RedLead grape in 4
Raboso Piave
Also called Friularo.
The old red of the Piave in the eastern Veneto, planted on gravel left by the river. It has ferocious acid and hard tannin and almost no interest in being friendly. Traditionally it was softened by blending in dried grapes, and left long enough it turns into something sour cherry scented and genuinely good, but it asks for patience nobody has much of any more.
Worth knowing
One explanation of the name is rabbioso, meaning furious, and anyone who has tasted a young one will accept it. It was the wine used to travel, because the acid meant it survived shipping when softer wines did not.
Where it is allowed5 appellations