Ribolla Gialla - One half of Friuli’s vinous fraternal twins

The only region that challenges the northeastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia as the king of Italian white wines is the southern region of Campania, but if I could ever arrange that steel cage match between the two, my money would still be on Friuli. Friuli is a veritable garden of vine varieties, both native and “International”, and Ribolla Gialla is one of the pillars…

The name “Ribolla Gialla” has a very specific meaning. “Gialla” simply means “yellow” in Italian (though the Friulani, who call the grape “Ribuele”, speak their own Romance language that is related to Italian, but is decidedly not the same language). The “gialla” part of name distinguishes this particular variety from the inferior quality “Ribolla Verde” (Green Ribolla) that though is not formally cutivated any longer, still grows in certain older vineyrds. The word “Ribolla” means ” (it) re-boils” due to the variety’s propensity to re-ferment in the spring as the temperatures begin to rise. And, as mentioned in the title of this piece, Ribolla Gialla is the white “twin” of the Friulano black grape variety called Schioppettino, which not surprisingly is sometimes known as “Ribolla Nera” (Black Ribolla). One variety is considered to be a mutation of the other, but whether the change went from black to white, or from white to black is still not known.

And though Friuli is unquestionably the variety’s cultivational “sweet spot”, what actually demarcates the borders of Friuli has always been fairly fluid, especially when looking east to what is now Slovenia. Even to this day, there are families that live on one side and work on the other, and most folks on one side of the border have relatives or friends on the other. Ribolla, on the Slavic side of the line is known as Rebula, and is nearly as important a variety there as it is in Friuli. And because Friuli had historically and politically always fallen into the orbit of the Venetian Republic, and the Venetians had developed an extensive network of trading posts throughout the eastern Mediterranean and Agean seas, Robola (as the variety is called there) has adopted the mountainous Greek island of Cepahlaonia as a second home.

Though many grape varieties are touted as being “ancient” ones, the hard and fairly early attestation date for Ribolla discovered in a legal contract dated 1289 confirms the fact that Ribolla Gialla was important enough to be specifically named and esteemed highly enough to be clearly separated from other white Friulano varieties. A bit later, in 1402, the city of Udine (which is still Friuli’s main city) issued an edict strictly forbidding any merchant from misrepresenting other wines as Ribolla, or even blending it with any other variety.

In the glass, Ribolla wines are lively little buggers! They’re actually somewhat good-hearted Doctors Jekyll and Misters Hyde, with the wines always displaying a zesty, even pointy acidity, but with an overarching round, mouth-filling texture. The variety tends toward flavors and aromas of dried white flowers, citrus juices, and chestnuts. In the end, Ribolla Gialla is a very lively and inviting wine that is rarely barrel aged to preserve this spunky character.

Ribolla pairs well with very specific dishes, and strangely, one of these is soup, especially creamed soups. Ribolla works equally well with white-fleshed fish dishes, especially ones with richer sauces, as well as light ocean-based appetizers, and has a particular affinity for crustacean nibblers like lightly boiled shrimps with mayonnaise sauces, and smoked or natural fish carpaccios and therefore, sushi plates as well.

TOM CIOCCO

Care to check out a Ribolla Gialla or three? Here you go…As always, tasting notes are welcomed and encouraged here as comments…

ROCK AND RIBOLLA!!!

P.S. - Just one caveat - though no one will be likely to take a flyer on an $88 Ribolla Gialla (FEAR NOT! - none of the rest listed are even close to that expensive!) the Josko Gravner Ribolla is an EXTREMELY idiosyncratic take on the variety from a great, but very controversial winemaker…just to give you an idea, Gravner uses ancient Georgian winemaking techniques that involve 40 and 50 day macerations in HUGE terracotta jugs that are buried in the ground - all without temperature control!…’nuff said, right?)

TC