The Collio in the province of Gorizia is a border territory between Italy and Slovenia and it is home to some of the most renowned, precise and flavoursome Italian white wines. Black Various environmental factors make the wine-growing territory of the Collio unique. The type of soil is important: the stratification of compact clay and sandstone produces crumbly rocks known as flysh, or in local dialect, “ponca”. This soil is a godsend for the grapes, because it drains rainwater and forces the roots to grow deep. Moreover, the vineyards extend across the soft hills protected by the Julian Alps to the north while influenced by the light and breeze from the Adriatic Sea, just 30 km to the south. The climate in the Collio is marked by significant differences in temperature during the grape ripening period. The average annual temperature is above 13 °C, so rather warm, with plenty of rain to guarantee enough water for the plants. The Colli Orientali del Friuli are neither distant nor very different, only a little cooler and sometimes the vineyards are higher.