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- South Tyrol/Trentino/Friuli
South Tyrol/Trentino/Friuli – viticulture between Italy and Austria
South Tyrol/Trentino, Italy's northernmost wine-growing region, has close cultural and historical links with Austria. The vines here grow mainly on slopes and hillsides, and indigenous varieties such as Trollinger and Schiava are cultivated. Friuli/Venezia Giulia: mainly red wines were produced here in the past. Thanks to modern production methods such as chilled fermentation, however, Friuli has now been able to take a pioneering role in the production of Italian white wine.
History of the Friuli/South Tyrol/Trentino wine region
Until 1919 what is now the Italian winegrowing region of Trentino-South Tyrol was Austrian, and it was simply called South Tyrol. The culture has remained close to Austria in many ways. German is still spoken there, for example. The history of viticulture in South Tyrol can be traced back to pre-Roman times. Excavations prove that wine was already being cultivated in South Tyrol 3,000 years ago. Records document the lively activities of monasteries and noblemen in the winegrowing region of South Tyrol since the 12th century. The production and marketing of wine as we know them today was initiated by wine trading families and cellar cooperatives at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. But this small wine area's high reputation was mainly due to the DOC regulation introduced in 1971, which increased the quality of the wine with the delimitation and upgrading of the vineyards.
Wine has been cultivated in the Friuli region in the very north-east of Italy since ancient times. The many changing influences and wars in which Friuli has been involved in the course of history did no more to change this than the advent of pests in the 19th century. Quality has improved since the 1970s. Improved cellaring methods such as chilled fermentation, which was first used in Friuli, have made it the best white wine region in Italy. South Tyrol and Trentino are officially considered to be a single winegrowing region. South Tyrol (Alto Adige) is the northern part, Trentino the southern. The Dolomites, forests, glacial lakes and the river Adige shape the area, where altitudes range from 200 to 1,000 metres. Viticulture here produces some of the best results in Italy. South Tyrol and Trentino are often referred to separately, because viticulture in the two areas is not the same. In Trentino, for example, the climate is warmer and there are fewer steep slopes, enabling a wide diversity of grape varieties to be grown on a large area.Nature favours viticulture in Friuli. Bordering Austria to the north, Slovenia to the east, the Adriatic Sea to the south and Veneto to the west, this region is so well shielded from cold winds by the slopes of the Julian Alps that the vines are not threatened by late frosts. At the same time warm breezes from Veneto increase temperatures and humidity in the vineyards. This climate has a positive effect on winegrowing in Friuli, resulting in both white and red wines that are fruity and elegant.
Favourable conditions for viticulture: geography and climate
Grape varieties in the Friuli/South Tyrol/Trentino wine region
White
- Tocai Friulano
- Riesling
- Pinot bianco and grigio
- Gewürztraminer
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Chardonnay
Red
- Refosco
- Merlot
- Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc
- Pinot nero
Popular wines from South Tyrol/Trentino/Friuli
Vineyard area and production volume:
- South Tyrol/Trentino: About 14,000 hectares, some 1.2 million hectolitres per year.
- Friuli: 20 000 hectares, 1.1 million hectolitres per year.
