Ribolla Gialla is an ancient native white grape variety from Friuli Venezia Giulia; it finds its territory of maximum vocation in the hilly area between Udine and Gorizia, in the Collio, around the Rosazzo area, within the wine-growing region of Colli Orientali. The vine is also cultivated in Slovenia, where it is called “Rebula” and there are various theories about its origin. Some people assume that the variety was already cultivated in Friuli since Roman times, while others suppose that it comes from southern Dalmatia or from Kefalonia, a Greek island, and that Venetian merchants imported it to Friuli around 1100. Its ancient cultivation, however, is proved by medieval writings, which all agree on the quality of the wine.

Ribolla Gialla is a variety that needs dry and hilly soils to give life to intense and structured wines. The best area for this variety to grow goes from the Colli Orientali del Friuli area to the Slovenian border: here the hilly soil of alluvial origin enjoys an ideal climatic context obtaining a sort of protection from the Julian Alps, while benefitting from the influence of the Adriatic Sea. Ribolla Gialla is a grape variety that, due to its peculiar characteristics, is very well expressed both in its classic version of still white wine and in sparkling wines (Ribolla Gialla Brut).

Because of its small grape and its thick skin, it is also great for macerated white wines, also known as Orange Wines, “a white wine with the nature of a red". For some years, this last version had been set aside, but then it returned to the limelight thanks to some great winemakers, such as Radikon or Damijan Podversic. They realized that this wine followed neither the canons of a white wine nor those of a red wine, but managed to combine the mineral flavour and the finesse of the former with the structure and thickness of the latter.

Ribolla Gialla is quite versatile in its combinations: in the version of still and sparkling white wine it is great as aperitif or with fish-based first and second courses; in the macerated version of Orange Wine, it is ideal with rather elaborate risottos. From Damijan Podversic to Radikon, from Korsic to Draga, from Albino Armani to Klanjscek just to name a few, scroll down and discover all the expressions of Ribolla Gialla.