather over a fine grainy tannin.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Single-vineyard Chardonnay from the Salars cru. Almond cream and yellow stone fruit over a saline finish, in the restrained Friulian Chardonnay idiom rather than the New World oak style.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Serena Palazzolo's single-vineyard Friulano from the Sol cru. Yellow apple and almond blossom over a saline finish, the estate's flagship indigenous-variety statement.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The estate's prestige Collio Bianco from the Col Disore cru. Multi-variety field blend with partial oak ageing, the Russiz Superiore flagship since 1997.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The estate's late-harvest Verduzzo Friulano, a Friulian sweet-wine tradition. Dried apricot and honey aromatics over a saline-edged finish that keeps the wine off cloying territory.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Schiopetto's prestige Friulano named in tribute to founder Mario Schiopetto, whose late-1960s temperature-controlled white-wine work in Capriva del Friuli set the technical baseline for modern Italian dry whites.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing

Specogna's flagship Friulano, the estate's identity statement from the Rocca Bernarda parcels at Corno di Rosazzo.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Bold

Specogna's Pignolo from the Rocca Bernarda holdings, aged 36 months in barrique. Black plum and leather over the variety's signature firm grainy tannin.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

Indigenous Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso aged 18 months in barrique. Black plum and violet over a firm grainy tannin, the estate's serious Refosco statement.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Single-vineyard Friulano from the Ronco delle Cime cru in Dolegna del Collio. Yellow apple and almond blossom over a saline finish, the estate's serious Friulano statement.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing

The estate's flagship single-vineyard Sauvignon from the Ronco delle Mele cru in Dolegna del Collio. Elderflower and lime zest aromatics over a saline finish, the textbook benchmark for serious Collio Sauvignon.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Funky

Single-parcel long-skin-contact Vitovska from Vodopivec. Solo is the cellar's top cuvée from a single Carso parcel.

Dry · Full-bodied · Medium tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Funky

Long-skin-contact Vitovska from Paolo Vodopivec on the Carso. The cellar buried its first qvevri amphorae in 2005 and built around them an orange-wine line that critics rate alongside Gravner and Radikon.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing

Volpe Pasini's single-vineyard Zuc di Volpe Friulano from the south-facing slope at Togliano di Torreano. Yellow apple and almond blossom over a saline finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Elegant

Single-vineyard Pinot Bianco from the Zuc di Volpe holdings. Yellow apple and almond blossom over a saline finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing

Zorzettig's prestige MYO Friulano from the Spessa di Cividale holdings. Yellow apple and almond blossom over a saline finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · High tannin · High acidity · Bold · Savoury

Indigenous Tazzelenghe (literally tongue-cutter in Friulian, a reference to the variety's high tannin) from the Spessa di Cividale holdings. Aged 18 months in barrique.