Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the wine point out that Hungary's main wine
grape, called Furmint, bears a clear resem-
blance to the Friuli nobleman's last name.
Tocai Friulano is an interesting variety far
beyond its complicated historical roots. In fact,
we know today that it is identical to Sauvignon
Vert or Sauvignonasse. Once a common variety
in France, it is now found mainly in Friuli Ven-
ezia Giulia and in Chile (a number of very good
Chilean wines labeled Sauvignon taste of Tocai
Friulano and not of Sauvignon Blanc at all).
There are some plantings of Tocai Friulano in
other parts of the world as well, such as Califor-
nia, New York State, and New Zealand, and it is
interesting to see that this cultivar is starting to
gain a measure of recognition all its own, with
estates starting to bottle it with its real varietal
name (most usually, the chosen name is Sauvi-
gnon Vert or Sauvignonasse, occasionally Tocai
Friulano). The variety is a resistant one and has
problems only with botrytis in the fall, but as
the fungus usually arrives in the vineyards
when the grapes are ready to be picked the
problem is marginal. One diffi cult aspect of
Tocai Friulano cultivation is its thin skin and
susceptibility to autumn rains during harvest-
time, when ill-timed showers can wreak havoc
quickly. Also, according to producers such as
Paolo Rodaro and Giorgio Badin, there appear
to be two different biotypes of Tocai Friulano,
one with very green berries (even when ripe)
and a yellow-berried one. The latter is far more
common nowadays, and clonal selections have
been propagated from it (clone R14 is an exam-
ple). However, most producers point out that it
is the green-berried biotype that has the more
intense aromatics. Recently, viticulture expert
Carlo Petrussi has described a red-stalked Tocai
Friulano biotype (Petrussi 2013).
Tocai Friulano is grown everywhere in
Friuli Venezia Giulia and even in nearby
Veneto, where the grape is usually called Tocai
Italico. There is some Tocai Friulano also grow-
ing in Lombardy, mainly near the border with
Veneto. This variety seems to be on the
upswing outside Italy: in Chile (especially the
Central Valley, especially the subregion of
Curicó, in particular Teno, Lontué, Entre-Cor-
dilleras, and Andes, but also in other denomi-
nations such as San Antonio and Casablanca);
in the United States (Napa County, Mendocino
County, Santa Maria Valley, Carneros, Santa
Ynez Valley, and Finger Lakes); and also in
Argentina and New Zealand (D'Agata 2013).
Which Wines to Choose and Why
You'll fi nd Tocai Friulano wines from every
Friuli DOC, while in Veneto DOCs such as
Piave, Lison-Pramaggiore, and Garda are your
best bets. Lombardy wines to look for are Garda
Colli Mantovani.
Badin thinks that friulano wines are muscu-
lar on their own and don't need oak and other
trappings to show well. He laughs when I men-
tion his good friend Gianfranco Gallo, who
makes very rich wines: “I've been telling him
for years that friulano doesn't need to be aged in
small oak barrels or made with selected yeasts:
it's best left alone to do its own thing. Though
I'll admit one has to be careful with possible off
odors developing because of reduction, some-
thing the variety is prone to.” A good friulano is
a pale straw-green, with delicate aromas of
white fl owers, sweet almonds, and green apple.
It can stand up to a judicious oaking, but can be
overwhelmed easily by too much vanillin.
Non-Italian Tocai Friulano wines I have
found to be very successful include California's
Larkmead, Viansa, Palmina, and Jacuzzi Fam-
ily; New York State's Millbrook; and New Zea-
land's Balnarring Vineyard.
wines to try:
Borgo del Tiglio*** (the oak-
aged Ronco della Chiesa is one of Italy's great-
est white wines), Ronco del Gelso*** (Toc Bas),
Toros***, Vie di Romans*** (Dolé), Can-
tar ut ti* *, Doro Pr incic* *, Er macora* *, Scar-
bolo**, Livio Felluga*, Drius*, Dario Raccaro*,
and Tomasella*.
Torbato
where it's found:
Sardinia.
national regis-
try code number:
237.
color:
white.
