If you ever get the chance to pick these grapes from a ripe bunch, don’t turn it down. It is an unforgettable sensorial encounter. That beautiful ‘crisp, cracking, juicy, crunch’ between your teeth. Yes folks, it is a wine grape. But it really does double-up as a super munching table-topper too. When ripe, its well bloomed, medium thin blue/black skin is increasingly pulled taut by the pressure of the sweet swelling pulp. Break through that skin, with it’s audible crack, and it’s clear why locals christened it SCHIOPPETTINO, the name apparently deriving from the Italian verb scoppiettare, meaning to crackle. You may well hear various other explanations bouncing around as to where the name comes from. But take it from us, the ‘cracking crunch’ is the one that wins.

The known history dates back to the 1200’s but in reality we must be talking thousands of years of growth around its natural home, the townlands of Prepotto, Albana and Cialla. As we so often discover, SCHIOPPETTINO is yet another local variety that fell victim to ‘imported’ disease (phylloxera & mildew), to war and most recently, to an acute case of commercial and cultural blindness. By the beginning of 1970’s it was almost extinct. Indeed were it not for the courageous efforts of the Rapuzzi family it may not have survived. In their Cialla vineyard they pioneered the recovery and first replantings of newly grafted vines. Their 1977 vintage, their first bottle release, surely turned the tide in Schioppettino’s favour.

Fast forward 40 years and today Vigna Lenuzza is one of 22 proud producers whose label carries the unique designation Schioppettino di Prepotto. Created in 2011, this new ‘sottozona’ discipline lays out the path to quality, which all associate producers must follow in order to attain this special Friuli Colli Orientali DOP classification.

Quality SCHIOPPETTINO is at the very heart of Vigna Lenuzza’s new vision. In 2014 Daniele took the decision to begin switching their vineyard management programme to a fully certified biologic model. Applying an integrated, holistic approach, Daniele’s new 5 year plan is focused on bringing his 25 year old Schioppettino vines to their fullest potential. And the great news for 2018 is that BIO certification has now been achieved.