2022 Scarbolo 'ILRamato' Pinot Grigio Friuli

ILRamato: the loved one

A word game between “Ramato”, meaning “copper”, and “amato”, which stands for “loved one”. It is not an Orange Wine, it is not a Rosè… It’s just ILRamato. A Ramato style wine that conceals the freshness, texture, and charm of Pinot Grigio. Like a bridge between the worlds and interpretations of Pinot Grigio, ILRamato is able to uncover a forgotten wine pleasure.

Behind the purple/grayish color of the Pinot Grigio berries is a rare concentration of anthocyanins – the colored pigments so common in red grapes but almost non-existent in their white counterparts. Although, ironically, Pinot Grigio is most often thought of as an almost transparent wine – in color and character – some vinification techniques (similar to those for red wines) unveil its true copper hues and spirit.

With ILRamato, we harvest the clusters at their peak ripeness and, destemmed, the grapes macerate at a low temperature. This way, the must is able to extract the iconic color from the grapeskins ahead of fermentation, hence maintaining a contemporary brightness and fragrance.

Although a common way of fermenting white grapes until the ‘50s, maceration was quickly dismissed as archaic once new technologies were made available and its use faded. Connecting the two visions, ILRamato is a contemporary interpretation of Pinot Grigio made “like we used to”. Its freshness, aromatics, and sapidity are an initiation to the complex world of Pinot Grigio, further magnified by fermentative macerations and unhurried maturations in oak vessels, such as with our XL.

A chain is as strong as its weakest link and everything is important: proud of its progressive, free message, we encouraged experimentation in pairing ILRamato in a selection of unique cocktails, obtaining these exciting results – born out of heterogeneous creativity and intrepidity – we are proud to share.

David Lynch, Sommelier & Editorial Director
Valter Scarbolo takes Pinot Grigio very seriously. This bottling is a modern interpretation of a classic style of Pinot Grigio from Scarbolo’s home region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia—the ramato, or “coppery,” style, which is what Pinot Grigio used to be in the pre-technology era. Whether you call it Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio, this variety is effectively a “red” grape when ripe, so named for the grey/purple hue of its skins. As with most other dark-skinned varieties, its juice is clear, so it’s possible to vinify it as a “white” wine so long as you avoid skin contact (just like with Pinot Noir in Champagne). What Scarbolo does with Il Ramato is let Pinot Grigio live its best life: Macerated briefly on its skins at the start of its fermentation, Il Ramato could correctly be characterized as a vin gris, one that showcases the rich, layered texture the variety is capable of when farmed with care. It is neither as tutti-frutti as most rosés, nor is it oxidative and funky like many “orange” wines. It’s just seriously good wine that will forever change your perceptions of this star-crossed variety. Aromas of red apple, blood orange peel, wild berries, cantaloupe, cinnamon, clove, and Kombucha tea carry over to the generous, juicy palate, which rides a wave of bright acidity through a fresh and floral finish. It’s got good weight but also good “cut” (including a little touch of tea-like tannin) for pairing with richer seafood preparations, cured meats (it’d be great with prosciutto), or roast chicken.