the vertical THE CENTRAL EUROPEAN PINOT BIANCO TOROS by Vladimiro Tulisso In Italian public debate, the North-East is often described as a productive periphery, defined more by economic indicators than by historical processes. However, this interpretation is reductive. To truly understand Friuli and Venezia Giulia, it is necessary to place them within a broader and more layered historical context: Central Europe (Mitteleuropa). The concept of Central Europe is neither Habsburg nostalgia nor a literary category. It is a historical structure, made up of the circulation of people, knowledge, institutions, and cultural and agricultural practices. In this space, the boundary has never had a separating value. On the contrary, it functioned as an area of contact and continuity, often more resistant than political changes. For centuries, Trieste, Gorizia and part of Friuli were part of the Habsburg Empire, a multinational system capable of administering plurality without erasing it. Far from being marginal, these territories were strategic hubs in a system that held together languages, local autonomies and commercial networks. And also common grape varieties, such as Pinot Bianco. An example of this cultural and agricultural continuity is the Toros winery in Novali di Cormons (Gorizia), which grew and took root in the early 20th century next to a cellar built two centuries earlier and in the former hunting lodge of the Locatelli family. This family, originally from Bergamo but settled in the Gorizia area, was one of the most significant historical dynasties for the Cormons and Collio area, having profoundly influenced the economy and rural landscape between the 19th and 20th centuries by transforming their estates into a model of agricultural efficiency and focusing on quality viticulture. Despite its small size – 15 hectares, three of which are leased – Toros today represents the culmination of a journey that began a long time ago. Franco Toros, who has spent 73 years working in the vineyards of Novali, has unshakeable faith in Pinot Bianco: "It is the greatest white wine of the Collio area." However, in the DOC area, the vineyard covers less than 100 hectares, and in the entire Friuli Venezia Giulia region, it covers just over 600 hectares, representing less than 4 per cent of the total area (Pinot Grigio occupies 30 per cent and Glera 25 per cent).
