Friulano and Tocai Friulano point to exactly the same wine, pressed from exactly the same grape, grown in the same cool northeastern corner of Italy. The bottle changed; the liquid inside did not. If you loved a Tocai Friulano from Colli Orientali del Friuli before 2007 and bought a Friulano from the same producer after, you were drinking the same thing under a court-ordered alias.
Why the Name Changed in 2007
Hungary has produced Tokaji (spelled with a 'j', pronounced similarly) for centuries, and it is one of Europe's most storied wines, built primarily on the Furmint grape. Hungarian producers argued, with some force, that Italian labels carrying the word 'Tocai' muddied the waters for consumers who might associate it with their region of Tokaj.
A 1993 agreement between the European Union and Hungary set the process in motion, and the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg handed down the final ruling: after March 31, 2007, Italian producers could no longer use the word 'Tocai' on labels sold within the EU. The wines became Friulano overnight.
The irony, noted by many in Friuli, is that the two wines share nothing genetically. Hungarian Tokaji is typically Furmint, Hárslevelű, and Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. Tocai Friulano is a completely different grape, now formally identified as Sauvignonasse, with no meaningful link to Hungary's tradition.
The Grape Itself: Sauvignonasse in Disguise
Tocai Friulano's true botanical identity is Sauvignonasse, also called Sauvignon Vert. Despite the name, it is not a close relative of Sauvignon Blanc in any practical, flavor-profile sense. The name similarity is partly why it caused confusion in Chile, where it was historically mistaken for and planted as Sauvignon Blanc for decades.
In the glass, Friulano tastes nothing like a typical Sauvignon Blanc. Expect something rounder and quieter: almonds, white peach, a faint nuttiness, and a finish that often carries a distinctive bitter almond note. Acidity is present but measured, and the body tends toward medium-plus rather than the lean crispness of a Loire Sauvignon.
The grape is widely planted in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and the adjacent Slovenian border regions. It is considered a signature variety of the area, more deeply local in character than any synonym on its label would suggest.
What the Label Rules Mean for You Today
Inside the EU, the word 'Tocai' is off-limits for Italian producers. Buy a bottle from Collio or Colli Orientali del Friuli today and it will say Friulano. The Italian National Catalog of Grape Varieties still officially lists the grape as Tocai Friulano, so the name lives on in the technical and regulatory sense, just not on the front label.
Outside Europe, producers are permitted to label the wine as Tocai Friulano. So if you spot that phrase on a bottle from Argentina or another non-EU country, it is legal and not an error. The wine community largely uses both names interchangeably, with most writers defaulting to Friulano for post-2007 Italian bottlings.
One practical tip for reading labels: Friulano should not be confused with Friuli as a regional designation. The grape name 'Friulano' on the label tells you the variety; the name of a DOC like Colli Orientali del Friuli tells you the region. Both can appear together, and frequently do.
Where to Find It and What to Expect
The heart of the wine is northeastern Italy, with Colli Orientali del Friuli and Collio as the benchmark appellations. Both sit close to the Slovenian border, where a mix of Ponca (a compressed marl and sandstone) and mineral-rich soils gives the wines a savory, almost stony undertone that makes them interesting alongside food.
In our historical dataset of 137 reviewed examples, the wines land in a mid-priced tier, with scores running from 84 to 95 and a median around 87. That spread suggests a grape that rewards producers who treat it carefully, without asking you to spend at premium-tier levels to find something worth drinking.
Friulano pairs naturally with the cuisine of its home region: white-fleshed fish, cured meats, and the mild, milky cheeses of the Friuli table. The almond-bitter finish cuts through richness without overpowering delicate flavors, which is a combination not every white wine manages.
Clearing Up the Confusion Around 'Tokay'
The name tangle does not stop with Hungary. Pinot Gris was historically called Tokay d'Alsace in Alsace, adding yet another wine to a cluster of similar-sounding names with no shared genetics. The EU eventually required Alsace to drop 'Tokay' from that label as well, so the cleanup was broader than just Friuli.
None of these wines are related in any meaningful botanical way. Tokaji is Furmint-based and typically sweet. Friulano is Sauvignonasse and typically dry. Former Tokay d'Alsace is Pinot Gris. Three different grapes, three different traditions, one confusing cluster of names that a series of regulatory decisions has slowly untangled.
The first documented record of a 'new' Tocai in Italy, probably made from Sauvignonasse rather than earlier grape candidates including Furmint, dates only to 1932. The grape's Italian story is shorter than the legend suggests, which makes the ferocity of the naming dispute a little easier to understand: both sides were defending something they felt was theirs.