Why it matters
The producer
Torre Rosazza farms 90 hectares of hillside vineyard in Colli Orientali del Friuli, the hilly appellation in the far northeast of Italy where the Alps begin to level into Slovenia and the Adriatic plain lies just south. The estate is owned by Genagricola, the agricultural arm of the Generali insurance group, which acquired it in 1979 and has run it since as a single-estate winery rather than a prestige showcase.
The cellar philosophy is uncomplicated: stainless steel throughout, no oak, no oxidative handling. Everything the winery does is aimed at keeping the aromatic character of the grapes as clear as possible from harvest to bottle. Riccardo Cottarella took over as winemaker in 2014 and has maintained that direction across whites and reds alike.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Colli Orientali del Friuli translates directly as the eastern hills of Friuli. The appellation covers a sequence of low ridges running north to south between Cividale del Friuli and the Slovenian border, roughly 20 kilometres east of Udine. The hillsides face mostly south and southwest, which in this continental-influenced climate matters considerably: the growing season is warm enough for full ripeness in the whites, while altitude keeps nights cool and acidity high.
Torre Rosazza's vineyards sit above the Natisone valley. That elevation and exposure governs how the Friulano and Ribolla Gialla ripen: slowly enough to build aromatic complexity, quickly enough that the fruit does not lose its freshness. The glass combines floral weight and genuine acidity rather than the flat ripeness that lower-lying sites in the same appellation can produce.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
All winemaking at Torre Rosazza takes place in stainless steel. The decision is not a constraint but a commitment: the cellar is designed around preserving rather than building flavour, which means temperature control is the main tool and oak is absent entirely.
For Friulano, the process is deliberate and unhurried. Grapes are de-stemmed, cold macerated to extract aromatic compounds from the skins before fermentation begins, then softly pressed. Fermentation runs at a constant 16 degrees in steel tanks, slow enough to preserve the floral and citrus notes that define the variety. The wine then spends four months on its noble lees, the settled yeast cells that add a little weight and roundness to the mid-palate without changing the aromatic direction. After bottling, it refines in glass for a minimum of two further months before release.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range divides naturally into the core whites, the decorated Pinot Grigio, and the native-variety bottles that sit at the edges of the range.
Friulano is the flagship white. On the nose it shows wild flowers, jasmine, pear, incense, and saffron, an aromatic combination that is specific to this grape grown on these hillsides. The palate is full and round but stays fresh, with a mineral note running through the mid-palate and a bitter herb inflection on the finish that is characteristic of the variety. The 2022 showed white peach, Buddha's hand citrus, guava, and lemon, with high acidity and a finish that held for longer than the aromatic profile alone would suggest.