Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Zone: Friuli Colli Orientali DOC(G)

Wine:

Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit DOCG

Facts about this wine

Wine: White wine
Kind: Sweet wine
Taste: Semi sweet to sweet
Volume: Strong
Min. alcohol: 15%
Mandatory Storage: Min. 1 years
Storage potential: 4 years

The aromatic dessert wine Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit got its DOC in 1979, and producers have since struggled to reach success and finally succeeded in 2006, when the wine got its DOCG status.

The center of production is located around the cities of Rocca Bernarda and Buttrio in the west, and Savorgnano del Torre in the north, comprising a total number of 14 municipalities in the province of Udine.

At one point, Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit DOCG was proclaimed as Italy’s answer to the French Sauternes; although this was a rash promise, the two are actually similar.

Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit DOCG’s history goes way back, its heyday being when the agronomist and Count Fabio Asquini (1726-1818) successfully sold his Picolit wines to European Courts in hand-blown, green bottles.

After having tasted the golden nectar, the Austrian Emperor allegedly said (or shouted!): “This is better than any other wine.” Moreover, the Pope also had an eye for the Picolit delight. Whether these gentlemen knew more about the wine than the effects of alcohol is an entirely different issue.

Unfortunately, the Picolit grape was not particularly productive, thus in the 1970s, when bad wines were cascading out of Italy, Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit not only had a difficult time keeping up quantitatively, but the small quantity also cost a fortune. At the same time, dull, anonymous and meaningless wines certainly did not benefit the business.

A few years ago, however, there was a turning point. Vinification was approached differently, for example wine was stored in barriques, which had as result the fact that today, Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit DOCG can compete with the greatest dessert wines in the world. This is also reflected in the price.

As one can anticipate, the main grape used for this wine is Picolit (85-100%), with the permitted addition of local white grapes from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia zone (0-15%), with the exception of Traminer Aromatico variety.

The grapes are air-dried before vinification, either on the vine, or in straw baskets or shelves in specially-equipped drying rooms. Although traditionalists are using special drying rooms, it is allowed to use less romantic methods, such as mechanical ventilated storage rooms.

Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit DOCG has a more or less intense golden to deep amber color, as well as an intense, inviting and delicate scent, with notes of raisins and a slight touch of wood. The taste, varying from sweetish to sweet, is warm and balanced, often with a touch of wood from maturation. This is quite an unusual dessert wine, with a slightly perfumed, warm, smooth and delicate taste.

Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit DOCG is simply a “meditation” wine, enjoyed during those quiet moments by the fireplace or with a delicious dessert. Or enjoyed with cheese or dry sweets.

The required aging is 10 months, often in casks, and the wine has an aging potential of 3-4 years. The wine is released on the market after September 1^st of the year following the harvest.

This unusual dessert wine is also produced in the Friuli Colli Orientali Cialla DOC subzone, where it has its own subzone. Unlike the previous, this type of wine, however, is made exclusively from the Picolit grape (100%), and it bears the name Colli Orientali del Friuli Cialla Picolit DOCG.

Great dishes to have with Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit DOCG

Cheese

Dessert

Quiet moments

Pastry

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