Born in northern Italy long ago, Ramato wine is something akin to an orange wine. Made with extended skin contact, the style is essentially a white made in the style of a red. Traditionally made with the Pinot Grigio grape, Ramato is a European wine you need in your cellar, especially as we settle into fall.
Translating to copper, ramato is aptly named. Because the skins are afforded more contact with the juice, the resulting wine shows more color, tannin, and substance in general. The style was born in Friuli, high up the boot of Italy near the Dolomites. And it may be the most autumn-friendly version of Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio we’ve encountered.
Why? Well, that extra weight from the skin contact gives the wine a sweater-weather feel. You get more complexity and a more expansive mouthfeel, which in turn can pair up with a broader variety of foods. And while chilled white are always welcome in our book, sometimes you want a room temperature Rosé that drinks a little like a light red.
History of Ramato wine
There was a time when Ramato was pretty much the only style of Grigio in Friuli. Large producers with a giant export market shook things up in the 60s, popularizing the white version of the wine we so often see on shelves today. Yet, Ramato remains popular, especially abroad, but has also gained traction from domestic producers.
Pinot Gris has long been in Italy, going back to the 19th Century, and was likely introduced by European neighbors. Although, it’s widely believed that Ramato goes back more than 1,000 years, likely utilizing similar indigenous grape varieties. This was an era that still used older methods, fermenting in earthen vessels and the like and not yet working with things like stainless steel. After a maceration, including the skins and sometimes the stems of, anywhere from a few hours to several days, the wine usually goes to neutral oak or tank ferment (sometimes with the skin still involved) before a brief aging process.
The style was embraced by many families, who made their own batches in house for personal consumption. Today, while Ramato remains overshadowed by a light-colored, bone-dry Pinot Grigio cousin, the wine is still beloved and made by many deft winemakers.
How ramato wine is made
Whereas a Rose wine is made by pressing and fermenting the juice of red grapes, a Ramato is more like an orange wine in that it’s a lighter-skinned grape exposed to longer skin contact. Now, orange wines can take on additional color through oxidation or depending on contact with lees or maturation. Meanwhile, the Ramato—traditionally, at least—gets a lot of that color even from minimal skin contact thanks to Pinot Gris being a lighter, red-skinned grape. When ripe, these clusters look a beautiful grayish-purple. The juice is very light, but those skins can add a lot of color and personality.
The rise of natural wine and older production methods have given Ramato something of a boost as of late. It may never be as popular as its home turf, but we highly suggest you find some this autumn.
How to enjoy ramato wine
Treat Ramato like the hybrid that it is, somewhere between a white and red. In other words, do not over-chill (if at all) and take advantage of all those added flavors by pairing it up with seafood, cold cuts (prosciutto), pastas, and spicy fare like Thai. Match those apricot and dried fruit notes so often associated with Ramato with cioppino or a good fish stew. It’s also quite flexible with a number of cheese types. Try it with calamari or your favorite pork dish.
While Italy remains the home of Ramato, other producers are making versions, too. Here in the states, you can find Ramato-style wines just about anywhere Pinot Gris is planted, at least from more experimental vintners. Quality versions are coming out of the west coast and sometimes they’re even made with other grape varieties that tend to be pressed right away (Gewurztraminer, for example).
Some of our favorite options include Cameron Wine in Oregon, the Attems Ramato out of Italy (a bit more delicate and nice with veggie dishes), or the Forlorn Hope version from northern California. If you happen to be in the Italian section of your local bottle shop, ask around and see what’s suggested from the birthplace of this one-of-a-kind wine.
Talk about a happy medium wine, striking that ideal balance between the freshness of standard Pinot Gris with the structure and added weight of a red. Ramato is your go-to, and the temperature drops, but you still crave something lively and not overwhelming.
And that’s not all. Check out our orange wine guide, as well as our Grenache wine guide, if you’re looking for something new and interesting. Cheers!
