Ribolla Gialla
Encyclopedia
Ribolla Gialla is a white Italian wine
grape
grown most prominently in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. The grape is also found in Slovenia
, where it is known as Rebula, and on the Greek
island of Kefalonia
where it is known as Robola. In Friuli, the grape thrives in the region around Rosazzo and Gorizia
. In Slovenia, the grape is grown prominently in the Brda
region. The grape is not related to the Friuli red wine grape Schioppettino
which is also known as Ribolla Nera. The obscure, lower quality Ribola Verde grape is mutated
version that is not widely used.
contract
on vineyard land in the Friuli region. During the 14th century, the Italian
poet Giovanni Boccaccio
listed indulgence of Ribolla wines as one of the sins of gluttony
in his diatribe on the subject. When the Duke of Austria, Leopold III
, established reign over Trieste
one of his stipulations was that the city supply him each year with 100 urn
s of the region's best Ribolla wine. By 1402, the reputation of the wine made from the grape was high enough for the city of Udine
to feel compelled to enact a law which prohibited the adulteration of any wine made from Ribolla. In the 18th century, the Italian writer Antonio Musnig rated Ribolla wine as the finest white wine in the Friuli. The phylloxera
epidemic of the 19th century took a hard toll on Ribolla plantings with many Friuli vineyards owners choosing to replant their land with imported French wine
grapes like Merlot
and Sauvignon blanc
rather than the local grape varieties. By the 1990s less than 1% of all white Friuli wines created under a Denominazione di origine controllata
(DOC) designation contained Ribolla. By the turn of the 21st century, international interest in the wines of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia had led to an increase in plantings of the grape. Today it has a more prominent roles in the white DOC wines of Colli Orientali del Friuli
and Collio Goriziano
.
with some oak aging. As the wine ages, it can develop some nutty
flavors. In Greece, the wine has flint
y and lemon
notes. In the Friuli, the wines of the southern regions have a little more body than the wines of the central regions.
Italian wine
Italian wine is wine produced in Italy, a country which is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Italy is the world's largest wine producer, responsible for approximately one-fifth of world wine production in 2005. Italian wine is exported largely around the world and has...
grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
grown most prominently in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. The grape is also found in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, where it is known as Rebula, and on the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island of Kefalonia
Kefalonia
The island of Cephalonia, also known as Kefalonia, Cephallenia, Cephallonia, Kefallinia, or Kefallonia , is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece, with an area of . It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit...
where it is known as Robola. In Friuli, the grape thrives in the region around Rosazzo and Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
. In Slovenia, the grape is grown prominently in the Brda
Brda (Slovenia)
Brda is a municipality in western Slovenia. It is located in the Slovenian Littoral region, extending from the Italian border to the river Soča...
region. The grape is not related to the Friuli red wine grape Schioppettino
Schioppettino
Schiopettino is a red Italian wine grape grown predominately in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. The grape is believed to have originated between the comune of Prepotto and the Slovenian border where records of the Schiopettino wine being used in marriage ceremonies date to 1282...
which is also known as Ribolla Nera. The obscure, lower quality Ribola Verde grape is mutated
Mutation
In molecular biology and genetics, mutations are changes in a genomic sequence: the DNA sequence of a cell's genome or the DNA or RNA sequence of a virus. They can be defined as sudden and spontaneous changes in the cell. Mutations are caused by radiation, viruses, transposons and mutagenic...
version that is not widely used.
History
The grape is believed to have originated in Greece and made it way up to the Friuli-Venezia Giulia by way of Slovenia. The first written documentation of the grape was in a 1289 notarialCivil law notary
Civil-law notaries, or Latin notaries, are lawyers of noncontentious private civil law who draft, take, and record legal instruments for private parties, provide legal advice and give attendance in person, and are vested as public officers with the authentication power of the State...
contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
on vineyard land in the Friuli region. During the 14th century, the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
poet Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio was an Italian author and poet, a friend, student, and correspondent of Petrarch, an important Renaissance humanist and the author of a number of notable works including the Decameron, On Famous Women, and his poetry in the Italian vernacular...
listed indulgence of Ribolla wines as one of the sins of gluttony
Gluttony
Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of extravagance or waste...
in his diatribe on the subject. When the Duke of Austria, Leopold III
Leopold III, Duke of Austria
Duke Leopold III of Austria from the Habsburg family, was Duke of Austria from 1365 to 1379, and Duke of Styria and Carinthia in 1365–1386.-Life:...
, established reign over Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
one of his stipulations was that the city supply him each year with 100 urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
s of the region's best Ribolla wine. By 1402, the reputation of the wine made from the grape was high enough for the city of Udine
Udine
Udine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
to feel compelled to enact a law which prohibited the adulteration of any wine made from Ribolla. In the 18th century, the Italian writer Antonio Musnig rated Ribolla wine as the finest white wine in the Friuli. The phylloxera
Phylloxera
Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...
epidemic of the 19th century took a hard toll on Ribolla plantings with many Friuli vineyards owners choosing to replant their land with imported French wine
French wine
French wine is produced in several regions throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France has the world's second-largest total vineyard area, behind Spain, and is in the position of being the world's largest wine producer...
grapes like Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
and Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
rather than the local grape varieties. By the 1990s less than 1% of all white Friuli wines created under a Denominazione di origine controllata
Denominazione di Origine Controllata
Denominazione di origine controllata is a quality assurance label for food products, especially wines and various formaggi . It is modelled after the French AOC...
(DOC) designation contained Ribolla. By the turn of the 21st century, international interest in the wines of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia had led to an increase in plantings of the grape. Today it has a more prominent roles in the white DOC wines of Colli Orientali del Friuli
Colli Orientali del Friuli
The Colli Orientali del Friuli is a Denominazione di origine controllata located in the Italian wine region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The region is located in the province of Udine and is sub-divided into three main sections; Ramandolo in the north, Cialla and Corno di Rosazzo]]...
and Collio Goriziano
Collio Goriziano
Collio Goriziano or Collio is a Denominazione di origine controllata located in the Italian wine region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The DOC is located in the province of Gorizia near the border with Slovenia. Some Slovenian wine from the region of Goriška Brda also carry the designation of Collio...
.
Wine
The white wine made from the Ribolla grape is typically a deep colored, light bodied wine with high acidity and floral notes. The wine can produce a more New World styleNew World wine
New World wines are those wines produced outside the traditional wine-growing areas of Europe, in particular from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States.-Early wines in the Americas:...
with some oak aging. As the wine ages, it can develop some nutty
Nut (fruit)
A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
flavors. In Greece, the wine has flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
y and lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
notes. In the Friuli, the wines of the southern regions have a little more body than the wines of the central regions.