Ideas of territory: in Friuli the “Pinot Bianco business network in Collio” is born

Not competitors on the market, but allies to enhance a distinctive feature of the production of excellence from Friuli Venezia Giulia, that is the ability of an international grape variety like Pinot Bianco to express the peculiarities of a unique land like Collio. From this vision was born the “Business Network Pinot Bianco nel Collio”, which brings together seven historical and leading names of the wine of Friuli such as Castello di Spessa, Livon, Russiz Superiore, Schiopetto, Toros, Venica & Venica and Pascolo, among whose rows, in Ruttars in Dolegna del Collio, was presented the project. In the words of one of the patriarchs of Italian wine, Marco Felluga, more than 90 years of history of Friuli wine, who, since time immemorial, hoped for this union: “today’s day is very special, it is like a consecration”.
We are in a territory - a hilly area divided between Italy and Slovenia - where, although Pinot Gris is the dominant grape with 30% of production, Pinot Blanc, which today is less than 10% (for a volume of about 76,000 bottles), has its own precise expression of extreme quality. The “Business Network Pinot Bianco nel Collio” is an innovative project promoted by wineries that believe in this grape variety as a symbol of excellent production, in a region known all over the world for its white wines. One of the objectives of the “Business Network” is to exalt the peculiarities of the territory: for this reason, the seven families consider themselves as “sentinels” of Collio, with the intent of preserving Pinot Bianco and launch it in the firmament of the most known and appreciated white berried grapes.
“Pinot Bianco is a wine for sharing - the seven wineries (Castello di Spessa, Livon, Russiz Superiore, Schiopetto, Toros, Venica & Venica and Pascolo) explain - which unites people and creates new bonds. Since the very beginning of the bunch, it is clear that the nectar that will be born cannot be common: the bunch itself is born closed like a fist, compact, the berries are close to each other in order to protect themselves from the outside. Like a family, in which each one supports the other. In the same way, Pinot Bianco producers in Collio have chosen to unite their intentions and stand up to protect their territory, by creating a common project which can increase the value not only of Pinot Bianco, which here finds an ideal soil to produce full bodied wines, long lasting and appreciated everywhere, but also of Collio itself and of all the families which live it every day”. Moreover, Pinot Bianco is a historical grape in Collio. “For more than 150 years it has been growing in the Friuli area as well, finding the optimal climatic conditions to exalt all its qualities with discretion, without ever exaggerating, it is difficult to manage, it loves cool areas, it needs good light and it requires a lot of care. A delicate grape, between the rows but also in the glass: Pinot Bianco wine conquers with its finesse, like a fresh caress in the mouth, and therefore it can be considered among the most elegant white wines of the world”.
The arrival of the first vine shoots of Pinot Bianco in Collio Goriziano (at that time Austrian Friuli) is due to Count La Tour of Capriva, at the end of the 19th century. The old people still call it white Burgundy, as it was presented in the catalog of 1863, with this annotation: “variety cultivated in Lestizza for more than 20 years, whose fruit gives exquisite wine”. Today, it is one of the symbols of Collio.