Tre Bicchieri 2024, Friuli Venezia Giulia's best wines awarded by Gambero Rosso

Friuli Venezia Giulia's Tre Bicchieri 2024

Tre Bicchieri 2024 Friuli Venezia Giulia. The region's best wines between single grape varieties and blends

In a land renowned for its whites, one would have expected the drought-ridden 2022 vintage to produce heavy wines, lacking in acidity and liveliness. Yet our tastings revealed quite the opposite. True, many of the Tre Bicchieri awards given this year are the results of previous harvests and achieved excellence after varying periods of aging, but impressively, six wines from the 2022 vintage received top honors. Three hail from Collio—no surprise there. They are Mario Schiopetto’s Friulano, Doro Princic’s Malvasia, and Tiare’s Sauvignon, which celebrates its tenth award in a row. Bravo! Another distinguished wine is from the Friuli Colli Orientali appellation, Torre Rosazza’s Friulano. The Karst region offers the Malvasia Dileo, by Castelvecchio, matching its accolade from last year, and then there's  Vigneti Le Monde’s Pinot Bianco, which has long brought honor to western Friuli. The aforementioned are all single-varietal wines, but an impressive twelve are blends. Collio Bianco earned four laurels with Collavini's Broy, Ronco dei Tassi's Fosarin, Borgo Conventi's Luna di Ponca, and Russiz Superiore's Col Disôre. Friuli Colli Orientali responded with Tunella's Biancosesto, Myò by Zorzettig's I Fiori di Leonie, and Scubla's Pomèdes. Also on the list are Jermann's legendary Vintage Tunina, Livio Felluga's Rosazzo Terre Alte, Tenuta Luisa's Desiderium from the I Ferretti line, and La Roncaia's Eclisse. Rounding out the award winners are the Pinot Bianco Santarosa from Castello di Spessa, Lis Neris' Pinot Grigio Gris, Vie di Romans' Sauvignon Vieris, and Le Vigne di Zamò's Friulano Vigne 50 Anni.

Lastly, three wines were produced through skin maceration, the so-called "orange wines'': the enchanting Collio Chardonnay Riserva ’18 from Primosic in Oslavia (on the Gorizia Hills), which also earned our White Wine of the Year award, followed by Skerk's Malvasia and Zidarich's Vitosvka Collection, both ambassadors of the Karst region. The review concludes with an exceptional red: Vigna Petrussa presented a Schioppettino ’19 of extraordinary elegance, showcasing the potential of the region’s reds and its traditional grapes, such as refosco dal peduncolo rosso, tazzelenghe, and pignolo. Expect delightful surprises in the years to come …