Collio is an amphitheatre of hills in the province of Gorizia, squeezed between the Isonzo river and the Slovenian border, which continues on the other side of the frontier under the name of Brda. The appellation, recognised in 1968, includes Cormons, Capriva del Friuli, Dolegna del Collio, Farra d'Isonzo, Gorizia, Mossa, San Floriano del Collio and San Lorenzo Isontino. The soil is ponca, alternating layers of marl and sandstone of marine origin that crumble easily and drain well.
Production is almost entirely white. The regulations provide for Collio Bianco, from mixed grapes, and a long list of varietals: Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling, Picolit; among the reds Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Nero. Minimum alcohol is 11.5 degrees; white Riservas age for at least twenty months, red ones for thirty. Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon, Ribolla and Friulano together account for most of the bottles.
They are whites with body and marked minerality, often able to develop for a few years. They go with San Daniele ham, mountain-pasture cheeses, Adriatic fish and border dishes such as jota and frico.
