Italy | Friuli-Venezia Giulia | Ronchi di Cialla
Ronchi di Cialla
Wines
Summary
Ronchi di Cialla means "hills of Cialla" which is a small valley in Italy’s northeast Friuli wine region. This winery is, above all, a family business. However, calling it that does not do justice to the extraordinary history and achievements of the Rapuzzi family.
In 1970, husband and wife Dina and Paolo Rapuzzi founded the Ronchi di Cialla winery with the intention of growing only indigenous Friuli grapes. At that time, the Schioppettino grape was classified as extinct by the Italian government, and a Herculean effort was needed to recover the Schioppetino vines. So, Dina and Paolo dove in head first by traversing the valley and nearby areas to discover 60 surviving vines. From there they battled, for many years, the Italian bureaucracy to restore the right to legally plant Schioppettino vines. Finally, in 1976 Dina and Paolo were awarded the prestigious Risit D’Aur Prize for their work in preserving the Schioppettino variety, and are credited with having brought it back to the brink of extinction.
Today, their sons Pier Paolo and Ivan Rapuzzi continue to work in the tradition of their parents under the watchful eye of Dina, who is still very involved in the business. The family practices natural farming and winemaking. Along with Schioppettino the family also grow and make exceptional Pignolo, Refosco, Picolit, Fruliano, Ribolla Gialla, and Verduzzo.
