Wine and Protection Consortia
Despite having a limited territorial extension, the HiCo Region boasts a long tradition in the production of high-quality wines.
In Friuli Venezia Giulia there are nine Protection Consortia whose objective is to regulate, enhance and support the regional wine tradition, in Italy and abroad.
Federdoc (Regional Federation of Consortia for the Protection of Controlled Denominations of Origin) has among its objectives the contribution to the growth and development of the regional vine-growing and wine-producing system. Federdoc encompasses the nine Protection Consortia (Annia, Aquileia, Carso, Collio, Colli Orientali, Grave, Isonzo, Latisana and Ramandolo), active in Friuli Venezia Giulia, and gathers over 2,250 producers, representing approximately 75% of the regional wine production with controlled and guaranteed Denomination of Origin.
A promising vine-growing and wine-producing enterprise cluster has been developed in the Goriška region (Brda). The cluster enterprises associated an interesting tourist offer to their production.
The Consortium for the protection of Friuli-Annia wines, which
includes 16 agricultural undertakings with 180 hectares of vineyards,
was established in 1996 with the main objectives of defending and protecting the production and trade of the Friuli-Annia Controlled Denomination of Origin wines, looking after the improvement of production from cultivation practices to winemaking and marketing techniques, and promoting and enhancing wines in Italy and abroad. The protected territory lies in the Southern plain of Friuli, delimited to the South by the Marano Lagoon, within the municipalities of Carlino, Marano Lagunare, Castions di Strada, Porpetto, San Giorgio di Nogaro, Torviscosa, Bagnaria Arsa and Muzzana del Turgnano. The area features sand and clay soil, rich in mineral salts, and a climate influenced by sea breezes
The Consortium for the Protection of Ramandolo covers a tiny area of the Colli Orientali del Friuli (Friuli Eastern Hills) territory, characterized by
vineyards reaching the altitude of 380 metres above the sea level, a maximum limit for vine culture. The attribution of the controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin (D.O.C.G.) to the precious white wine obtained from the yellow Verduzzo grapes, gave the vine-growing and wine-producing business of the area the “impulse” it had been waiting for years. Presently, the Consortium can count among its members 27 companies producing Ramandolo, for a total of approximately 60 hectares of vineyard and 150,000 bottles per year. After a very long procedure, the Consortium has obtained the right to use the name Ramandolo only for Verduzzo produced in this 'sub area', repressing imitations and unfair external competition, and effectively introducing the first and only cru of Friuli Venezia Giulia. This is the only place where a controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin wine can be produced, presented and marketed with a geographical area denomination instead of a vine variety denomination.
The Consortium for the protection and enhancement of the Isonzo controlled denomination of origin wines presently gathers 110 members and, among them, the first bottling enterprises in Friuli and the most important vine-growing and wine-producing companies in the province of Gorizia. The Consortium is committed to strengthening the image and the characteristics of its products, by spreading their knowledge and by contributing to qualitative improvement, starting from vineyards.
From a perspective of enhancement of environmental peculiarities, studies were carried out for dividing the territory. They led to two homogeneous areas, as far as soil type and climate are concerned. In particular, the territory to the left of the Isonzo river is characterized by a soil that is poor in limestone and rich in noble clay mixed with red gravel, whereas the territory to the right of the Isonzo river is very rich in limestone, thanks to the presence of white gravel.
The Carso (Karst) wine-production area comprises the wine tradition of the Trieste inland and of Carso, in particular of the province of Trieste and of the Carso area around Gorizia. Its territorial limits are the coast of the Gulf of Trieste, the state border with Slovenia, the Vipacco river, the Gorizia-Monfalcone railway line and the A4 motorway up to the Timavo river. Its landscape is extremely diversified and offers environments with different types of vegetation. The small cultivated fields are plain or slightly sloping down, whereas the hills and the steep slopes overlooking the sea are often arranged in terraces (pastini). By pooling their efforts,
small and medium-sized enterprises taking part to the Consortium try to offer a high-quality product as well as the spirit and the values of their territory
to increasingly wise, demanding and educated connoisseurs. The Consortium supports member enterprises with a promotion activity which they would hardly be able to carry out alone, given their dimensions
The area of the “Friuli Latisana” Controlled Denomination of Origin lies in the Southern strip of the province of Udine and is mainly made up of clay soil, hard to work but rich in mineral salts. It encompasses the municipalities of the Friulian coast (Varmo, Rivignano, Ronchis, Latisana, Precenicco, Palazzolo dello Stella, Pocenia, Teor, Lignano Sabbiadoro, and partially Morsano al Tagliamento, Muzzana del Turgnano, Castions di Strada). The Friuli Latisana production area is not large: it covers approximately 370 hectares of vineyards. The Friuli Latisana Controlled Denomination of Origin Consortium
employs technicians who supervise the vine-growing and wine-producing activity in all its phases, from laying cuttings to bottling wine, and consequently guarantee the production of a superior quality wine also to smaller agricultural undertakings.
