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The variety behind some of northeast Italy’s most exciting whites, Friulano (née Tocai Friulano) first landed in Australia in the 1970s. Quealy sourced their cuttings from the vineyard of Slovenian émigré Denis Pasut in Mildura, grafting over a block of 1996 Chardonnay at their Balnarring vineyard as early as 2004. Above all, quality Friulano needs two things: low yields and lots of attention. “Friulano is a bugger to work with, but well worth the effort” notes Tom McCarthy. It is perhaps for these reasons the variety has yet to take off in Australia. Quealy manages yields at flowering—in effect halving the potential yields—and employs prudent canopy management to manage sun exposure.