The Schioppettino di Prepotto e di Cialla DOC (controlled designation of origin) wine seems to derive its name either from the noise the berry makes when it is eaten or from the carbon dioxide present in fermentation and is indigenous to the municipality of Prepotto/Prapotno, whose territory is devoted to grapevine-growing and vine production. In particular, this wine was cultivated since the Middle Ages in the village of Cialla/Čela and the neighboring area of Prepotto/Prapotno, where it is still produced today.
Struck by phylloxera in the mid-19th century and declared extinct in the following decades, Schioppettino survives thanks to the Rapuzzi family, which founded the Ronchi di Cialla/Čela winery in 1970 and managed to find about sixty surviving vines. From these they selected the best buds and created new cuttings, effectively reviving Schioppettino, whose first harvest took place in 1977.
In 2008, the Prepotto/Prapotno and Cialla/Čela subareas were recognized in the Friuli Colli Orientali DOC appellation. Schioppettino is a ruby red wine, with red fruit hints and spicy notes, and it pairs well with meat dishes or aged cheese.
Schioppettino DOC
Autochthonous red DOC wine from Prepotto and Cialla
