Schiopetto

Anyone who understands Ribolla Gialla understands Friuli. The variety is old, unique and uncompromising – it gives the best of itself on poor soils and does not forgive any laziness in the cellar. It is no coincidence that the small vineyard around the archbishop's castle in Capriva del Friuli is still home to Ribolla Gialla today: as a silent commitment to the regional identity of the house. The soils of the Schiopetto vineyards – flysch, called "Ponca" in Friulian, from marine sediments of Eocene origin – are the ideal terrain: poor, stony, draining. The vine has to fight, and this fight shapes the character. Harvest at the end of September, fermentation in steel at a controlled temperature, short ageing in steel – the technique takes a back seat, the fruit takes centre stage.

Sauvignon bianco doesn't come from here. And that was never a problem – on the contrary. The variety from the Bordelais has long since found a second home in the hilly locations of the Collio Goriziano: The windy slopes, the marly soils of Eocene origin, the cool nights between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic Sea – all this forms a Sauvignon that has nothing in common with Loire or Nouvelle-Zélande. It's simply Friulian. Mario Schiopetto knew this. He had travelled Europe, learned precision in German cellars, elegance in France and elegance in Capriva del Friuli – and in Capriva del Friuli turned both into something of his own. His Sauvignon bianco was one of his early passions. The Pompiere version that Emilio and Alessandro Rotolo bottle today is the direct, accessible interpretation: hand-picked at the beginning of September, gentle pressing, fermentation in steel at a controlled temperature, a few months on the lees.

While the Blanc des Rosis brings together four grape varieties, the Friulano speaks only for itself. That is intentional. Because Friulano – the historic grape variety that Mario Schiopetto was the first to bottle pure and unblended in 1965 – needs no company. It is Friuli. The vineyards of Capriva del Friuli lie on Eocene clay and marl: soils that impart minerality and a cool, herbaceous depth to the grapes. Harvest by hand in the second and third decade of August, fermentation in steel at a controlled temperature, eight months on the lees – no wood, no effort that would distract the wine from itself.

Pinot Grigio has a difficult time. Too often softly rinsed, too often vinified for quantity – a name that promises more than it delivers. Things are different in Capriva del Friuli. Here the variety was once called "Ribolla di Capriva", here it is at home on Eocene marl and clay, here it is the last white vine to ripen – it is only harvested in the last decade of September, when the nights get cooler and the flavours settle. Emilio and Alessandro Rotolo vinify the Pinot Grigio with the same rigour as all the wines in the Pompiere line: soft pressing, fermentation in steel at low temperatures, short bottle ageing. No effort that goes beyond the fruit. The wine is allowed to show what the soil has to offer.

Mario Schiopetto was born in 1930, he grew up in the family-owned Osteria ai Pompieri and had his first professional experiences as a fireman and later as a truck driver. In 1963, guided only by his taste and love of wine, he began to devote himself to wine production in his parents' farm and produced the first pure Tocai in 1965. The historic label at the time included the drawing of his fire engine, which he also used to deliver the wine to customers. With the 2019 vintage, the winery recalled these historical roots and resumed the cute drawing on part of its wine labels.

Mario Schiopetto's father ran the "Ai Pompieri" osteria in Udine – directly in front of the fire station. His son did not become a landlord, but the founder of modern Friulian white wine. Years ago, the new owners, the Rotolo family, incorporated the name of their father's restaurant into their younger wine line as a nod and a promise: accessible, direct, straightforward. Since 1986, the Blanc des Rosis has brought together the four leading white grape varieties of the Collio in a single wine: Friulano as the aromatic backbone, Pinot Bianco for volume and elegance, Sauvignon for freshness and tension, Pinot Grigio for the mineral bite. The soils under Capriva del Friuli – eocene clay and marl – give the wine its characteristic cool precision. Gentle pressing, decanting without sulphur, eight months on the lees in steel. And from the 2025 vintage, the Blanc des Rosis will appear in the glass earlier than ever before without the previous two-year retention period – in the glass earlier than ever before.

