# RiFol (NV)

- **Producer:** Azienda Agricola Ezio Cerruti
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** sparkling
- **Grapes:** Moscato Bianco
- **Region:** Piemonte, Italy
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.0%
- **Average price:** €20
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now
- **Serving temperature:** 6–8 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** grape, elderflower, blossom, orange, lemon, bread, biscuit, brioche, honey, almond, hay

## About this wine

Azienda Agricola Ezio Cerruti is a tiny, organic estate located in Castiglione Tinella, in the heart of Piedmont's Moscato d'Asti zone. Operating as an 'organic island' amidst conventionally farmed vineyards, Ezio Cerruti is a dedicated soloist working almost exclusively with Moscato Bianco. He rejects the industrial DOCG regulations to craft artisanal, dry, and sparkling expressions of the grape. To protect his vines from chemical drift from neighbors, he famously cuts and drops the fruit from his border rows, ensuring absolute purity.

## Interesting facts

- The name RiFol is a Piedmontese pun meaning 're-fermented madness,' spinning off his still dry Moscato named Fol ('crazy').
- To prevent chemical drift from neighbors, Ezio sacrifices his outer rows, cutting and dropping all border grapes to the ground.
- Ezio is a passionate audiophile who built a custom acoustic room in his home to enjoy high-fidelity music when not in the vineyards.

## Food pairing

The high acidity and effervescence of RiFol make it an exceptional palate cleanser, cutting through the grease of fried foods and the richness of cured meats. Its intense, grapey, and floral aromatics complement spiced and aromatic Asian dishes, while its bone-dry finish ensures it doesn't clash with savory elements.

## Wine making process

RiFol is produced using the ancestral method (Pet-Nat). The Moscato Bianco grapes undergo a brief two-day skin maceration before spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts in concrete tanks. The dry base wine ages on its fine lees for seven months. In the spring, unfermented, frozen grape must from the same harvest is added to trigger a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without disgorgement, leaving the lees in the bottle (Col Fondo) with no added sulfur.