Ribolla Gialla 2016 Gravner

Ribolla Gialla 2016

Venezia Giulia IGT – Gravner

The essence of the earth in amphora

A wine born of time and patience

The Ribolla Gialla 2016 from Gravner is the ultimate expression of a radical winemaking philosophy rooted in the Collio hills. Sourced from vines in Oslavia, on the eastern edge of Friuli, this wine embodies an ancestral vision, where nature dictates the rhythm and man listens in silence. After hand harvesting, the grapes undergo a meticulous vinification process, made of slowness, respect and stillness.

It ferments in buried Georgian amphorae, with a long maceration on the skins, then ages for around six years in large oak barrels. Once bottled, it rests even further before release. This is a wine that doesn’t follow trends, but speaks with power and austerity of a timeless way of making wine.

Vineyard philosophy and cellar approach

The vineyards are cultivated according to strict organic principles, with no irrigation or synthetic treatments. Yields are kept low, and each vine is treated with near-spiritual care. In the cellar, intervention is minimal: no fining, no filtration, no added yeasts or temperature control. The wine shapes itself in darkness, in contact with the skins, buried in the earth for months.

Gravner’s choices follow a single logic: respect. Respect for the grape, for tradition, for the natural rhythm of the seasons. The 2016 vintage produced a Ribolla of remarkable balance, in which tension, structure and elegance come together in harmony.

Tasting notes

Color is intense golden with amber hues. On the nose, it opens slowly to reveal notes of wild herbs, saffron, raw honey and candied citrus peel. On the palate, it’s deep and vibrant, with sculpted tannins and a salty, mineral finish reminiscent of black tea and wet stone.

Pairings

Gravner’s Ribolla Gialla is a meditative wine, best matched with dishes that have a strong territorial or earthy character. Ideal with wild mushrooms, truffle, white game, well-aged cheeses, or umami-rich Asian cuisine. Serve at 15–16°C, ideally decanted.

Technical sheet

• Designation: Venezia Giulia IGT

• Vintage: 2016

• Grape variety: 100% Ribolla Gialla

• Vinification: spontaneous fermentation in amphora, long skin contact

• Aging: 6 years in large oak casks + bottle refinement

• Alcohol: 13% vol

• Format: 750 ml

• Serving temp: 15–16°C, decanted

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Gravner

Amphora, silence and the truth of Collio

A radical story of returning to the land

Gravner is not just a surname: it’s a declaration of intent. The winery lies in Oslavia, on the Friulian side of Collio, a land of clay hills and cultural boundaries. Here, in the 1990s, Josko Gravner initiated one of the most profound revolutions in contemporary Italian wine, rejecting “modern” winemaking to rediscover a more ancient, austere, and authentic origin.

His path, countercurrent and uncompromising, began with the abandonment of steel and technical controls, leading to a radical decision: to vinify and age wine in buried Georgian amphorae, following millennia-old tradition. Once controversial, this method is now a benchmark of natural and philosophical viticulture.

Philosophy in the vineyard

The vineyard is sacred. The parcels are cultivated with organic farming and no irrigation, with low density and minimal yields. Farming here is almost ascetic, governed by lunar rhythms and a refusal to ever force the vine. Grapes—especially Ribolla Gialla and indigenous varieties like Pignolo or Tocai (now Friulano)—are harvested only when perfectly ripe, always at different, unrepeatable times.

Each vineyard is tended with patience and deep listening, because for Gravner, balance is achieved by allowing nature to speak, not by manipulating it. No chemical fertilizers, no systemic treatments, just manual labor and constant presence. The land sets the rules—not technology.

Approach in the cellar

The winery’s heart is underground: a small temple of Georgian terracotta amphorae, buried two-thirds into the earth, where musts ferment with their skins for months. The wine is born in darkness and silence, without temperature control, without added yeast, without clarification. It’s a slow, radical, ancient process.

After maceration, wines rest for years in large oak casks, always following the same coherent philosophy. No concessions to trends, no rush to bottle. Bottling happens only when the wine is ready, often after seven or more years of aging. The goal is not immediate drinkability, but the liquid memory of a place and a philosophy.

The Gravner identity: between Ribolla and Breg

Gravner’s wines are unlike any others: they are meant to be listened to, not just tasted, dense, profound, mineral, capable of aging for decades. The Ribolla Gialla, fermented in amphora, is the emblem of this language: austere, saline, with elegant tannins and notes of black tea and earth. The Rosso Breg, made from Pignolo, is an introspective and powerful red, with layers of incense, leather, and licorice. And then there are special vintages, released only when nature allows, bottled with restraint and free from commercial logic.

Gravner does not attend trade fairs, does not host public tastings, and does not update social media. The wine is the message. And for that reason, every bottle becomes a rare, almost ritual gesture.