Ronchi di Cialla

Ronchi di Cialla takes its name from the Friulian word for vine-cultivated hills and the Slovenian word for stream, a pairing that captures the estate's borderland character. When Paolo and Dina Rapuzzi founded the winery in 1970, they were selling Olivetti typewriters for a living. They purchased an abandoned property near what was then the border with Yugoslavia partly because olive trees were growing on it, suggesting an unusually mild microclimate for the far north. Committed from the outset to growing only indigenous Friuli varieties, they discovered roughly 60 surviving Schioppettino vines, took cuttings, and propagated a vineyard of 3,500 plants within two years, releasing their first varietal Schioppettino in 1977.

• Founded 1970 in Cialla hamlet, commune of Prepotto (Udine); property chosen partly for olive trees indicating mild microclimate
• Approximately 60 surviving Schioppettino vines discovered with the help of Bernardo Bruno, then mayor of Prepotto
• First commercial Schioppettino vintage released 1977; Risit D'Aur award won 1976 for conservation work
• Currently managed by sons Pierpaolo and Ivan, both holding degrees in Food Sciences and publishing in entomological journals

Ronchi di Cialla established its minimal-intervention, indigenous-variety philosophy from the estate's very first vintage, well before such approaches became fashionable. The Rapuzzis were among the first winemakers in Italy to adopt integrated agriculture with low environmental impact, and the estate is now certified biodiversity-friendly by the World Biodiversity Association. Pierpaolo and Ivan have deepened this commitment by applying their entomological expertise directly in the vineyard, introducing specific beneficial insects to create a functioning ecosystem that eliminates the need for pesticides. The estate's 50-year track record across multiple vintages provides a rare empirical record of how indigenous varieties, minimal intervention, and biodiversity management intersect in a single Friulian valley.

• One of the first Italian estates to adopt integrated agriculture with low environmental impact; biodiversity-friendly certified by the World Biodiversity Association
• Brothers Pierpaolo and Ivan use entomological expertise to introduce beneficial insects, eliminating pesticide use in the vineyard
• Policy of working exclusively with indigenous varieties has been maintained unbroken since 1970
• Estate holds library vintages extending back to the 1970s and 1980s, offering documented evidence of long aging potential

The Cialla valley faces from northeast to southwest and is surrounded by forests of chestnut, oak, and wild cherry trees, which cover roughly 96 percent of the valley's surface. Vineyards are planted on Eocene marl, known locally as ponca, a formation of alternating layers of calcareous clay and sandstone that imparts the mineral tension and aging potential characteristic of Colli Orientali wines. The Cialla locality is described by specialist writers as a cooler, less sunlit, and windier part of the Colli Orientali, resulting in wines with vibrant acidity and lively textures. The Sottozona Cialla designation, gazetted in 1995, specifies permitted varieties, farming practices, and the maximum percentage of the total valley surface that may be planted to vines.

• Soil: Eocene marl (ponca), alternating calcareous clay and sandstone layers, mineral-rich and suited to extended aging
• Elevation: 130 to 240 meters on slopes of the Cialla valley, oriented northeast to southwest
• Climate: Cooler and windier than much of Colli Orientali; olive trees confirm unusually mild frost-sheltered microclimate in valley floor
• Sottozona Cialla (Ministerial Decree, October 30, 1995) restricts permitted varieties and caps total planted surface; Ronchi di Cialla is the monopole holder

Vinification at Ronchi di Cialla follows what the family calls a philosophy of not forcing the transformation and aging phases. White wines such as Ribolla Gialla are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel with local yeasts and aged on lees with regular batonnage. The flagship Ciallabianco is fermented in barriques, the majority of which are second-use to fifth-use, and then matured in those same barrels for 11 months before a further minimum of 6 to 12 months in bottle. The Schioppettino di Cialla undergoes 14 to 18 months of barrel maturation followed by 30 to 36 months of bottle aging before release, totaling roughly four years from harvest to market. The estate was the first in Italy to routinely use barriques for the aging of sweet white wines, a distinction noted by critic Ian D'Agata.

• Ribolla Gialla: stainless steel fermentation with local yeasts, lees aging with batonnage, minimal intervention
• Ciallabianco: fermented in barriques (approximately 10% new, remainder second- to fifth-use); 11 months barrel, then minimum 6 to 12 months bottle
• Schioppettino di Cialla: 14 to 18 months barrel aging plus 30 to 36 months bottle aging before release
• First Italian estate to routinely use barriques for sweet wine aging; Picolit and Verduzzo aged in small oak as a stabilization and complexity tool

The estate's range is built on five indigenous varieties. Schioppettino di Cialla is the symbolic flagship, a 100% Schioppettino aged for approximately four years before release and recognized as the benchmark expression of the variety worldwide. Ciallabianco, the monopole white blend of 60% Ribolla Gialla, 30% Picolit, and 10% Verduzzo, comes from a single 4.69-hectare vineyard and is among Italy's most sought-after age-worthy whites. Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Verduzzo di Cialla, and Picolit complete the core range, while the entry-level RiNera bottling (also Schioppettino) offers wider access to the variety. Library vintages from the 1970s and 1980s have appeared at auction at Christie's in New York, confirming the cellaring ambition of the house.

• Schioppettino di Cialla: 100% Schioppettino; 14 to 18 months barrel plus 30 to 36 months bottle; benchmark of the variety
• Ciallabianco: monopole blend of 60% Ribolla Gialla, 30% Picolit, 10% Verduzzo from a single 4.69-hectare vineyard; DOC Cialla designation
• RiNera: approachable entry-level Schioppettino, fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel with partial barrel maturation
• Picolit and Verduzzo di Cialla: sweet wines aged in barriques; among Italy's finest examples of their respective varieties

Ronchi di Cialla occupies a singular position in Italian wine history. The estate is directly credited with preventing the permanent extinction of Schioppettino, a grape documented in Friulian records since the 13th century. Schioppettino plants now available in Italy's main vine nurseries descend from the cuttings the Rapuzzis took from their revived vines. The estate's Cialla monopole, often compared in legal status to Sassicaia or Chateau Grillet, is one of the only DOC crus in Italy farmed exclusively by a single estate. Within the broader context of Friulian winemaking, Ronchi di Cialla's work predates and runs parallel to the skin-contact movement associated with Gravner and Radikon in Collio, with a distinct focus on biodiversity and indigenous variety preservation rather than extended maceration technique.

• Schioppettino plants in Italian vine nurseries descend from cuttings propagated by the Rapuzzis in the early 1970s
• Sottozona Cialla monopole is one of the only single-estate DOC crus in Italy, comparable in legal rarity to Sassicaia and Chateau Grillet
• 50-plus year track record of library vintages demonstrates consistent aging potential across indigenous varieties
• Biodiversity focus and entomological vineyard management distinguish the estate from contemporary minimal-intervention producers