Rosazzo is a hill in the Colli Orientali del Friuli, in the province of Udine, crowned by an ancient abbey. The appellation covers parts of the municipalities of San Giovanni al Natisone, Manzano and Corno di Rosazzo, and is very small: about 18 hectares and 320 hectolitres. Until 2011 it was a subzone of the Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC; that year it became an independent DOCG, devoted to a single wine, the white.
A Friulian blend
Rosazzo is a multi-grape white, in the tradition of the great blends of Friuli. The regulations require 50 to 60% Friulano, 20 to 30% Sauvignon, 20 to 30% Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco, up to 10% Ribolla Gialla and up to 5% other white grapes. Minimum alcohol is 12%. The wine ages for about 18 months and cannot be released before 1 April of the second year after the harvest.
The result is a white of structure and length: Friulano brings body and its typical almond note, Sauvignon herbal and fruity aromas, Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco roundness, Ribolla freshness. With a few years in bottle it gains complexity.
The abbey and its wines
The Abbey of Rosazzo, built between 1068 and 1070, has always been the centre of the area's wine production, and keeps the documents that tell its story. In one of them, dated 20 January 1341, Patriarch Bertrand threatens with excommunication some people who, having occupied an abbey wood, refused to plant vines there. In 1420 the territory passed to the Republic of Venice, which boosted its exports. In 1483 Marin Sanudo, in his Itinerary through the mainland, wrote that Rosazzo had "most perfect wines" and that "the best in Italy are there".
At the table
Rosazzo goes with substantial fish dishes, shellfish, white meats, San Daniele ham, frico and medium-aged cheeses such as Montasio. Among Friulian whites it is the counterpoint to Collio, on the other side of the provincial border.
