# Ribolla Gialla (2019)

- **Producer:** Franco Terpin
- **Colour:** orange
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Ribolla Gialla
- **Region:** Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €38
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 12–14 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** orange, peach, fennel, resinous, toast, dried apricot, hay, honey, hazelnut, mushroom

## About this wine

Franco Terpin and his family cultivate vineyards in San Floriano del Collio, right on the border between Italy and Slovenia. Terpin defines himself as a traditional contadino committed to maintaining a living soil ecosystem without chemical inputs. The estate's Ribolla Gialla comes from a dedicated 3-hectare parcel rooted in 'ponca'—the region's iconic marl and sandstone flysch soil rich in ancient marine minerals.

## Interesting facts

- The vineyards are planted in 'ponca', an ancient flysch soil of marl and sandstone rich in marine minerals.
- Franco Terpin works according to lunar phases and is a certified member of the VinNatur association.
- Ribolla Gialla's naturally thick, tannic skins make it exceptionally suited for extended skin-contact maceration.

## Food pairing

Skin-contact orange wines combine structural tannins, bright natural acidity, and savory mineral depth. This unique profile allows Ribolla Gialla to match rich, umami-driven dishes, roasted white meats, and earthy vegetarian preparations that would normally overwhelm a light white wine or clash with heavy red tannins.

## Wine making process

Hand-harvested grapes undergo spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts in open oak vats, remaining on the skins for 12 to 20 days. The wine matures for 18 to 24 months in large Slavonian oak barrels before settling in stainless steel vats and aging further in bottle. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered according to lunar phases, with no added sulfites.