All Wines of Ronco del Gelso

I discovered the Ronco del Gelso winery on August 22, 2020, the day after the Europa League final between Inter and Sevilla. I was in Trieste for a weekend with friends. Whether from the pain of defeat or too much alcohol, one of the group (a great wine enthusiast) fell down the stairs, breaking his arm: two ruined days.

Left alone in the Giulian capital, I took advantage of the situation for a visit to Gran Malabar, one of the city’s most serious wine shops. The Chardonnay Siet Vignis from Ronco del Gelso was an almost mystical revelation – let my friend break his other arm too, if every broken bone brought a glass like this!

Certainly, five years ago my oenological knowledge was much more limited, I navigated with the horizon of Collio, my first great love, and its fragrant whites, so a Chardonnay this full-bodied had an easy time captivating me.

Five years and at least three orders from Ronco del Gelso later, I can confirm that the wines are good and the quality-price ratio excellent. The quality fluctuates, because this is a small winery that cannot guarantee (hooray!) always the same product, but there’s an idea, largely borrowed from nearby Vie di Romans, focused on full-bodied and intense whites that, when it hits the target, fascinates. Before reviewing the best wines from Ronco del Gelso, let’s get to know the producer better.

Ronco del Gelso and the Isonzo DOC

The owner of the winery is Giorgio Badin. From the website, dated but rich, you immediately notice the man’s character: someone who believes in his wines and his philosophy, with a typically Friulian scowl. The first bottling was done in 1988 and from 3,000 bottles they now produce 150,000.

You can’t talk about this winery without mentioning the Isonzo DOC. You read “Cormons” on the label and think it’s Collio, but Ronco del Gelso’s vineyards are on the unlucky side of Regional Road 56, which divides the prized hills of Friulian whites from a plain crossed by the (beautiful) Isonzo river. Here production has little to do with the artisanal wines of Pradis or Dolegna del Collio, here quantity is privileged, given the difficulty of achieving excellence consistently.

But there’s one winery that breaks the spell of Isonzo DOC mediocrity, a winery that has shown the way for many others: Vie di Romans. These champions of quality understood that the destiny of Isonzo whites was to be rich, opulent wines, but not lacking in nuance or finesse. This has been the path also taken by Ronco del Gelso.

With its great neighbor, Ronco del Gelso also shares the location of its vineyards: the so-called “Rive Alte” are located along the northern banks of the Isonzo, that is, on the right side of the river flowing eastward. This is where the terrain rises slightly above the main alluvial plain, forming gentle hills rich in gravel, sand and older alluvial deposits.

These small hills, often barely pronounced but viticulturally relevant, offer excellent drainage and complex mineral stratifications, perfect for white varieties like Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. Wines labeled “Rive Alte” come precisely from these parcels, characterized by lighter, well-ventilated soil with interesting composition.

Then there are the differences. Vie di Romans is an almost Bordeaux-like operation, with structures and capital that allow true oenological enterprises. Great power, great responsibility, and great wines. Ronco del Gelso is instead a deeply family winery, where Badin’s hand is very present, as are his experiments.

This is also the winery’s strength: the man has known how to listen to what the neighbors have put in place, but then makes autonomous choices. And this is the promise that is kept in all bottles, from the most successful to the less convincing: to have in the glass the attempt to produce something authentic and original. Ronco del Gelso doesn’t copy, it may succeed or not, but the wines always have a deep mark of authenticity.

The winery’s approach to organic farming won’t please purists: Ronco del Gelso refuses to bow to organic and even more to biodynamic. The yeasts are selected, sulfites are there, bentonite too. Then certainly, irrigation is drip and the cellar is energy self-sufficient, but don’t expect to meet Steiner among the barrels. Forewarned is forearmed. I, who am a fan of pragmatism more than labels, don’t suffer from it at all.

Regarding the company catalog, dividing wines into price ranges doesn’t make sense: they’re all very economical. Starting from a Cabernet at 12 euros (2024 prices), which I don’t recommend like all Ronco del Gelso reds, to finish with the Traminer Passito Aur at 20 euros (half bottle). The quality-price ratio is extraordinary.

The Wines of Ronco del Gelso

Latimis (blend)

Latimis 2018 (tasted in May 2022)
The Latimis 2018 is perhaps the most eloquent example of how a blend can grow over time to touch unexpected expressive peaks. The nose is overwhelming: lemon intertwines with floral notes, Mediterranean herbs and almond, creating an ensemble that has the complexity of a mature wine and the freshness of a young one. On the palate it divides into two acts: first a rich, fat, almost velvety entry, then a surprisingly tense, vertical finish that seems to put order to the opulence of the first impact. A structure built on precise and coherent acidity that holds all components together. Too bad only for the pairing: the sea bream in parchment sank under the wine’s fullness. But my wife was angry and that day the wine served more as comfort than accompaniment.

Latimis 2020 (July 2022)
Two years younger than the previous and you can feel it. The 2020 Latimis hasn’t found its center: apricot and rosemary offer an interesting aromatic spectrum, but the palate lacks that rich body that is its distinctive mark. The feeling is that it’s looking for a direction. The pesto pasta, despite its aromatic strength, couldn’t establish a dialogue with the wine: one too green, the other still too timid.

