Zorzettig Schioppettino

Pepper, violets and wild red fruit. A true Friulian original.
Some Italian grapes are famous all over the world. Schioppettino is not one of them — and that is exactly what makes it interesting. Native to Friuli and historically associated with the hills around Prepotto, this wonderfully distinctive red variety has a personality all of its own: fragrant red fruit, violets and an unmistakable streak of black pepper, wrapped in a wine that feels both elegant and slightly wild.

Zorzettig grows its Schioppettino in the eastern hills of Friuli, close to the Slovenian border, where the landscape is shaped by mountains, Adriatic breezes and the distinctive ponca soils of marl and sandstone. It is a part of Italy where borders have always been a little fluid — in language, culture, food and wine — and Schioppettino captures that character beautifully. It is unmistakably Italian, but it does not taste like the Italy of Chianti, Barolo or Amarone.

In the cellar, Zorzettig keeps the wine focused on the grape rather than overwhelming it with oak. The must spends around 8–10 days fermenting on its skins before malolactic fermentation, followed by around a year of maturation, predominantly in stainless steel with a portion in French oak tonneaux. The result is a red with juicy red-fruit character, violet perfume and fresh pepper spice, supported by gentle tannins and a lingering finish. For wine drinkers in Ireland, where the Italian red wine conversation so often starts with the familiar classics, Schioppettino offers something genuinely different without becoming difficult to understand.

Why we love it:
Schioppettino is one of those wines that makes exploring different grapes genuinely rewarding: familiar enough in its red-fruit character to be immediately enjoyable, yet peppery, floral and savoury enough to feel completely its own. Zorzettig keeps the wine beautifully balanced, allowing the variety and the Friulian landscape to do the talking rather than drowning them in oak.