Collio and Colli Orientali del Friuli Consortia join forces in a temporary association for promotion

One represents an area of native (the largest in Italy) and distinctive grape varieties, on the hillside belt overlooking Udine, with more than 2,000 hectares of vineyards dominated by varieties such as Malvasia, Picolit, Pignolo, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Ribolla Gialla, Schioppettino, Tazzelenghe, Tocai Friulano and Verduzzo Friulano; the other one is among the most prestigious white wine “enclaves” in Italy, where the vineyards are the producers own “home gardens”, in that Friuli Venezia Giulia which is also a borderland between Italy and Slovenia, shaped like a “crescent” of territory totaling 7,000 hectares, 1,300 of which are vineyards on the hills resting on “ponca”, the signature soil of the Collio. Two flagships of Friuli, the Consorzio Friuli Colli Orientali e Ramandolo and the Consorzio Collio, are joining forces in a project, formalized by the agreement establishing the Ati (Temporary Business Association), through which the two territories commit to common strategies for each other promotion.
The Consorzio Collio was founded in 1964 and obtained DOC status in 1968, while the history of the Consorzio Friuli Colli Orientali began in 1970: they represent the two historic institutions for the protection and promotion of the region and are considered true national benchmarks for white wine production, though not only that. Both are highly active in safeguarding and promoting their respective territories and have distinguished themselves for years with important initiatives in Italy and abroad. And while each consortium individual activities will continue, the new development is the creation of a shared project to strengthen awareness of their territories, combining the experience and ideas developed over time. A “pact” which goes beyond history and looks toward the future with new perspectives.
“The agreement we signed together with Collio  - explained Filippo Butussi, president of the Consorzio Friuli Colli Orientali e Ramandolo -  makes me proud and allows us to begin thinking together with great strength. We will be able not only to share ideas and projects, but also to put the strength of our structures into play. We have an organization ready to work, and we are ready to commit ourselves for the good of the entire sector”.
Enthusiasm and confidence are also the sentiments expressed by Luca Raccaro, president of the Consorzio Collio: “we are neighboring territories with strong identities, but we share a great deal. This is an opportunity to present ourselves through targeted initiatives, with the desire to create shared moments where people can get to know us and fall in love with our wines and our lands”.
According to the Regional Councillor for Agri-food Resources of Friuli Venezia Giulia Stefano Zannier, “the agreement signed between the Consorzio Friuli Colli Orientali e Ramandolo and the Consorzio Collio is certainly an important step forward toward forms of territorial collaboration that are increasingly necessary to strengthen the organization and promotion of our producers. These are territories that share a common geographical and cultural matrix and can work together to best enhance the land, its distinctive features, and its unique characteristics. At the same time, this collaboration makes it possible to promote even more effectively the products arisen on these hills, placing them within an integrated promotional strategy for the territory and its wines which, in the case of these two Consortia, are deeply and naturally linked”.