RARE GRAPE VARIETAL RESOURCE

The cjanorie is an old red grape variety that originated in Friuli. Very popular in the past, it was common in many areas of the region, but especially in Northern Friuli, where it was used to give some shade to the house entrance. Its name may come either from the word cjane, that means “reed” in Friuli’s dialect, or adjective cjanor, which means hoary, that may refer to the light colour of its leaves and of the wine made from this grape.

The cjanorie grapevine is semi-erect but tends to grow horizontally; leaves are very big and thin, and not lobed. The bunch of grapes is medium-sized and quite regular-shaped, it is spherical with long grapeseeds. Its peel is thin and evenly blue coloured. When properly ripe, these grapes have a good quantity of sugar, with an average level of acidity and low aromatic content. It is a very fertile variety, needing long-lasting pruning and sun exposure. The harvest time generally starts in mid-September and some vinegrowers leave the grapes to dry on the vines, to achieve a better structurre and a long-lasting wine taste. The resulting wine is characterized for its pale colour, dry taste and surely is light-bodied. It is a fresh wine, very peculiar in comparison with the most famous Friuli’s wines. It well matches light red and white meat, but it can also be sipped between meals.

Cjanorie was never grown intensively in Friuli and has never been deemed as a best selling wine. This is why it is now rarer and rarer over time. In fact, it seemd to have disappeared some thirty years ago. Neverthleless, it is still popular around Gemona and in the area of Pinzano al Tagliamento, where some companies make limited quantities of cjanorie wine.

(Courtesy of Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity – Ark of Taste) https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/cjanorie-grape/

This variety was never cultivated intensively in Friuli. It spread throughout the area of Gemona and Pinzano al Tagliamento. The vine, very vigorous, is characterized by very large leaves and bunches. There was a time the vine was used to create the green pergola shading the entrances of the country houses in High Friuli (courtesy of the Bulfon winery website). The varietal was rediscovered by Emilio Bulfon in the early 1970’s when he came across abandoned grapes left by old farmers in the hamlet of Costabeorchia located in the town of Pinzano al Tagliamento. The first bottling/vintage was in 1989/90.

Help us populate this website. Whatever verifiable information you could provide re: this varietal or others (story pertaining to the varietal, description, producer, importer etc...) would be appreciated. See Contact page or email please

Aiutateci a popolare questo sito. Ogni informazione verificabile che potrete fornire su queste o altre varietà (storia della varietà, descrizione, produttore, importatore, etc…) sarà molto gradita. Per questo potete indirizzare le informazioni utilizzando la sezione Contatti o l' email.