Latimis 2020 (July 2024)
More time has passed, the Latimis 2020 evolves but is not entirely successful. The nose has weakened, the fresher notes have faded leaving a more structured but less expressive profile. The sip is still marked by its body, but it’s as if part of the story is missing: light spices, lemongrass and white pepper emerge discreetly, but then comes a bitter and invasive note of verbena that spoils the finish. The focaccia with mortadella was left alone, without any complicity.

Price: 14 euros.

Malvasia Vigna della Permuta

Malvasia Vigna della Permuta 2020
A plot twist. No wood, only steel in the genesis of this bottle, yet a structure of an important wine. The mouth is salty, rich in acidity and marine drive, with anise that guides the sip toward a very long finish. The fruit, as often in great Malvasias, is understated, barely hinted at, and leaves space for sea and herbs. A wine that demands more delicate dishes: the salami and cheese were overwhelmed by its energy.

Malvasia Vigna della Permuta 2021
The 2021 Vigna della Permuta is a Malvasia that doesn’t raise its voice, that doesn’t seek applause. At first glance it’s discrete, almost anonymous: an opaque, regular straw yellow, without flashes or reflections. The nose doesn’t betray the typical aromatic expectations of the variety: no floral explosions or marine hints, but a more peaceful profile, made of yellow peach, dandelion and a creamy hint that nods to something richer, but without declaring it. In the mouth it’s a wine that flows straight like a railway track: the structure is taut, smooth, without edges, and precisely for this reason a bit monotonous. Notes of nectarine and thyme are perceived, but they’re barely hinted at, like decorative elements on a neutral base. The acidity is well integrated, hidden at first, then reveals itself in small nervous bursts toward the finish. It closes with beautiful salinity and a citrusy bitterness that gives the final blow. It’s not a wine that wants to be noticed, but it does its job well, especially at table: with the grilled fish it knew how to stay in its place, giving support without covering. With octopus then it transformed, suddenly becoming deeper, almost opulent. Price: 14 euros.

Pinot Grigio Sot Li Rivis

Pinot Grigio Sot Lis Rivis 2020
Drunk without pretensions, but with attention. The nose is sunny, direct, citrusy, and in the mouth explodes with strength. The alcoholic component is perceptible, at times preponderant, but the body is enveloping and pleasant. For a Pinot Grigio, it surprises with unusual dynamism. There aren’t too many nuances, but what’s there is well sculpted, solid, decided.

Pinot Grigio Sot Lis Rivis 2021
A powerful, muscular white that flirts with the limit. The nose is overwhelming, between wienerbrød, lime and tropical fruit. In the mouth you feel a warmth that weighs down the sip, while remaining coherent with the wine’s style. An oxidized note breaks the magic of white fruit, while subtle acidity keeps the sip alive and accompanies it to a saline, persistent finish. A wine that’s remembered more for strength than balance, perfect with tuna tartare that tamed its power. Price: 16 euros.

Friulano Toc Bas

Toc Bas 2018
An authentic, evolved Friulano, rich in spices, bay leaf, dry herbs and an almond that closes the circle. The mouth is full, enveloping, but never heavy. The acidity is subtle, just an echo that holds the sip together. It’s the sapid component and umami that define this wine’s identity. With good prosciutto it would have been a memorable pairing. With the bad one that was there, it held up anyway.

Toc Bas 2022
Younger, more tense, more chiseled. White flowers open the curtain, followed by a polite almond and a papaya that surprises with freshness. The sip is sharp, vertical, saline, with a finish where almond bitterness and fruit sweetness hold hands. A more intellectual Toc Bas than the 2018, which prefers precision to richness. Price: 15 euros.

Chardonnay Siet Vignis

Siet Vignis Chardonnay 2020
A wine that attempts the big shot, but stumbles on wood and alcohol. On the nose vanilla is the protagonist, but underneath you glimpse mango and chalk. The mouth alternates tropical notes and calcareous dryness, in an interesting but somewhat disjointed game. The finish is coherent with the place’s identity: saline, acidic, dynamic. A Chardonnay that speaks two languages, without choosing one.

Siet Vignis Chardonnay 2021
More reductive and compressed. The nose has notes of flint and fruit hides behind stone. The sip is regular, well built but lacking tension. The acidity is there. The finish is all in subtraction, with apple, pear and salt trying to revive a wine that has lost part of its vitality. It did its job with the soup, but nothing more. Price: 16 euros.

Aur Traminer Passito

Aur Traminer Passito 2017
A dessert wine that seduces with sweetness but then strikes with spices and smoke. The nose is typical of Traminer: honey, mango, lychee. But already there you sense a shadow: a smoky scent, white pepper that breaks the harmony. In the mouth it’s dense, soft, like precious fabric, but then comes the spice to tear it. The structure is not held by acidity, but by this spicy tension that gives depth and extends the finish. It’s not perfect, but it’s memorable, and it’s destined to last. Price: 20 euros.

The Best Wines of Ronco del Gelso

• Exceptional wines: Latimis 2018, Toc Bas 2018
• Excellent wines: Aur Traminer Passito 2017
• Very very good wines: Toc Bas 2022