Petrussa Schioppettino di Prepotto 2022
We have 12 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Schioppettino di Prepotto has only existed as an official name since 2008, when it was recognized as a sub-zone of the Friuli Colli Orientali DOC, but growers here have tied the grape to this valley for centuries. Prepotto hugs the Slovenian border along the Judrio, close enough to the Adriatic for mild air but tucked beneath the Julian Prealps. Petrussa builds this bottling from several family vineyards rather than one. Schioppettino grows in Albana, warm and sandy alluvium by the river that drains fast and ripens early, and in Bivio Romanutti, cold clay and silt washed down from the hills that holds the season back. Blending sites gives a fuller picture of the sub-zone than any single parcel could.
The Wine
Petrussa Schioppettino di Prepotto 2022 is 100% Schioppettino, the grape locals also call Ribolla Nera. The grapes are picked by hand, and the 2022 spent about 18 months in élevage, then roughly eight more in bottle before release, so it arrives with its tannin already settled. The family describes the style as finesse over muscle, and the grape's signature shows plainly: white and green pepper leading over small red berries, then a silky, fine-grained palate with real concentration and no heaviness. Expect raspberry, red currant, and sour cherry under the spice, with a cool, peppery finish. The 2022 season was one of the hottest and driest on record across northern Italy, with drought through the summer. Expect riper fruit than in cooler years, though alcohol stays at a moderate 13.5 percent.
The People
Gianni and Paolo Petrussa split the work cleanly: Gianni farms, Paolo makes the wine. They took over from their father, Celestino, in 1987, just as Prepotto's growers were rebuilding around their native red. From 1990, as old vineyards were replanted, the valley turned toward the varieties that suited it best and toward denser plantings, now around 7,000 vines per hectare in new vineyards. In 2002 local growers formed a producers' association to defend the Schioppettino di Prepotto name, which won formal recognition six years later. Petrussa's house style favors freshness and purity over power, which is why this is the bottle we reach for when someone asks what red wine from Friuli should taste like.
Food Pairing
Schioppettino's pepper wants something rich and a little gamey. Braised venison with juniper, red wine, and soft polenta is the Friulian answer; the fine tannin and acidity cut through the braise without crowding it. Duck legs roasted with black pepper and sour cherries echo both the spice and the red fruit. Cjarsons, the Carnic ravioli filled with ricotta, raisins, and cinnamon and finished with brown butter and smoked ricotta, meet the wine's spice with their own. For a weeknight, grill Italian sausages with peppers and onions. Pour this when you want a red with real character that will not wear out the table.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Schioppettino is a red grape native to Friuli's Colli Orientali, especially around Prepotto near the Slovenian border, where it is also called Ribolla Nera. It was nearly lost after phylloxera and survived thanks to a handful of growers in the 1970s and an official rescue of the variety. The name is said to come from the way its crisp, bursting berries 'crack' like a shot. The wines are medium-bodied and peppery, with wild berries, violet and dark spice, fresh acidity and fine tannins, closer in spirit to northern Rhône Syrah than to anything else in Italy.