Schiopetto's Friulano is youthfully unobtrusive with a pretty bouquet that blends lemon peel with mint and hints of crushed rock. It washes over the palate with a tense mix of citrusy acids and salty minerals, while a core of tropical melon develops towards the end. Finishes on a more delicate note, but long and with pretty inner flowers that still linger. The beautiful balance and underlying power of this wine will guarantee good ageing in the bottle. The best is yet to come. SUPERIORE.DE

A Collio classic with a signature: Schiopetto's single-varietal Sauvignon Bianco comes from old vines around Capriva del Friuli - on marl and sandstone soils that are perfect for aromatic varieties. Hand-picking, a short maceration period and ageing in stainless steel tanks preserve freshness and precision. Pale yellow in colour with greenish reflections. The bouquet is intense but never loud: whitecurrant, salted lemon, elderflower, a hint of lemon balm and wet stone. Clear, straightforward and elegant on the palate, with lively acidity, salty minerality and a fine citrus flavour on the long finish. An exemplary Sauvignon from the Collio - full of tension, multi-layered and with noble restraint. A wine that emphasises its origins rather than superficial fruit. SUPERIORE.DE

Anyone who underestimates Pinot Bianco simply hasn't drunk a good one. The variety loves windy locations, poor marl soils and cool nights – all characteristics that the Collio Goriziano offers in abundance. Schiopetto cultivates it on the Ponca slopes of Capriva, where small, compact grapes ripen with golden-coloured berries that need no support in the cellar. A special feature of the vinification process: the wine is fermented with Pied de Cuve – a proprietary yeast from our own vineyards. This keeps the fermentation authentic and the flavour close to the origin. Steel, eight months on the fine lees, no intervention.

Schiopetto has been producing Pinot Grigio since 1968 – long before it became Italy's best-selling mass-produced white wine (unfortunately in many other regions) – and the Rotolo family has never forgotten what it can really do: Depth, juiciness, mineral tension. On the Ponca hills of Capriva del Friuli, in marly soils of Eocene origin, the variety finds a soil that does not allow it to be arbitrary. Gentle pressing, short sulphur-free decanting, fermentation in steel at a controlled temperature – eight months on the lees. No wood, no detours, everything focussed on the Ponca.

Malvasia Istriana is not Malvasia. At least not what most people know by that name. While other varieties of this ancient Greek grape family are often lush and sweetly aromatic, the Istrian variety shows a completely different face: richer, more complex, more mineral and capable of true greatness in Collio Goriziano – and capable of its true greatness in the Collio Goriziano. Schiopetto has been vinifying it as a single variety since 1974: hand-picked at the beginning of September, fermented in steel at 16 degrees for ten to twelve days, matured on the fine lees for nine months. The result needs no explanation, just a large glass.

Friuli is white wine country. We know that. What is easy to forget: Schiopetto has also been making red wines since 1968 – and with a consistency that excludes any chance. Rivarossa is the name of a cadastral parcel on the company's own vineyards, whose clayey, loamy soil is fundamentally different from the Ponca hills of the whites. Different soil, different logic, different wine. 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon – separate vinification of both varieties, fermentation in wooden barrels for ten to fifteen days at 25 degrees, followed by fourteen months of ageing in barriques and Liters oak barrels.

Deep ruby red colour. Bright, fresh and savoury aromas and flavours of blueberries, flint, coffee and fresh herbs. Long and clean with soft tannins and very good clarity on the bright finish. A beautiful, very refined wine, characterised by its early attractiveness, but also by its velvet-pawed concentration and complexity. SUPERIORE.DE

In the house, they simply call him "A". As if he didn't need a name. As if the letter was beginning enough – the beginning of everything Schiopetto has to say. Amrità is a Sanskrit word: the immortality potion of the gods, the mythical nectar that gives eternal life to those who drink it. The fact that a Friulian winery calls its flagship wine this is not coquetry – it is a commitment. Wine is not simply made here. This is where it becomes essential what Capriva del Friuli has to say. The basis: Chardonnay from old vines, complemented by a small portion of Friulano – the variety with which Mario Schiopetto started everything in 1965. Both together, as if they had always been destined for each other. Fermentation in steel, nine months of ageing in steel and large barrels, followed by at least six months of bottle ageing. The 2022 was produced in a warm, dry year – and yet it shows no heat, but subtle maturity. Friuli has its own laws.

After "A" comes "M". This is not a weak alphabet exercise – this is strong hierarchy. If Amrità is the immortality potion, then "M" is the monument. The man himself, in bottle form. The legacy of MARIO Schiopetto, born in 1930, died in 2002, lies in every vintage of this wine – in the Ponca soils of Capriva, in the philosophy of the cellar work, in the conviction that a great white wine needs no compromises, only the courage to achieve total perfection.

2020 was a challenging year in Collio, characterised by a warm spring, extreme weather at times and a hot, dry summer. The harvest required precision and patience - and that is exactly what the "M" has in its blood. The estate's top-quality Friulano comes from old vines in the best locations around Capriva, which combine low yields with an intense concentration of flavours. The vinification process is purist as usual: slow fermentation in stainless steel, long contact with the lees and plenty of time for internal clarification.