Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso is a red grape of northeast Italy, grown mainly in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and in eastern Veneto. It makes deeply coloured, fresh reds with blackberry, plum, violet and herbal notes and a typical bitter-almond finish.
The name means "Refosco with the red stalk", because the stems of the bunches turn red as the grapes ripen. Refosco is not one grape but a family of related varieties grown on both sides of the Adriatic. Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso is the most widely planted and best known of them; others include Refosco Nostrano and Terrano, grown on the stony red soils of the Carso near Trieste. Wines called Refosco have been praised in the region for centuries. Today the grape is made both as a fresh, fruity red and as a fuller, oak-aged wine.
Young, unoaked Refosco is fresh and fruity and goes well with food. Riserva and oak-aged versions are rounder, with spice and tobacco notes, and can age for several years. Its high acidity keeps even the fuller wines lively.
Start with a Friuli Colli Orientali Refosco from a hill producer, then compare it with a fresher wine from the Grave or Isonzo. Producers worth knowing include Moschioni, Aquila del Torre, Bastianich, Volpe Pasini, Livio Felluga, Schiopetto, Le Due Terre and La Roncaia. In the Veneto, Bosco del Merlo makes Refosco in the Lison Pramaggiore area.
Refosco shares the Friulian hills with Schioppettino, Pignolo and Merlot, and is related to Terrano. Read our best Friuli wines, the Italian red wine guide, or browse the grape varieties index.