Schioppettino
Also known as Ribolla nera
Schioppettino is a red grape of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, especially Prepotto, Albana, and the Cialla valley near the Slovenian border. Also called Ribolla nera, it makes dry reds in which peppery aroma and freshness can be as important as weight or color.
Place and revival
The Colli Orientali consortium identifies Prepotto as a central home of the grape and describes its present-day expression as a still, dry wine. Ronchi di Cialla's account of the local revival credits the Rapuzzi family, the Nonino family, and local support in the 1970s. This producer history is useful for understanding the deliberate effort behind the grape's continuing presence, without treating survival as the work of one person alone.
Cialla's wooded hills and relatively cool conditions provide an important local reference. Ronchi di Cialla describes vineyards on the more favorable exposures, with forests covering much of the surrounding valley. The landscape combines the need to achieve ripeness with a tradition that values a fresh, spicy expression.
Pepper and structure
The characteristic pepper note has a chemical basis. Research by Fulvio Mattivi and colleagues identified substantial concentrations of rotundone, a potent pepper-smelling compound, in Schioppettino wines.1. Fulvio Mattivi and colleagues, “Vini particolarmente pepati: da conoscere, comunicare, valorizzare,” Infowine (2012), discussion of rotundone in Schioppettino and other varieties. This provides a useful connection with Syrah and Grüner Veltliner, while leaving considerable variation between vineyards and bottles.
Within Friuli, Schioppettino offers a useful comparison with Pignolo and Tazzelenghe. The latter two are particularly associated with forceful tannic structure; Schioppettino's peppery aromatic identity gives readers another way to approach the region's local reds.
Sources
- Consorzio Friuli Colli Orientali e Ramandolo, “Prepotto.”
- Ronchi di Cialla, “Schioppettino: storia e tradizione.”
- Fulvio Mattivi and colleagues, “Vini particolarmente pepati: da conoscere, comunicare, valorizzare,” Infowine, 2012.