COF2012 – Friuli Colli Orientali Map


View Friuli Colli Orientali 2012 in a larger map

Here’s a map I made of the COF2012 project. I’m a big fan of putting my adventures into a geographical context, and Google Maps offers the perfect platform for that. We were whisked around often and quickly on the trip, so I really didn’t have any idea where we were on a map at any given time. For instance, I never made the connection that Rocca Bernarda and Specogna are essentially down the road from each other.

If you’re not familiar with Google Maps, you can use the buttons in the upper left of the map to zoom in and out (you can also double-click on an area of the map to zoom in on it). You can click and drag within the map to move it around. Click on the “View Friuli Colli Orientali 2012 in a larger map” to get a map that fills up your screen.

You can click on each individual place marker to pop out a window with more information about that place. Again, you may want to do this on the bigger map so you have more room. The colors of the place markers represent which day we were at a location: red = day 1, green = day 2, light blue = day 3, yellow = day 4, purple = day 5. The purple border is the approximate boundary of the Friuli Colli Orientali DOC region.

To the other COF2012 bloggers: feel free to embed this map into your own blog if you like. Just choose to view the larger map, then to the upper left of the map on the next screen is a chain-link button. Click on that and then click the “Customize and preview embedded map” link to create a map that fits your blog size.

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A Few of My Favorite Things in Friuli – Part 3

This is my third and final post on my favorite things in Colli Orientali del Friuli. You can also view the first part and the second part.

Asparagus Souffle at Terra e Vini
Asparagus Souffle at Terra e Vini

Terra e Vini lunch. We had a wonderful tasting at the historic Livio Felluga winery in Brazzano. Afterwards, Elda Felluga, one of the current owners and daughter of the founder, hosted us at her osteria, Terra e Vini. This beautiful and warm osteria focuses on traditional foods, ingredients and wines of Friuli. This turned out to be one of the best overall meals of the trip for me. The standout was a series of exquisite mini-souffles infused with asparagus and browned on top, and served on a bed of sweetly acidic tomatoes. I spent the whole meal thinking to myself “God, I’d give anything to have this restaurant in Houston.”

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A Few of My Favorite Things in Friuli – Part 2

I just returned from Italy and I’m still processing all the wines, foods, conversations and experiences that flowed from the COF2012 project. In a previous post, I cataloged my most memorable experiences in the first half of our trip. And by experiences, I’m not only referring to the wines – the obvious reason for why we were there – but also to the tastes, sights and sounds of the Colli Orientali del Friuli region (COF).

Like all of Italy, this experience was a holistic affair – a cascade of sensory information from the sight of patterned vineyards to the touch of warm-cool microclimates that change from hill and valley to the lingering scent of grape must and the sound of wind through the trees of the northern-most hills of Ramandolo. And, of course, the taste of wine, lots of wine.

Here are a few of my most memorable experiences from the second half of our trip.

Eugenio Collavini Ribolla Gialla Spumante Brut
Eugenio Collavini Ribolla Gialla Spumante Brut

Ribolla Gialla Brut. We’d tasted a few sparkling wines from COF leading up to the Consortium wine tasting on Day 4. On this day, Luigi Collavini, grandson of the founder of the Eugenio Collavini estate and one of its current directors presented several outstanding wines. But the standout for me was a fresh, bright sparkling version of the Ribolla Gialla varietal. Luigi was a pleasure to talk to – a combination of Italian charm and old-world weariness with some deadpan humor thrown in for good measure. I’d easily drink this brut over the shlock prosecco we get in the U.S. these days.

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A Few of My Favorite Things in Friuli – Part 1

The COF2012 project has been incredibly busy and interesting. Every day our itinerary is packed with visits to winemakers and vineyards. The Consortium has put together a great experience for all of us.

With that in mind, I’ve taken some time to look back at the whirlwind of our first three days in Colli Orientali del Friuli and consider some of the experiences that stand out the most for me.

Tagliolini al San Daniele
Tagliolini al San Daniele

Taglioni al San Daniele at Trattoria Solder. We arrived at our agriturismo around lunchtime and headed across the street to Trattoria Solder, a casual restaurant featuring typical Friulian food and wine. For 6 travelers, several of whom had been traveling for 12-24 hours, this was a comforting and delicious introduction to Friuli. The wines were fantastic and the proprietor, Fabrizio Solder, took very good care of us – sending out a selection of dishes from his menu. The standout for me was a simple dish featuring thin strands of taglioni pasta coated in a savory, rich sauce of the local Montasio cheese and wrapped in San Daniele prosciutto.

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Corte San Biagio Agriturismo

A Panorama of the agriturismo.


Corte San Biagio: Panorama view. Click and drag within the picture to view a 360 degree view. If you have trouble viewing, or for a larger version, you can also click here.

On the night before my trip to Friuli-Venezia Giulia, I was jonesing for some of this Italian region’s Colli Orientali del Friuli (COF) wines. There’s not a big selection in Houston, but I knew I could visit one of my favorite neighborhood joints, Dolce Vita pizzeria, to find some. I walked over.

The white wines on the list were dominated by Friulian wines, with the majority coming from the COF DOC. I chose a glass of the 2009 “La Sclusa” Ribolla Gialla, a classic native varietal of the region. It turned out to be an excellent choice. Crisp acidity with floral and mineral notes offered a great expression of this varietal and region. I hoped I’d get a chance to try more from this winemaker. However, there are many producers in the COF zone and it would be quite a coincidence if I were to meet this one.

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