On May 31, 1964, the 152nd day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar, the moon was in its last quarter, and the radio continuously played the tunes of “È l’uomo per me” by Mina and “Love Me Do” by the Beatles. In cinemas, Pietro Germi’s “Seduced and Abandoned” was stirring consciences and breaking box office records. May 31, 1964, was a Sunday, an unusual day for signing a notarial deed, you might agree. But, needless to say, the reason was undoubtedly to avoid taking precious time away from work on a weekday.
The birth of the Collio Consorzio
Exactly 60 years ago, on that very date, the founding act of the Collio Consortium was signed.
The first president, and the driving force behind the entire consortium operation, was Count Douglas Attems. The Count, who had just begun bottling his own wines at that time, gathered a group of producers around him with the goal of obtaining DOC status as quickly as possible. Following the enactment of Law 930 in 1963, which established the Denominations of Controlled Origin, Attems recognized its importance and the necessity of achieving this status swiftly. He understood that this would mean prestige and recognition for those gentle hills surrounding Gorizia, which would later become known as Collio.
The count would often begin his speech, whenever he talked about wine with someone, with a phrase that served as a sort of programmatic manifesto: “…you see, we of Collio…”. In those words lay the need to showcase all the grandeur that Attems, with a sense of foresight, attributed to that small denomination from which, thanks to pioneers like Mario Schiopetto and Marco Felluga, the renaissance of Italian white wine would later emerge.
Sixty years ago—a milestone, a source of pride and celebration for the Collio Consortium, now led by President David Buzzinelli and Director Lavinia Zamaro. They decided to commemorate the occasion with an event dedicated to the press and long-time friends. This event was held on the same day as the signing of the founding act. The highlight of the event was the masterclass “Tasting Collio’s History.” It was a perfect opportunity to assess the current state of the denomination, thanks also to the expert guidance of the excellent Michele Paiano, a sommelier for over twenty years at La Subida in Cormons.
The wine tasting
The tasting was like a journey in a glass, traversing the Collio region of yesterday and today in three stages:
- The Collio today:
- Ribolla Gialla 2022
- Pinot Grigio 2022
- Friulano 2021
- Sauvignon 2023
- Collio Bianco 2022
- The longevity of Collio Bianco with a horizontal tasting of five vintages from 2013 to 2018, and Collio Rosso with a tasting of the 2008, 2012, 2013, and 2018 vintages.
Let’s start by saying that the denomination is in excellent shape. A few years ago, the Collio region faced a period of stagnation. I still remember Marco Felluga’s words from the Collio Prize in 2014, when the then past president raised a red flag about Collio losing its appeal.
The Collio Consorzio: today
Today, that allure—translating into great wines in the glass—has almost entirely been regained. This is especially evident in the tastings of Friulano, Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Bianco. However, Pinot Bianco was not included among the wines of the masterclass. Perhaps it is only the Ribolla Gialla that has yet to reach outstanding levels, but this topic deserves further exploration.
Of course, I’m not referring to the Ribolla Gialla from Oslavia because that’s a world of its own. The Collio Rosso is also at an excellent level. In this case, we’re talking about Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, which are the grape varieties that make up the blends of the wines tasted. The Bordeaux varieties, which we can now consider indigenous to Collio, are expressed at a very high level—this is an undeniable fact. However, the true identifying gem, if you can call it that, remains the Collio Bianco, and this opens up a rather delicate discussion.
Some believe that the region’s expression is so dominant that it always prevails over the variety. Therefore, to make Collio Bianco, and to avoid destabilizing the consumer, it makes sense to use all the white grape varieties permitted by the regulations: Chardonnay, Malvasia Istriana, Picolit, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling Italico, Riesling Renano, Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon, Friulano, with a maximum of 15% of aromatic varieties such as Traminer and Müller-Thurgau. However, as far as I’m concerned, I find the idea of making Collio Bianco exclusively from indigenous grapes much more fascinating.
Collio Bianco Gran Selezione
In 2017, I was captivated by the idea, unfortunately later abandoned, of a Collio Bianco Gran Selezione, which was to be made with historical indigenous varieties: Friulano (40% to 70%), Ribolla Gialla (max 30%), and Malvasia (max 30%). It seemed that this project was on the path to success thanks to the approval of the new regulations, which included not only the revival of the historical blend but also a market release after at least 24 months of aging, and an evident recognizability due to the “Bottiglia Collio,” a concept developed a few years earlier by Edi Keber.
A winning idea?
It was the winning idea to reposition Collio among the great terroirs of the world. As often happens when trying to reconcile different viewpoints, the idea stalled, with a preference for maintaining the status quo. In reality, this notion never left a handful of producers who, in that distinctly unique vision, saw and still see an extraordinary opportunity for the revival of Collio as a whole. They are the ones who brought to life the project “Collio Bianco from Indigenous Grapes.”
No one doubts that Collio produces exceptional international wines, which currently find, and will continue to find, their place within the DOC. However, what is the true distinguishing feature of Collio? The mere fact that great white wines are produced here is not enough. In a rather delicate phase for the wine industry, with both Italian and international regions poised to challenge Collio’s dominance in white wines, it is essential to stand out and be unique. Collio Bianco, made from solely indigenous grapes with the traditional blend (predominantly Friulano, with Malvasia and Ribolla Gialla), certainly moves in this direction.
The term “tradition” derives directly from the Latin noun “traditio,” which originally meant “delivery” and was related to the verb “trado,” meaning “to deliver, present, or transmit.” Often, the word “tradition” is associated with a sense of stagnation or conservatism. In reality, it is quite the opposite. Tradition means transmitting to others so that they can continue along their own life path, without stopping, thus continuing indefinitely.
The Collio is alive—long live the Collio!