It’s not orange wine; it’s not rosé wine: ramato wine is its own damn thing, thank you very much.
TL;DR: Ramato is a style of skin contact wine made with Pinot Grigio grapes that originated in Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The wine’s copper color is created by leaving the gray-skinned Pinot Grigio grapes in contact with the juice during maceration. This is the same process used to make rose with red grapes and orange wine with white grapes.
Here’s the thing about Ramato wine: one doesn’t know they need a few bottles of Ramato style Pinot Grigio in their collection until they try this traditional Friulian wine for the first time. Putting aside their beautiful copper-amber color, putting aside their nuanced tasting notes will rock you into a gentle state of subliminal wine pleasure, these wines are, frankly, so versatile that they are hard to put down once you start sipping them.
Still not convinced? Okay, I get it. I was once a Pinot Grigio hater too. If seeing the words ‘Pinot Grigio wine’ are an immediate turn off to your wine sensibilities, I get it. So many of these wines are cheap, mass produced plonk that are a waste of cellar space and calories.
But those wines are not this wine. Ramato style wines are textured but crisp. They can be savory, spice-filled, stone fruit wonders. Or, lean, mean, mineral-driven machines. These wines have more structure than a rose aged in stainless steel, and my goal with this post is to convince you to replace that glass of rosé with a ramato, and never look back.
Whether you call them Ramato, Friuli orange wines, or amber wines from Friuli, one thing’s for sure, you will always remember your first Ramato wine.
What is Ramato?
Ramato is a style of skin contact wine that is usually made with Pinot Grigio grapes that originated in Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The wine’s copper color is created when the juice from the crushed grapes remains on skins of the gray Pinot Grigio grapes during maceration. The process is similar to how red wine grapes are used to make rose, and white wine grapes are used to make orange (skin contact) wine.
How is Ramato wine made?
While Ramato wines are usually made with Pinot Grigio, any gray or pink-skinned grape can be used to make this coppery wine. Trousseau Gris (Gray Riesling), Grenache Gris, and Sauvignon Gris can also be used to make Ramato style wine.
What’s the Difference Between Ramato and Orange Wine or Rose Wine ?
The only difference between Ramato vs. Orange Wine and Ramato vs. Rose Wine is the color of the grape used to make the wine.
- Gray grapes are used to make Ramato wine
- Red grapes are used to make Rose wine
- White Grapes are used to make Orange wine
The process for making the wines is the same. Essentially, the skins of the grapes have extended contact with the juice to add extra texture, complexity, and color to the wine.
What color is Pinot Grigio Ramato?
The depth of the coppery color in the wine depends on how long the skins have contact with the juice. Pax Wines Trousseau Gris is a Ramato orange wine that is a faint coppery pink, while Franco Terpin’s Sialis Pinot Grigio Ramato is a copper-red that almost looks like macerated strawberries.
When the grapes have extended skin contact, a deeper shade of wine is created – just like with rose wine and orange wines.
Why does Pinot Grigio work to make Ramato wine?
Pinot Grigio is a mutation of Pinot Noir. The mutation caused the Pinot Noir’s black skinned grapes to turn a pinkish-gray color. It’s the pink-gray skin color of the grape that creates the copper hued wine.
Although Pinot Grigio / Gris originated in France, Italy’s Friuli has some of the largest Pinot Grigio plantings in the world. The grape does well in northeastern Italy’s microclimates.
The abundance of the grape in this part of Italy led to some experimentation with styles, and thus Ramato wines were born!
Ramati wine comes in several styles
The amount of time the grape skins spend with the juice have a huge impact on the appearance, taste, texture, and complexity of Ramati wines. Wines like Pax Mahle’s Trousseau Gris are a light salmon-gold, and have notes of stone fruit and slate, while Cameron Winery’s interpretation leans into tangerine citrus, jasmine, cedar, and zippy lime zest.
What to pair with Ramato
This is one of the most food friendly wines you can buy. The extra time on the skins adds a depth and character that makes it a good pairing with everything from wood-fired pizzas and pastas to seafood, and grilled meats like chicken or pork. You can also pair Ramato with spicy foods like Thai, Chinese, or Vietnamese.
The bottomline: Ramato is a flexible food wine.
Will you like Ramato?
I write this post from the point of view of someone who could not, would not drink Pinot Grigio, and now I cannot stop thinking about these wines. They are just that interesting. If you’re like me, you’ll be convinced after your first bottle. Keywords to remember with this wine: approachable, refreshing, intriguing; let’s add beguiling too.
Where to buy Ramato Wines
Trousseau Gris Ramato Wines
All of these producers source their Trousseau Gris grapes from the Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The wines are usually released in the spring.
Pinot Grigio Ramato Wines
- Forlorn Hope Wines, Dragone Ramato
- Donkey & Goat Ramato (Biodynamic)
- Field Recordings Domo Arigato (Mr. Ramato)
- Channing Daughters Winery
- Sun Goddess Pinot Grigio Ramato (Haven’t tried this one, but it’s really cool that it’s made by the legendary Mary J. Blige and the Fantinel family)
- Vie di Romans (Friulian producer)
- Le Vigne di Zamo (Friulian producer)
- Damijian Podversic Wines (Friulian producer)
Grenache Gris Ramato
- Broc Cellars, Grenache Gris Rose
FAQs
Is Pinot Grigio Ramato sweet?
Pinot Grigio Ramato wines are not sweet, but they can have fruit forward elements. Wines with less skin contact tend to be mineral-driven with palates that are crisp, but also a little creamy. These wines can also be a blend of savory fruit, funk, baking spice, and lighter herbs like mint. Forlorn Hope describes their Ramato as tasting like a black cherry popsicle. It’s not sweet, but when you try it, you’ll see what they mean.
What are the tasting notes of Pinot Grigio Ramato?
Ginger, five spice, citrus peel, but also stewed red fruit, and some sweet and savory balsamic qualities are usually present in this wine. The darker colored wines tend to have more complex tasting notes.