Friuli Venezia Giulia
The compact region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, commanding the northern Adriatic Sea with borders on Austria and Slovenia, continues to set the pace with modern Italian white wine. Friuli has built a glowing reputation for white wines made by relatively small wineries and estates. The Friulian style in whites favors the exquisitely fresh and fruity, with delicate fragrance and flavor that expresses clear varietal character. Many producers consider their whites to be too pure and linear to benefit from wood aging. But there are a growing number of exceptions to the rule, in white wines that gain depth and complexity from blending, oak aging and other artistic touches. Friulian reds were traditonally light and fruity, best to drink within two to five years of the harvest.