Schiopetto: The Man Who Invented Modern Italian White Wine
If we’re being honest, before the 1960s, Italian white wine was often a bit of a mess. It was largely
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Producer
Schiopetto
I have reviewed four wines from Schiopetto, from the 2022 to 2023 vintages, all from Collio Goriziano. Scores range from 91 to 97, averaging 95; the highest is the 2023 Schiopetto Friulano Collio (97 points). Schiopetto also features in one journal article on this site.
Mario Schiopetto is widely acknowledged as the father of modern white winemaking in Italy. Before the 1960s, Italian white wine was often rustic and oxidized. After travelling in France and Germany, Mario brought stainless-steel tanks and cold fermentation to the Collio, protecting the juice from oxygen and proving that Italian whites could be aromatic, crystalline and long-lived. Now managed by the Rotolo family, the estate at Capriva del Friuli remains the benchmark for the region.
The wines are defined not by oak but by ponca, the Collio’s soil of alternating marl and sandstone laid down on an ancient Eocene seabed, which stresses the vines and gives sapidity and a flinty, vertical character. The Julian Alps shelter the vineyards from cold northern winds while the Adriatic, about twenty miles away, sends mild breezes. The Friulano is the signature wine of the estate and of Friuli: textured, slightly oily, with wildflowers, pear skin and a bitter almond finish.
“M,” named for Mario, is Friulano from the estate’s oldest vines, planted in 1954, with a touch of Riesling for lift and no wood at all: aromatic, racy and profoundly complex. The Sauvignon is distinctly Friulian, green-edged yet dense and creamy, and the Pinot Grigio shows how serious the grape can be in the right hands.
2022 Schiopetto M Collio Friulano
This is not just a wine; it is a benchmark for Friulano. The ‘M’ stands for Mario, and it is
2023 Schiopetto Pinot Grigio Collio
Please, erase everything you know about “supermarket Pinot Grigio.” This is the real deal. In the hands of Schiopetto, Pinot
2023 Schiopetto Sauvignon Blanc Collio
Schiopetto’s Sauvignon is not like New Zealand or Sancerre. It is distinctly Friulian. It has the varietal “green” notes—tomato leaf,
2023 Schiopetto Friulano Collio
This is the signature wine of the estate and the region. If you want to understand Friuli, you start here.