Italy — wine

Colli Orientali del Friuli

One of Italy's most important and underrated wine regions, in the hills near Udine and the Slovenian border. Colli Orientali produces some of Italy's finest indigenous white wines: Friulano (formerly Tocai), Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana, and Ramandolo (DOCG sweet Verduzzo). The amber/orange wine movement was pioneered here by Josko Gravner, Stanko Radikon, and Dario Princic, transforming the region's international reputation for Friulano and Ribolla Gialla.

Year Rating Notes
2023 Excellent Friuli growing season; Ribolla Gialla and Friulano of exceptional mineral precision
2022 Very good vintage; skin-contact Ribolla Gialla and conventional Friulano both exceptional
2021 Good structure across the region; amber wine producers particularly rewarded with fine tannin extraction
2020 Warm season; conventional whites of good concentration and amber wines of unusual depth
2019 Benchmark Friuli vintage; finest Colli Orientali wines in recent memory across all styles