Wine Trip
Friuli italy
January 2021
Travel to Friuli with us!
Here is a recommended itinerary and travel stops if you are heading to the Friuli Italy for a wine and food vacation, or if you are thinking about going in the future.
Travel Tips were in part inspired by the book Frasca Food and Wine and frascafoodandwine.com
Maps for this month’s wine region were provided by vineyards.com
From Seattle and most of the west coast is about a 13 hour flight time with layover to Rome. Its a little over and hour flight from Rome up to Venice or Trieste. Venice is 100km from Udine, the largest town in the Friuli region.
Rental car is generally the way to go here as things can be spread out. Keep in mind, in Europe this often means stick shift. Also allow extra time for travel between towns and wineries as the roads are often windy and one lane.
Your jump of point should probably be Udine, but smaller towns like Cormons are charming and quaint. Schedule at most two wine tastings per day with a long lunch in between and give yourself plenty of time to take it all in.
Udine
Udine is the historical capital and largest town of the region. Its a great jumping off point if your are driving up from Venice and its centrally located.
La Subida in Cormons
The quaint town of Cormons is home to one of the best restaurants in Friuli and perhaps all of Italy. Welcoming and friendly, they have a deep wine list and showcase elevated local cuisine.
Ronchi di Cialla Vineyards
The long lost Schiappottino grape survived pretty much through the will of this producer and now thrives in their vineyards making light, but exotic red wines that pair perfectly with regional grilled meats.
Radikon
Radikon, based on the Oslovia region of Fruili makes some of the best orange wines (skin contact white wines) i’ve ever had. Unique but pure, these wines definitely are influenced by winemakers beyond the borders of Italy, like nearby Slovenia.
Clay Amphora of Gravner
Gravner is a legend, and in part his reliance of ancient methods, such as age in clay amphora, have earned him world wide acclaim. His wines are unlike anything else, to me a mix of cultures and styles that truly represents Friuli.