Crackle, crunch, boom— are the sounds invoked by the name given to a rare, nearly lost red grape from the Friulian hills in far northeastern Italy. Meet Schioppettino [ski’OH–pet–TEE–noh], the elegant, perfumed, floral yet pepper-savory red wine with character, brought back from the brink of extinction just forty years ago. The name comes from ‘Scoppiettare’, a verb in local dialect meaning to crackle or burst.  When a wine grape takes on an onomatopoeic name with such “explosive” significance, we expect big things.

Our new-found love of this re-discovered grape is surrounded by excitement and a bit in intrigue. The story of Schioppettino is one of tradition, guts, and a bit of drama that follows the heights, then decline of this “outlaw” grape in a small Italian village. Its lively re-emergence on curated wine lists and in-the-know wine shops today, even in the US, is thanks to the passion of its loyal locals.

In this article I wrote for VeroVino, in addition to sharing the story of the grape, the region and this flavorful wine, I introduce you to one of the most principle of the ‘loyal locals’ responsible for its re-emergence. You’ll meet Hilde Petrussa of Vigna Petrussa winery in Prepotto, Italy. Thanks to her efforts, Prepotto is a premiere ‘cru’ region for Schioppettino within Friuli Colli Orientalli DOC.

To meet Hilde, Schioppettino, the land of Prepotto in Friuli, and her beautiful wines, click the below link.

https://www.verovinogusto.com/vero-blog/schioppettino-indigenous-rare-italian-red-wine-vigna-petrussa-

My friends at VeroVino – Always foraging natural wines and foods from undiscovered small producers around the world

Have you tried a Schioppettino? Let us know how you liked it in Comments below. Which are your favorites? We’d love to hear!

~ Mary Beth