Ramandolo ” a unique sweet wine, from a distinct grape, grown in a special place

Posted on | November 8, 2005

In June I bought a bottle of wine I had never heard of before: Ramandolo. I was intrigued by the taste and as a result travelled to the area a month later. I wrote this article as a result of my trip.

The wine of Ramandolo, a sweet wine, is quite unique for a number of reasons: the zone of Ramandolo is in Friuli’s only DOCG (denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) area. The grape variety used in the wine is verduzzo giallo — an auchtochthonous variety not grown anywhere else in the world other than in the north-eastern part of Italy. In fact, Friuli has the highest number of authocthonous grape varieties of any part of Italy – eight. Verduzzo giallo also possesses a greater degree of tannin in the skin than other white grapes which gives the wine a more astringent taste which is both pleasing and unusual. This tannin helps to balance the sweetness. As a result of the presence of this tannin, the wine is made as if it were a red wine. It is thus a red wine in all but colour. The climate in this region of Italy is not generally conducive to good wine-making being rather damp (in fact Musi, nearby, is Europe’s wettest place.) The area for Ramandolo wine is small – only  about 60 hectares.  Many of the vineyards are situated on the slopes which form an amphitheatre above the town of Nimis and from various vantage points provide an extraordinary view over the plain leading down past Udine all the way to the Adriatic. Many of the vineyards are too steep to be worked by machine. Verduzzo giallo has acclimatised itself to the area, the most northern part of Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG), and no wine is made further north than this in this eastern part of Italy.

To read the whole article click HERE 

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