WINE NEWS /
New Collaboration Between Collio and
Slovenia
Many in Friuli’s Collio have traditionally
been suspicious of their winemaking neighbors just over the border,
but with Slovenia
now a member of the EU the two areas have welcomed their natural
brotherhood. It is hardly a stretch to imagine this union: Collio and the neighboring Goriška Brda zone are naturally a single
continuous wine region that has been divided only by a political
border. In fact, winemakers like Gravner, Radikon, Movia, and La
Castellada never heeded this artificial division and have been cultivating
vineyards that
straddle
the two areas for many years. In light of this revived amity, the
Consortium of Collio is now assisting in the creation of a new Consortium
of Brda and collaborative projects are advancing the interests of
both groups. While the Consortium of Brda is just now developing
a set of guidelines and standards for its members, the Collio Consortium
sees this as an opportunity to review and refresh their own policies,
including re-evaluating required levels of acidity and enforcing
local bottling as well as local vinification. As one of their first
common projects, experts recently designed a thorough study of the
genomes of indigenous varieties such as Ribolla and Tocai Friulano
that are prominent on both sides of the border.
In a recent meeting with Director Ales Kristancic
(of Movia),
Marco Felluga and Paolo Bianchi of the Collio Consortium dispensed
advice
for the newborn Consortium of Brda. They stressed the importance
of participation; gaining the membership of all producers in the
area creates a common commitment to improvement and quality that
ensures greater advancement for the zone. Most importantly, though,
they urged Kristancic to think in terms not of the wines of Brda
but rather of the territory, which they explained becomes a product
in itself once introduced on the market. Ales is ready for the challenge
that lies ahead, but he recognizes the difficulty of his task.
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