Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Ribolla wines were the most popular of all
wines made in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Ribolla Gialla has very pyramidal-cylindri-
cal, very small bunches (as little as eighty
grams!), with medium-large berries. It tends to
do poorly in flatland vineyards, where it
becomes overly productive and yields neutral,
insipid wines; use of the Kober 5BB rootstock
exposes it to risk of drought sensitivity. It's also
subject to shot berries (Ribolla Verde suffers
less from this but is more prone to botrytis, due
to its more compact bunch). There are two
clones of note, ERSA-FVG 180 and VCR 100.
well-made Ribolla Gialla wine. In theory, the
wine can be one of Italy's best light-bodied
white wines and one of the greatest summer-
time wines; in practice, it seldom is. In fact,
Ribolla Gialla's full potential is rarely achieved,
for its versatility and generosity are such that
too many different wines are made with it. At
last count, it is available in many wine styles,
including light-bodied and dry, oak-aged and
dry, easygoing sparkling (made with the Char-
mat method), more complex sparkling (made
in the manner of Champagne, with a secondary
fermentation in the bottle), an off-dry, sweet,
wannabe red (with macerations on the skins
lasting up to four months), and oxidized (when
aged in terra-cotta amphoras). Many producers
are not happy with this army of ribolla styles.
Paolo Rodaro has written and spoken often
about the folly of a sparkling ribolla, which in
his view only “creates confusion in the minds of
consumers. It took us twenty years to make
people understand that Schioppettino was not a
sweet wine; now we are about to create a simi-
lar mess with Ribolla.”
Ribolla Gialla can show all it's got when
grown in ideal hillside vineyards, by limiting
yields, and by making the wine like any other
white wine, with low fermentation tempera-
tures that help the variety express its delicate
aromas. Avoiding oak, which is too dominant
for an essentially delicate wine, is also a good
idea. Off-dry and sweet versions of ribolla were
once a typical local accompaniment to boiled or
roasted chestnuts, but they are uncommon
nowadays.
In California, there are many interesting
ribollas to try: Arnot-Roberts, Forlorn Hope,
Grassi, and Ryme Cellars make interesting
examples (all made with Ribolla Gialla fruit
grown by George Vare, who is passionate about
the variety).
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Ribolla Gialla wines are typical of Friuli Ven-
ezia Giulia: the best and easiest to fi nd are
those labeled Colli Orientali del Friuli (COF)
Ribolla or Collio Ribolla, which are also the
only two DOCs that contemplate monovarietal
ribolla. There are two recognized
grand crus
for
the variety, wines that have been famous and
sought after throughout history: Rosazzo in the
COF and Oslavia in the Collio. Ribolla from
Rosazzo, a warm microclimate, is generally
deeper and richer than most (though rich is
relative with ribolla, which, at its best, is always
a fresh, fragrant white wine); ribolla from Osla-
via, where vineyards are at higher altitudes and
in a cooler microclimate, are mineral, lemony,
and higher acid. Both are characterized by the
variety's telltale nuance of white pepper, but
which is never found when yields are high.
Dario Ermacora of the Ermacora estate believes
ribolla gialla is best when made from grapes
grown in poorly fertile soils rich in mineral
salt, such as those of Buttrio, Rocca Bernarda,
Spessa, Dolegna del Collio, and San Floriano,
near Oslavia. All of these areas save for San Flo-
riano give a softer ribolla, while the cooler San
Floriano produces higher-acid wines. Silvano
Zamò of Le Vigne di Zamò says that soils ought
to be low in clay content and well drained,
which helps diminish the cultivar's naturally
high vigor.
I love the fresh buttercup, tangerine, and
lemony-pepper zing and bracing acidity of a
wines to try:
Miani*** (the greatest Ribolla
wine and, I believe, one of Italy's fi ve or six
greatest white wines, made by Enzo Pontoni;
it's a four-star wine, if only I had that option in
this topic), Luisa***, Ronchi di Cialla***,
