What I Drank Last Week from The Pip Wine Shop

Grilloile, Schioppettino, 2016

Fellow Pips, my choice last week was a Schioppettino from Grilloile, 2016 vintage. The wine is a deep purple promising a fuller body but was actually more light plus body. Lots of fruit on the nose, particularly dark berries and some raspberry (which puts me in mind of Grenache). There were hints of pepper and a slight smokiness on the palate. As with many old world wines, this had a higher acidity and lower alcohol (12.5% BV).  It paired well with a spicy sausage pasta. 

About the varietal, Schioppettino is  pronounced “skioppettino” – the word in Italian means “gunshot”. The varietal is also known as Ribolla Nera and originates in an area of northeastern Italy called Friuli-Venezia Giulia, which borders on the country of Slovenia. Records indicate that this varietal was used as far back as 1282. However, the grape was nearly lost to extinction during the phylloxera epidemic of the late 1800”s. As French wine varietals became more popular, Schippettino became less. Its replanting was encouraged by the European Union and it is now a primary grape in 3 prominent Italian wine regions. There are a few plantings in Sonoma County and Holdredge Wines has produced a single varietal.

Visit The Pip Wine Shop and pick up a bottle. It retails for $24.00.

Cheers,

Jaque