gorica brda ferdinand ribolla gialla 2008
ByGorica Brda is a fertile, hilly region between the Soca River and the Friulian lowlands. On the north it passes into a mountainous area stretching into the Alps, while on the south and west it descends across the border into Collio in Italy. Matjaz Cetrtic farms 15 acres of terraced limestone and clay and produces only 2,500 cases in a normal year. The local cuisine is much like that of neighboring Collio – aromatic and varied. Ribolla Gialla is the ancient, indigenous white grape of these terraced vineyards between the Adriatic and the Alps, and produces floral infused, softly fruited wines. Matjaz’s version is an excellent match for herbed polenta with cheese or many of the hearty soups of Istria.
Regional History
The small, independent Republic of Slovenia lies between Italy to the West, Austria to the North, Hungary to the East, and Croatia to the South. In the 19th century, Slovenia was a major wine-producing region within the Austro-Hungarian empire, and contained the Collio region which became part of Italy after the First World War. The three wine regions, the Primorski, Podravski and Posavski have distinct qualities. The Posavski has historically been regarded as a region for large production, with the Podravski known for wines akin to those of Austria. The Primorski, or Littoral (“near the sea”), is culturally (and agriculturally) much like Collio. There is seafood from the Adriatic, pasta, game, and small livestock. Wine growing is ancient in these hills, with the most famous indigenous grape of the region, Rebula, being traced to the 13th Century. The vineyards suffered from phylloxera in the 19th Century and again in the 20th Century under Communist rule (this was the northernmost region within Yugoslavia). A handful of independent, small-farm wineries have blossomed since the Republic was established in 1991.
Regional Foods
In this secluded region where the Alps almost touch the Adriatic, the rustic cooking of the Friulian hill country contrasts with the more refined Venetian-style fare eaten along the coast. In Alpine Carnia and the vine-draped hills of Udine and Gorizia (as well as neighboring Gorica across the border in Slovenia), the open-hearth fogolar with a conical chimney is used for grilling beef, lamb, kid, poultry, sausages and mushrooms. The indispensable polenta goes with cheese, meat stews, blood puddings and game: hare, venison and wild fowl (woodcock and uite, a local delicacy in the sparrow family) are often cooked in salmì, a highly seasoned wine sauce. Along the Adriatic between Lignano Sabbiadoro and Trieste recipes favor seafood: turbot, sardines, prawns, cuttlefish, squid, scallops, crabs, eels and even turtles cooked in soup. Trieste also maintains its eastern traditions with goulash orgùlas (peppery beef stew), rambasici (meat filled cabbage rolls), bòbici (soup with ham, beans, potatoes, corn kernels). Wursts, sauerkraut and horseradish add to the flavors of Friuli’s central-European heritage.