Discover how this borderland DOC is creating some of Europe’s most expressive and cellar-worthy white wines
Tucked into Italy’s far northeast, along the Slovenian border and at the foothills of the Julian Alps, Collio DOC is one of the country’s best-kept secrets in white wine. And not by design — over 85 percent of its wines are consumed within Europe, leaving little for the rest of us. So, if you’ve never heard of Collio, you’re not alone.
The name Collio means “little hills,” and every vineyard must be located on sloped terrain to qualify for DOC status. These rolling vineyards sit between alpine breezes and Adriatic currents, creating ideal conditions for fresh, structured wines. The region is dominated by whites—88 percent of vineyards are dedicated to white varietals—thanks in large part to the area’s signature soil: ponca.
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Ponca is a mineral-rich mix of marl and sandstone, laid down by ancient seas. It gives Collio’s wines a distinctive backbone and serious aging potential. You’ll taste this terroir-expressive character across the region’s dozen authorized white grapes—especially friulano, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, ribolla gialla, and chardonnay.
But it’s not just about the soil. The wines of Collio reflect vineyard elevations, sun exposure, and precise winemaking—particularly with Collio Bianco, the region’s flagship blend (often anchored by friulano). These blends show off site expression, complexity, and harmony, especially from top producers including Marco Felluga Russiz Superiore, Renato Keber, Jermann, and Castello di Spessa, among many others.
The vineyard at Sturm.
Collio has also embraced skin-fermented white wines—especially ribolla gialla—well before orange wines became trendy. Producers like Primosic and Paraschos have mastered the style, and some producers age their ribolla for several years before release. These wines are textured, complex, and speak deeply of place.
Paraschos, based in the village of San Floriano del Collio, also crafts a stunning direct-press Sauvignon Blanc Riserva from their JZB vineyard. It’s a wine that rivals icons like Mondavi’s I-Block Fumé Blanc in terms of precision and site expression.
And speaking of which; Think all sauvignon blancs taste the same? Think again. In Collio, they age gracefully and develop nuance over time. A vertical at producer Borgo Conventi—from 2023 back to 2013—showcased evolving layers of tropical fruit, herbs, honey, and almond.
The 2023 Sauvignon Organic from Sturm, sourced from 35-year-old vines in Zegla, is another standout. Fresh, refined, and quietly powerful, it’s a far cry from the typical grassy punch of New Zealand styles. It’s also proof of how Collio speaks its own sauvignon dialect.
Why Collio deserves a spot in your cellar
Matt Steeves visits Collio DOC annually to taste their latest wines.
These are wines built to last—structured, expressive, and made with a clear respect for place. The best Collio wines reflect the vineyard more than the winemaker’s hand, and that’s what makes them so special. They’re rare on North American shelves, but if you spot one, grab it. You’ll discover why Italians keep most of them for themselves.
Here are 12 exceptional wines I highly recommend seeking out if you’re lucky enough to find them in your market:
Castello di Spessa Collio Bianco DOC San Serff 2015
A blend of pinot bianco, fruilano, sauvginon blanc. This premium offering is aged eight years prior to release, something that may seem bizarre for other white wines of the world but not for Collio DOC wines, especially their Collio Bianco blends which tend to really shine with a decade or more of cellar refinement. Light gold colour, the nose has great intensity with a complex bouquet of orchard fruit, tropical and floral notes. The palate offers refreshing orchard and citrus fruit chalky minerality, and a long mineral finish. Youthful with a long life ahead of it. Enjoy over the next twenty years.
Castello di Spessa Joy Pinot Grigio Collio DOC 2022
At 14.5% ABV, expect to see a light copper colour in the glass. Its fragrant and complex nose offers stone fruit, orchard fruit, strawberry, cherry, peach, floral blossoms, and Cyprus (balsamic) herbs. Fresh and mouthwatering, an energetic and lively pinot grigio with great structure and overall complexity.
Gradis Ciutta Friulano 2023
Golden yellow, the nose shows rich citrus, tropical fruit, mango, canned peaches, tomato leaf, and almond. Delicious flavour profile with sweet stone fruit, refreshing acidity, mineral persisting on the long clean finish.
Primosic Ribolla Gialla Riserva 2019 Collio DOC
A beautiful expression of Primosic’s skin fermented ribolla gialla. Over the past two decades they’ve honed their technique and aligned with the terroir to produce some of the most vibrant, elegant, and harmonious wines in Collio. Tasted in a T95 glass, designed specifically for their skin fermented (orange) wine, the copper colour invites the nose which reveals a complex bouquet of honeyed stone fruit, citrus, orange rind, and savoury balsamic notes. The palate is elegant and layered repeating the aromatic profile with great length on the finish. Enjoy over the next decade.
Sturm Sauvignon 2023
Everyone has to try the unique expressions of Collio Sauvignon to see for themselves just how great they are. Completely different than New Zealand’s often pungent style. Light gold colour, the nose is quite rich, with honeyed notes, citrus, almond biscotti, pear and floral notes. Remarkably rich, with refreshing exotic fruit, zesty chamomile tea, almond, and pronounced minerality persisting. A stellar expression of Collio Sauvignon which highlights the unique character of this varietal.
