2016 Ronchi di Cialla Schioppettino di Cialla, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

ABOUT THIS WINE

Estate grown and bottled. Prolonged maceration for 4-5 weeks; Native yeasts; Pump-over twice daily. Maturation in French oak barriques for 14-18 months and further ageing in bottles for 30-36 months. Potential ageing in the bottle: 20-25 years with some vintages able to evolve even longer.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

In Cialla, in 1970, a small miracle happened: Paolo and Dina Rapuzzi founded the winery Ronchi di Cialla and, thanks also to the help of Bernardo Bruno, then mayor of Prepotto, managed to find about 60 surviving vines of Schioppettino. Selecting the best gems from the shoots, they made new cuttings and managed, in the space of two years, to create a first wine estate of 3,500 vines that marked the rebirth of the Schioppettino.

As a recognition of so much work and foresight, in 1976, the Rapuzzis were awarded the very first of the prestigious Risit D'aur Prize (Golden Vine), from the Nonino distillery of Percoto for the following motive: "... for giving rational impulse to the cultivation, in its most suited habitat in Cialla of Prepotto, of the ancient and prestigious native vine Schioppettino, of which absurd laws had decreed the extinction... ".

On the jury, there was also Luigi Veronelli who fell in love first with the story and then with the wine Schioppettino. After more than forty years, Schioppettino is sold and appreciated all over the world. Many vintages, kept in our cellars in Ronchi di Cialla, have been subjected to topping up. Schioppettino, from an extinct grape, thanks to Ronchi di Cialla and to the Rapuzzi family, is experiencing a rebirth and a renewed period of popularity.