Borgo m Tocai Friulano 2010

Winery: Borgo M

Varietal: Tocai Friulano

Travel to the northern Italian region of Friulia, and you'll no doubt be offered a glass of straw yellow wine made from the Tocai Fruiliano varietal grape, the most commonly cultivated grape of the area. Although it has been grown elsewhere (where it is usually known as Sauvignon Vert), the Tocai Fruiliano grape is most usually associated with northern Italy, where it has been popular for centuries and remains an important varietal to this day. The vines grow well on the sunny, well drained hillsides of the region, and the wineries which use the grape prize the varietal for its stunning bouquet of wild flowers. When it comes to flavors, the Tocai Fruiliano grape has a broad set – although citrus flavors such as lime and grapefruit are most commonly noted.

Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Situated in the north of Italy, between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, Friuli-Venezia Giulia is a fascinating and ancient wine region which is only just being discovered by the international wine audiences, keen to uncover more lesser known gems of Italy. Because Friuli-Venezia Giulia is so close to the Austrian and Slovenian borders, the wines there display a distinctly Germanic character, and typically Germanic grape varietals such as Riesling grow extremely well there, and capture much of their stunning alpine terroir. As such, alpine freshness, crystal clear mountain water and beautifully dry and crisp notes are what Friuli-Venezia Giulia's wines are most renowned for, and the Riesling, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Grigio wines of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, made by small, dedicated and traditional wineries, are considered amongst the finest in the world.

Country: Italy

Italy is recognised as being one of the finest wine producing countries in the world, and it isn't difficult to see why. With a vast amount of land across the country used primarily for vineyard cultivation and wine production, each region of Italy manages to produce a wide range of excellent quality wines, each representative of the region it is produced in. Any lover of Italian wines will be able to tell you of the variety the country produces, from the deliciously astringent and alpine-fresh wines of the northern borders, to the deliciously jammy and fruit-forward wines of the south and the Italian islands. Regions such as Barolo are frequently compared with Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, as their oak aged red wines have all the complexity and earthy, spicy excellence of some of the finest wines in the world, and the sparkling wines of Asti and elsewhere in Italy can easily challenge and often exceed the high standards put forward by Champagne. Thanks to excellent terrain and climatic conditions, Italy has long since proven itself a major player in the world of wines, and long may this dedication to quality and excellence continue.