The production area of the Consortium for the protection of the Collio controlled denomination of origin wines covers eight municipalities: Gorizia, Capriva del Friuli, Cormòns, Dolegna del Collio, Farra d'Isonzo, Mossa, San Lorenzo Isontino and San Floriano del Collio. From the beginning, the Consortium
struggled for being awarded the Denomination of Origin, according to which only hill vineyards could boast the Collio denomination. At the same time, it started a technical activity complying with a
‘vine-wine code’, to support weaker enterprises and to contribute to the improvement of wine quality. The Collio brand was born in this way. It is compulsory and granted only after verifying the origin and the analytic and qualitative requisites of the product specification. Respecting the environment is another objective of the Consortium, which leads enterprises towards solutions compatible with the needs of nature and landscape. This includes regular analyses of the soil to rationalise the use of fertilizers, and a service of pesticide protection that is carried out and integrated on the basis of land and weather data. Data is collected by a network of radio-connected census points and is elaborated at the Consortium headquarters.
The Consortium for the protection of Friuli Grave controlled denomination of origin wines aims to promote knowledge of its territory and enhancement of its wines, also through an intense communication activity. This is evidence of the interest of the Consortium members for enhancing a modern and developed vine-growing activity. The certification of origin and quality, now broadly recognized, is the result of different factors:
rationality of the new plants, modern cultivation techniques, selection of wine varieties more suitable for the cultivated environment and, above all, far-sightedness of many producers. The Consortium, grouping approximately 900 member enterprises, has immediately distinguished itself for its interprofessionalism, with the membership of companies and subjects belonging to all categories of the vine-growing and wine-producing sector. The denomination has always represented over 54% of the controlled denomination of origin surface and production of Friuli Venezia Giulia, extending from the border with Veneto up to Cividale del Friuli and Palmanova and covering the Friulian plain, from the piedmont flats to the area of groundwater emergence. With an annual production of over 400,000 hl of wine, the Friuli Grave turns out to be the seventh controlled denomination of origin in Italy.
The territory of the Consortium for the protection of Colli Orientali del Friuli (Friuli Eastern Hills) extends along the Eastern hills of the province of Udine, close to the Slovenian border, for a total of 2,300 registered hectares of vineyards. The Consortium gathers 170 members, one hundred of which are bottlers. Their vineyards (2,300 registered hectares) produce over 80 thousand hectolitres of controlled denomination of origin wine. At least 30% of it is marketed abroad. Export is mainly directed towards European countries (Germany and Austria); it is not by chance that in these countries the Consortium periodically organises collective presentations and tastings that are particularly appreciated by the members and the public.
The Consortium, beside carrying out promotion and protection activities, aims at introducing innovative systems in the agricultural field without giving up a millenary tradition, by setting a technical service to supply technical assistance to the enterprises of the hills, especially in the field of wine
The Friuli Aquileia wines are produced in the strip of land facing the Grado Lagoon and extending to the North towards Aquileia, an ancient Roman town, and towards Cervignano, up to the historical fortress of Palmanova. The soil and weather characteristics of this area have turned out to be particularly suitable for vine culture since ancient times. The fields, mainly made up of clay with a sandy component, are different from area to area.
Thus, the climate and the soil together favour an excellent development of vine and ensure ideal balanced conditions for the plant, in order to obtain quality grapes for the benefit of the 93 companies members of the denomination, covering a total of 902 hectares, with an effective production of approximately 70,000 q grapes. Today, the Consortium is led by a team of young producers who, addressing product quality and the enormous historical and archaeological heritage present in the territory, are carrying out an effort of enhancement of the whole controlled denomination of origin area
The Regional Federation of Consortia for the Protection of Controlled Denominations of Origin (FederDoc) is a second-level consortium encompassing the nine Protection Consortia (Annia, Aquileia, Carso, Collio, Colli Orientali, Grave, Isonzo, Latisana and Ramandolo) active in Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is aimed at enhancing and supporting the regional wine tradition, supporting the knowledge and diffusion in Italy and abroad of regional wines with controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin and with controlled denomination of origin and contributing to the growth and development of the regional vine-growing and wine-producing system. Summing up the members of the individual consortia, today the Federation is the voice of over 2,250 producers, representing approximately 75 percent of the regional wine production with denomination of origin, a sector featuring an annual 200 million Euros “gross production for sale” and employing 18 thousand people full-time.
Friuli-Annia Consortium 
