The first step is recognizing Friulano as a noble variety. In true Italian fashion, its plantings are confined to a relatively small geographic area, so it doesn’t have the international recognition of a Chardonnay or a Riesling. But within the Italian white-wine universe, it’s right up there at the top: Long known as ‘Tocai Friulano’—which led many researchers to believe that it was the Furmint grape of Hungary’s Tokaji region—Friulano is a distant relative of Sauvignon Blanc known as Sauvignonasse, or Sauvignon Vert (‘green’ Sauvignon). Its name was officially changed by the EU in 2008, in a decree that gave Hungary sole use of the word “Tocai” on any labels. And while there are occasions when some Friulano wines resemble Sauvignon Blanc in style, it is only in the subtlest of ways and is rather rare. The best Friulanos are not overtly ‘green,’ either in color (they typically have more of a silvery cast) or in flavor (there’s much less, if none, of the pyrazine/herbal influence that characterizes Sauvignon Blanc). Friulano is typically more richly textured and lower in acidity than Sauvignon Blanc as well.

Isidoro “Doro” Princic, who bottled his first wines in the 1950s, and his son, Sandro, who runs the estate today, have kept the Princic estate small (about 12 hectares of vines) and focused primarily on white wines fermented in stainless steel (they haven’t made any forays into the world of “orange wine” that I’m aware of, but anything’s possible). They are rightly treated as local legends, and now Sandro’s son, Carlo, has entered the fray, to ensure continuity. The family’s farm is in the hamlet of Pradis, just outside the Collio anchor town of Cormòns and a short drive from the Slovenian border. The Cormons area is Ground Zero for Friuli’s best whites, situated as it is in the foothills of the Julian Alps—but also just 25 kilometers or so from the Adriatic Sea. This push-pull of cool mountain air and warm sea breezes is one of the keys to the region’s success with white wines: Vines are refreshed every evening, which lengthens the growing season to heighten aromatics and preserve acidity, but there’s also enough warmth and sun to deliver ripeness and depth. The soils of the area are dominated by a sandstone/clay marl mixture known locally as ponka, lending the wines a palpable minerality.

Today’s 2017, while unoaked, is a powerful, textured, memorable white wine. In the glass, it shines a pale straw-gold with hints of silver and copper (textbook Friulano), with aromas of white peach, apricot, citrus oil, wildflower honey, dried green herbs, wet stones, and a touch of almond skin. These sensations carry over to a medium-plus/full-bodied palate, which shows lots of texture but a nice splash of citrusy acidity on the finish. There’s also a lingering mineral component that is very appealing. The wine is ready to drink now and over the next few years—it won’t, I admit, age like white Burgundy or German/Alsace Riesling—and it is an extremely versatile food wine. The easy move is to serve it in large white wine stems at 45-50 degrees with a platter of thinly sliced Prosciutto di San Daniele (Friuli’s other signature product), but I also love Friulano with all types of salads and seafood. The attached recipe is a great snapshot of northeast Italian flavors and was written by a real-deal Friulian, Lidia Bastianich. The combination will be perfect. Enjoy!