2023 Sturm Friulano Collio 750 ml

Friuli’s Collio, a few hours north and east of Venice, might just be the best place in Italy to grow white wine.

The region takes its name from the hills (colli) that define it, and at the base of the Julian Alps it’s buffeted by both cold mountain winds and warm breezes coming off the nearby Adriatic Sea.

The signature grape? Friulano, which combines rich supple textures and bright vibrant fruit with a fine minerality and electricity. And the Friulano we’ve been turning to more and more recently has been Sturm’s exceptional, organically farmed version.

Collio's winemaking history predates the Romans, though the region's modern story was shaped by war—the area served as a front line in both World Wars, forcing producers to rebuild vineyards from scratch. That resilience runs deep here. Collio earned one of Italy's earliest DOC designations in 1968, a recognition of what growers had known for centuries: this narrow crescent of hills in the province of Gorizia, bordering Slovenia, is extraordinary terrain.

What makes it so special? The ponca soils—a layered marl and sandstone soil of ancient seabed origin—lends a signature salinity and mineral tension to the wines. Steep hillside vineyards, sharp day-to-night temperature swings, and that push-pull between Alpine cold and Adriatic warmth do the rest.

The Sturm family has been farming these hills since 1850, when their forebears arrived from Austria, recognized the promise of the Zegla area near Cormons, and stayed. Three generations later, siblings Denis and Patrick tend vineyards planted by their grandparents, many of those vines now 50 to 65 years old. The estate earned organic certification in 2016, guided by a philosophy of purity and minimal intervention from vine to bottle.

In the cellar, that restraint continues. The grapes are de-stemmed and cold macerated, then fermented in stainless steel at carefully controlled temperatures, spending several months on the lees before bottling—a technique that preserves the grape's natural aromatics while adding texture and depth. No oak, no shortcuts: just ponca, old vines, and time.