Rebula/Ribolla Gialla: The rebel story continues

brda.master_class_2021_77_of_530.jpg — (Image credit: Credit Unknown)

published 22 November 2021

The Brda Home of Rebula Wine Experience brings together Italian and Slovenian producers from the hilly Brda–Collio terroir (which straddles Italy and Slovenia) to build a global reputation for this incredible grape.

Rebula/Ribolla Gialla can be exciting in a range of styles: fresh, fruity wines; complex, oak-matured versions; skin-contact orange wines; and sparkling and sweet wines.

The variety delivers real quality on the region’s steep terraces and opoka soils (ponca in Italy), a complex mix of marl and sandstone on a calcium carbonate base, that forces the roots to 10–12m deep, and gives Rebula great resilience in extreme weather.

Rebula has a long history in the region (an official classification dates back to 1787) and is now working on a cru system, with some producers now releasing single-vineyard wines.

Brda Home of Rebula 2021

Classical Rebula Wines

Klet Brda Rebula Quercus 2020 – 90 points

Made by the largest Rebula producer. Tank- fermented, an inviting wine with fresh apple and meadow-flower aromas. Crisp, youthful, with apple, green melon and saline notes.

klet-brda.si | @kletbrda

Medot Rebula Journey 2020 90

Bright, youthful nose of lemon and pear with a camomile overtone. Smooth and sleek with melon, citrus, cut pear and a touch of salted lemon on the finish.

www.medot-wines.com | @medot_wines

Dolfo Rebula 2019 90

Handpicked from old vines on terraced vineyards. Crunchy green apple and lemon zest with a hint of mint. Crisp and very dry but fruity, with a wet stone texture on the finish.

www.dolfo.eu | @dolfo_wines

Zanut Rebula 2019 90

The old-vines fruit was cold-macerated on skins before fermentation. A nose of orange zest, ripe apple and coriander seed. Asian pear, yellow plum and acacia with a mineral backbone.

www.zanut.si | @matejazanut

Mature Rebula Wines

Jermann Ribolla Visvik 2018 94

Sourced from Brda and fermented in large Slavonian oak in Italy. Nose of meadow flowers, orange and lemon zest. Pure and refined with pear, quince and citrus and salty grip to finish.

www.jermann.it | @jermann_wine

Sveti Nikolaj Rebula Gradis’ciutta Robert Princic 2018 95

Vinified in 10hl oak, it has fresh-cut hay, mirabelle and honeysuckle on the nose, with poised apple, melon, salted lemon and quince.

www.gradisciutta.eu | @gradisciutta

Klet Brda Rebula Superior Bagueri 2018 95

Fermented and aged in large oak and barriques. White peach and honeysuckle on the nose. Intense, refined palate with pear, ripe apple and a lingering mineral finish.

klet-brda.si | @kletbrda

Ščurek Rebula Up 2018 95

Old-vine fruit had short partial skin contact then stainless-steel ageing. Lemon zest and golden pear nose, silky palate of spiced pear, cardamom and pineapple, and a mineral core.

www.scurek.com | @scurekwine

Edi Simčič Rebula Fojana 2018 96

A single-vineyard wine fermented and aged in French oak for 10 months. White peach, golden plum and wild thyme, rounded, creamy with fine acidity and harmonious structure.

www.edisimcic.si | @edisimcic_wines

Extended Skin-contact Rebula Wines

Moro Rebula Margherita 2019 92

Macerated on skins for two weeks then aged in ceramic vessels. Silk-textured and layered, creamy with notes of orange zest and mango with a mineral grip on the finish.

www.moro-wines.com | @moro_wines

Marjan Simčič Rebula Opoka Medana Jama Cru 2018 96

From 66-year-old vines on opoka soil. Scents of peach, fig, orange blossom and poached pear, youthful and zesty. Mango, pithy orange and kumquat fruit. A long finish. Can still age.

www.simcic.si | @simcicwines

Erzetič Amfora Rebula 2016 93

A glowing amber wine that spent seven months in amphora. Fig, mango and bitter orange nose, firm and layered with walnut, dried fig and orange zest. Savoury and structured.

vina-erzetic.com | @erzetic_wines

Ferdinand Rebula Brutus 2016 95

Old vines from Brda’s highest vineyard. Twelve months’ skin contact in 500-litre barrels give candied citrus and herbs, ripe peach and tropical fruits. Firm, structured, with ageing potential.

www.ferdinand.si | @ferdinandwinery

Kristian Keber Brda 2018 92

A field-blend natural wine from 40 to 80-year-old vines, mainly Rebula. Slightly cloudy with apricot, honeysuckle, bitter orange and herb nose. Orange, apricot, wild herbs and a savoury finish.

www.edikeber.it | @kristian.keber.7

Discover more at brdahomeofrebula.si

Caroline Gilby MW is a freelance writer and consultant, specialising in Central and Eastern Europe. Among others, she currently contributes to Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book, The Oxford Companion to Wine, and the World Atlas of Wine, and has previously written for Dorling Kindersley’s Wines of the World, The Wine Opus, and Tom Stevenson’s Wine Report. Prior to her career as a writer, Gilby spent seven years as a senior wine buyer at Augustus Barnet off-licences, where she became the first major buyer to import Hungarian wines to the UK. She initially studied plant biology, in which she holds a doctorate, but abandoned life behind the microscope for a career in wine soon after winning the Decanter-Macallan Malt Whisky Taster of the Year Award while still a student. Gilby passed her MW in 1992 and has been visiting and tasting the wines of Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Romania for over 20 years.