Ribolla Gialla Tiare, indigenous and modern

We have already met Tiare and tasted its great Sauvignon blanc, multi-awarded and now very well known in the wine world.

But Tiare is not just Sauvignon: it is a solid estate, located in Dolegna del Collio in the province of Gorizia, a winery that has been operating for more than thirty years and extends over 10 hectares, predominantly on the north-east slope of Collio friulano. This area, surrounded by the Carnic and Julian Alps on the border with Slovenia, presents highly favourable pedoclimatic conditions for grape growing. Today we will talk about the Ribolla Gialla from Tiare.

Ribolla Gialla is an ancient indigenous variety, cultivated since Roman times in its area of excellence, namely on the verdant hills of Friuli. This grape, a cornerstone of the territory, is very vigorous, with late budbreak and late ripening, and has a distinctive name. In the past, due to the massive quantity of malic acid present in it, the finished wine would still re-ferment as soon as it was poured into the glass before being drunk. Today, however, thanks to vinification and subsequent aging at controlled temperatures, Ribolla Gialla gives rise to extraordinarily elegant wines, fresh and fragrant.

The territory where the winery stands was formed over time through the breakdown of layered marls and sandstones, with a subsoil rich in minerals and predominantly clayey. The presence of pebbles among the vineyards has an important thermal effect, in an environment that features large temperature swings between night and day and between seasons: during the day they absorb the sun's heat and at night they release it slowly, counteracting the drop in temperatures and thus promoting the best ripening of the grapes.

The vines where Ribolla Gialla Tiare is produced are planted on silty-clay soils and are trained using the guyot system with a planting density of 4,500 vines per hectare. In the vineyard, low environmental impact farming is practiced, respectful of nature. In the vineyard, pruning is carried out multiple times and for this reason thinning is very rigorous, selecting only the best grape clusters for vinification. The harvest is done by hand and takes place during the last ten days of September.

In the cellar, after a gentle pressing, vinification takes place with a brief maceration followed by static decantation of the must, which allows the coarser impurities to settle. Subsequently, the must ferments in stainless steel at controlled temperature. The wine is aged on the fine lees until March, so that its full aromatic potential is extracted, before racking and subsequent bottling.

Let us now move on to the tasting of the wine.

Collio Ribolla Gialla 2017

The wine presents itself in the glass with a beautiful, vibrant straw-yellow colour, absolutely crystalline. When swirled, fine, not particularly thick wine legs form on the sides and descend slowly. The nose immediately expresses a seductive citrus aroma, of pineapple, then peach together with hints of yellow mimosa flowers, broom and dried fruit, nuances of nutmeg, balsamic traces, hay and an almond note on the finish. On the palate the wine is dry, crisp, but stands out for its savouriness and freshness, though well balanced by softness and with well-managed alcohol (12.5°). Long the mineral trail that makes it very persistent, beautiful the structure.

It is a wine perfect with fish-based first courses, equally worth trying with seafood appetisers and crustaceans. Without, however, overlooking the pairing with fritture, thanks to the remarkable cleanliness that its freshness leaves in the mouth.

Versatile and surprising, a wine of tradition yet at the same time extraordinarily contemporary.