Paraschos 2022 Sauvignon Riserva
Sourced from a new Cru vineyard in their portfolio near Gradis’ciutta, and named JZB for Jazbine (meaning Giasbana) – the small part of the village of San Floriano del Collio where the vineyard is located. They waited for the grapes to achieve perfect maturation at harvest, then their low intervention winemaking took over, allowing spontaneous fermentation on wild yeasts (no commercial yeast in their winery), with two years of aging in large Slovenian oak barrels (10-25hl) on fine lees. Bottled without filtration resulting in a super expressive wine, showing ripe fruits, stone fruits, exotic fruits, citrus zest, herbs, and a touch of chamomile tea. This expression of sauvignon blanc is pure terroir and highlights the ability they have to make world-class wines across their portfolio.
Bolzicco Collio Bianco DOC “Vigne da Mont” 2021
From a sun-drenched, south-facing vineyard on the flank of Monte Quarin, within the commune of Cormòns and brushing the Slovenian border, Bolzicco’s single-vineyard offering is a masterclass in harmony, depth, and regional expression. A blend of 60% friulano and 40% ribolla gialla, fermented in stainless steel and aged for 12 months in seasoned barriques. On the nose, it opens with waves of ripe orchard and stone fruits—yellow apple, lemon curd, and dried apricot—woven together with nuances of almond croissant and delicate baking spice. The palate is both taut and generous: a textured interplay of freshness and richness, underpinned by a vein of minerality that lingers gracefully on the long, persistent finish. A benchmark Collio Bianco from a five-star vintage.
Livon Malvasia Collio DOC ‘Soluna’
Sourced from the northwestern reaches of Collio, this is a strikingly expressive and terroir-driven white that captures the wild elegance of its origin. On the nose, Soluna unfurls with a smoky allure—fumé, wood smoke, and flint—layered over ripe stone fruit, apricot, apple, and wild herbs. This savoury aromatic complexity offers a deeply evocative first impression. The palate is no less compelling: vibrant orchard fruits—pear, apple—give way to honeyed stone fruit richness, balanced by a firm streak of saline minerality. The finish is long, textured, and mouthwatering, echoing the wine’s smoky and mineral undertones with a persistent, salty lift. A refined expression.
Livon Friulano Collio DOC “Manditocai” 2022
Fermented half in French oak barriques and half in stainless steel, and aged for eight months before blending, this wine achieves a seamless balance of fruit purity and refined structure. Pale gold colour, the nose is layered and evocative, opening with fragrant floral notes, marigold blossoms, summer meadow, stonefruit, touch of petrol, and a faint herbaceous note completes the bouquet. More yellow flower, citrus, peach, and minerality on palate. It’s fresh and energetic. Friulano is a great variety for representing terroir and Manditocai shines bright with precision and poise.
Marco Felluga Russiz Superiore 2021
The family’s sixth generation winemaker, Ilaria Felluga leads this winery, including the production of their Collio Bianco ‘Col Disôre’ meaning the highest part of the hill. Col Disôre is a blend of pinot bianco, ribolla gialla, friulano, and sauvignon blanc. Fermented in oak and aged on its lees for a year before bottling. Produced only in the best vintages, for which 2021 was steller. This blend beautifully showcases the strength and elegance of the vintage. Super elegant profile, it’s harmonious and lively, offering a fragrant bouquet of orchard fruit and stone fruit, lemon zest, and acacia blossom. This wine is showing wonderfully now and will only continue to gain complexity over the next decade and beyond. Enjoy 2025-2040.
Jermann Capo Martino 2021
Jermann’s Capo Martino takes its name from the estate’s 7.5-hectare vineyard, where the land’s steep, sun-drenched slopes, facing south and southeast, capture every precious ray of light. The wine opens with a fragrant symphony: ripe orchard fruits, tropical bursts of pineapple and mango, delicate floral blossoms, and a whisper of baking spice. The defining note, however, is a distinct minerality, a briny, sea-shell essence, that speaks of the land beneath. On the palate, Capo Martino unfolds with impressive body and a creamy, almost silken texture, buoyed by a refreshing streak of acidity. Each sip repeats the promise of the nose, delivering a harmonious interplay between the richness of ripe fruit and the refreshing clarity of the land’s mineral core. For those in search of an exceptional expression of Collio’s soul, this is a bottle that encapsulates the very best of the region, offering a journey into its terroir.
Cruna di Subida Ribolla Gialla 2022
From the passionate hands behind the Cruna di Subida Wine Country House B&B comes a standout example of ribolla gialla that speaks eloquently of place and precision. The 2022 vintage opens with a beautifully layered nose—ripe orchard fruit, mandarin orange, and juicy stone fruit weave seamlessly with floral hints, a touch of honey, and a clean, saline minerality that evokes the cool air and ancient ponca soils of the Collio hills. On the palate, it’s just as compelling: vibrant and textured with a lively energy, balancing ripeness with a firm spine of acidity reminiscent of raw Chablis. That steely tension, a hallmark of the region’s marlstone soils, gives the wine structure and age-worthy promise, while keeping it thrillingly drinkable now. This is not just a wine—it’s an invitation to discover a place.
Matt Steeves is a Canadian Wine Writer, On-Air Sommelier (TV, radio), Valpolicella Wine Specialist, and former Director with the National Capital Sommelier Guild – follow Matt on Instagram @Quercusvino & www.quercusvino.ca & www.topwines.ca
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