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We drive eastwards in the direction of Palmanova. All we see are endless fields of maize, interrupted now and then by poplar groves or soya plantations. The Grave are said to produce more than half of Friuli's wine. But where are the vineyards? we ask ourselves. Suddenly a vine tractor comes towards us, somewhere there really seems to be some viticulture here.

We see the first vines at Andrea Stocco's in Bicinicco. "Here in the south of the appellation, the soils are very fertile and less stony than in the north. The wines that are produced here are usually richer in alcohol and more structured than in the northern part of the growing area. On the other hand, they are less fragrant than the wines from the Magredi, for example," says Stocco.

The so-called Magredi are located in the province of Pordenone between the two rivers Meduna and Cellina and consist of wide steppe-like areas and gravel banks. There we meet Albino Armani, who owns almost 90 hectares of vineyards here. With a view of the nearby Carnic Pre-Alps, bathed in dark, threatening grey, Armani explains to us the special features of this area: "I love Friuli because you can reach the mountains from the sea in a short time. But this also leads to this nervous, unpredictable climate, like today. The warm, humid air from the sea meets the Carnic Pre-Alps in the Magredi, and that means hail, thunderstorms, squalls. It's not easy for viticulture because we always have to fear that our harvest will be ruined by a hailstorm."

The lean soils that give the Magredi their name are extremely skeletal, and water seeps away quickly. This means that there can be problems, especially in summer. Viticulture without irrigation is hardly possible here. On the other hand, the stones store the sun's heat during the day and release it back into the environment at night. The rootstock vines must also have a high lime resistance. Albino Armani: "Elegant wines grow here, never bulky and with lower alcohol content than in the south of the Grave."

In the Grave, many other crops are grown besides wine. (Photo: Merum)

With around 7,500 hectares of vines, the Friuli Grave DOC is by far the largest appellation and produces more than half of all Friuli's DOC wines. 90 per cent of the vineyard area is on the plain. The work in the flat areas is almost completely mechanised, and the production costs are thus much lower than in the hilly areas.

The most widely produced wine in the Grave is Pinot Grigio, followed by Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Just two million litres of the autochthonous white Friulano are produced, the red grape variety Refosco comes to 1.4 million litres. The appellation mainly produces everyday wines with a good price-performance ratio, 50 percent of which are sold abroad.

Because of the strong presence of cellar cooperatives, the appellation does not have a particularly positive image. Famous winegrowers' names, on the other hand, which could give the Grave's reputation a higher profile, are rare.

For this reason, many self-marketers downgrade their wines to IGT wines, which leads to the original quality pyramid being turned upside down. Andrea Stocco, for example, bottles all his wines except his Friulano as IGT Venezia Giulia: "Under the designation DOC Friuli Grave you find the most diverse wines. Wines of high quality, but also a lot of mass-produced goods of low value. The cellar cooperatives in particular have damaged the reputation. This is what distinguishes our appellation from Collio or Colli Orientali. It's a problem for us because we don't want to be pigeonholed with cheap wine."

The vineyard work is mainly mechanised. (Photo: Merum)

Massimo Di Lenardo also expresses similar views to Andrea Stocco: "In Friuli, some designations of origin do not represent added value for the wine drinker, this is especially true for the appellations in the plains. That's why many producers do without the certification. My customers buy the Di Lenardo brand and not the Friuli Grave appellation."

Albino Armani, on the other hand, has remained faithful to the DOC. However, he points out another problem of the appellation: "Especially on the English-speaking market, the wines from the DOC Friuli Grave have problems, because the word 'Grave' means 'grave' in English. For the normal consumer who just wants a Pinot Grigio or Merlot and reads 'grave' on the label, this is off-putting. Many of my colleagues in the Friuli Grave DOC declassify their DOC wines to IGT because they can sell better abroad that way."

Pietro Biscontin, president of the Friuli Grave consortium: "Of course, there are winemakers in the Friuli Grave DOC who mainly produce IGT wines because the reference to the area of origin is not so important to them. The majority, however, want to emphasise their origin and are proud to write the designation of origin on the label. In recent years, the sensitivity of producers in this regard has increased enormously. Our consortium has made it its goal to convince more and more winemakers of the idea of a common quality philosophy."

Prosecco - a questionable hope

With the upgrading of the cultivation areas from Prosecco IGT to Prosecco DOC in 2009, Friuli was awarded 3,500 hectares. They are mainly located in the Grave and Aquileia appellations. The Tenuta Ca' Bolani winery (Zonin) is one of the largest Prosecco producers with an area of over 100 hectares.

But many grape growers are also uprooting their Merlot vines and planting Glera, as the yields and earnings are much higher.

This development is controversial among winemakers. Massimo Di Lenardo: "Prosecco has already changed viticulture in Friuli, even if not all the newly planted vineyards are in full production yet. Our winery has not followed this trend, we have concentrated on our wines. Of course, we also observe the market and see that the red wines from Friuli are less and less in demand. But I don't believe in Prosecco. With it, the Friulians are making themselves suppliers for the Prosecco bottlers in the Veneto."

Prosecco vineyard of Albino Armani. (Photo: Merum)

Paolo Petrussa from Prepotto agrees: "The Prosecco boom is a big bubble that will burst at some point. It's not a future strategy for Friuli, just quick profit that is in no way sustainable."

Albino Armani, on the other hand, sees the development quite pragmatically: "Until six or seven years ago, the grape farmers in the Grave could still live from Pinot Grigio, but today they need Prosecco in addition. They earn twice as much with it as with Merlot, for example. Personally, I think it's a shame that Glera is now being cultivated here on a large scale, but I can't blame anyone. Unfortunately, if you have to feed your family, you can't always choose what you grow these days. Besides, Prosecco also makes it possible to keep the autochthonous grape varieties alive at all."

Investors have also discovered Prosecco as a way to make a quick profit. Dario Ermacora: "Many do not come from agriculture at all, but have bought land and planted Glera with the prospect of high returns. They mechanise all the work and then sell the grapes. This is how they earn around 10,000 euros per hectare. With a total area of 30 hectares, for example, this adds up to a nice sum. A business like that might run for ten years, as long as the fashion lasts."

Part I of the report: "Small land of a thousand wines"

Part III of the report: "Is Friulano the future?

Part IV of the report: "The wine from the hills"

Part V of the report: "Ribolla Gialla is booming"

Part VI of the report: "Barren coastal landscape"

All producers from Friuli in the wine guide

To the magazine article "White treasures

To the "BEST OF Friuli white" (PDF document)

This article was made available to us by the Merum editorial team. Find out more about Merum, the magazine for wine and olive oil from Italy, here:
To the Merum homepage
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