The best wines from the Colli Orientali del Friuli in 13 labels below 20 euros

Jan 25 2024, 14:46

The overall vocation of the Colli Orientali del Friuli remains focused on white wines. Here are the wines awarded by Gambero Rosso for their excellent quality-to-price ratio

It is certainly not news today that Friuli Venezia Giulia is one of the most important players in the Italian wine landscape: the Friulian style is known and appreciated worldwide, a well-crafted mix of technical expertise and identity. The work done by the region's wineries and winemakers is truly remarkable, considering that a significant part of the Friulian vineyard was severely damaged during the wartime events of the Great War, which had one of its main fronts here.

Focusing on various territories, we realize that a prominent position within the regional production is held by the Colli Orientali del Friuli. This is a strip of land about sixty kilometers long and no more than fifteen wide, where vineyards mostly rest on marl-limestone soils, but with climates that sometimes differ significantly. In fact, if the mitigating action of the Adriatic Sea is felt to the south, in the northern part of Cividale only the most robust grape varieties, such as verduzzo and refosco, withstand, thus constituting the backbone of viticulture in those areas.

The wines from the Colli Orientali del Friuli with the best quality-to-price ratio for the Berebene 2024 guide

The general vocation of Colli Orientali remains predominantly white, not unlike that of the neighboring Collio: in the list that follows, you will find mostly white wines. In a couple of cases, these are blends of different grape varieties, while in all others, they are single-varietal labels. This allows room for chardonnay, sauvignon, malvasia, and pinot bianco. However, you will also find a couple of "guest" reds, one made from merlot grapes and the other from schioppettino. These are wines reviewed in the Gambero Rosso Berebene 2024 guide with a rating exceeding 90 points and costing less than 20 euros.