Online Fine Wine Tasting - Colli Orientali's Ronchi di Cialla with Winemaker Ivan Rapuzzi

This is a really special tasting and not to be missed at all costs! Wine School founder and Italian Wine Scholar educator of the Year, Jimmy Smith, visited the beautiful estate of Ronchi di Cialla on his quest of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia in north-west Italy and has been collecting (and drinking) these world-class wines ever since. Jimmy will host winemaker Ivan Rapuzzi as we discover the delights of this frontier wine region, discussing the unique microclimate, the estate’s history but above all the Rapuzzi family’s desire to reclaim old and almost extinct indigenous grape varieties such as Ribolla, Refosco, Schioppettino, Verduzzo and Picolit. In fact, the Rapuzzi Family restored and revitalized the Schioppettino grape from near extinction, defying the odds and local wine laws. So to honour this, we will be tasting a mini-vertical within this evening of the wonderful grape variety showing the 2011, 2014 and 2015 vintages. We are so excited!

Ronchi di Cialla

Ronchi di Cialla, a 28 hectare historical Friulian Estate, is a small, family run business. Established in the 1970s, they have established a reputation as one of the finest producers of age-worthy wines in Fruili. ‘Ronchi’, in Fruili’s dialect, means hills cultivated by vines; ‘Cialla’ is a small valley surrounded by woods with chestnut, oak, and wild cherry trees. Located in the Cialla valley, one of three sub-zones in Colli Orientali del Friuli, it is a picturesque area with perfect growing conditions for the indigenous grapes. The company philosophy has always been to work solely with indigenous varieties, such as, Ribolla, Refosco, Schioppettino, Verduzzo and Picolit.

Tasting Date: Thursday 23rd September 2021 at 6:30pm (the tasting will last approximately 2 hours).

TASTING FEE STRUCTURE:

For this special two-hour tasting, an exclusive tasting kit is included in the listed price which includes a 75ml tasting sample of each wine, as well as tasting mat, tasting note paper and pen. Note: Tasting kits will be despatched to attendees within the week leading up to the tasting. Upon placing your order, you will receive a link to confirm all delivery details in your booking confirmation email.

PLEASE NOTE: Currently, we are only able to deliver tasting kits to addresses within the UK.

DON'T WANT TO RECEIVE A TASTING KIT? We understand that not everyone will want to receive the wine samples, and would rather just register to participate in the online evening without the wines. That is absolutely fine! The fee to just register for this evening without receiving a tasting kit is £10. Just enter the promotional code: 85REGONLY when checking out to ensure you just pay the registration cost. 

Tasting Kit: What's Included:

• 75ml tasting sample of each wine (6 in total) contained in a sterilised glass bottle and preserved with an inert gas (designed specifically for wine preservation)
• Tasting mat
• Tasting note sheet
• West London Wine School pen

Wines Included in Tasting Kit:

• Cialla Bianco 2017 (blend of Ribolla Gialla, Picolit and Verduzzo Friulano)

• Ribolla Gialla 2020

• Ribolla Nera 2018

• Schioppettino 2011

• Schioppettino 2014

• Schioppettino 2015

 TASTING FORMAT:

Ivan Rapuzzi and Jimmy Smith will host this exclusive tasting live at 6:30pm on Thursday 23rd September 2021. This single-evening tasting will be approximately 2 hours in length. 

Unable to commit on the evening? No problem! Anyone registered for this tasting will gain access to the video recording of the live event, so you can always revisit any of these at anytime in the future - whether its because you missed participating in the live evening or if you want to revisit the presentation at a later date.