What you need to know about the Italian Raboso wines and grape variety.
What is Raboso?
Raboso is an Italian red wine grape variety grown primarily in the eastern part of the Veneto region of Northern Italy.
The grape is often called Raboso Piave, as it is mostly found on coastal regions along the Piave river which flows through the Veneto’s eastern Treviso Province. Its name may have derived from the Italian word for angry: rabbioso, or its equivalent in the Venetian dialect: Raboxo, as a reference to the harsh tannins its wines often feature.
The Raboso grape is the main grape in the DOCG blended wines of Piave Malanotte and Bagnoli Friularo. It is also found under the Piave and Delle Venezie DOC appellations.
Outside Italy, Raboso is also found in small plantings in Argentina, presumably following Italian migration patterns during in the 19th Century.
How Does a Raboso Wine Taste Like?
You will most-often find Raboso used in wines blended with other grape varieties to soften its sharp edges. But some producers do make it as a varietal wine to showcase the grape on its own.
Raboso wines are generally deeply-colored, with notably high levels of granulous tannins, and more importantly a highly marked acidity.
Because of these flavor features, Raboso red wines are often qualified as ‘austere‘.
Jancis Robinson says about it: “Tough, sometimes tart, Veneto variety which can be too lean to sustain these attributes.”
Locally, in Veneto, Raboso is more often than not made in a slightly ‘frizzante’ (fizzy) style, and is generally served ‘sfuso’ (in a carafe) in restaurants as the ‘vino della casa’ (the house wine).
Recommended Raboso Wine
Still Red Raboso Wine
To smoothen the Raboso grapes sharp tannic edges, and concentrate its flavors, the Corvezzo Winery of Veneto, uses the Passito technique of drying the grapes in trays before fermentation, a similar technique used to produce the famous Amarone della Valpolicella. Corvezzo also blends a little Cabernet and Merlot to complete it. The result is a frivolous, playful, and zesty to the nose, it transforms into a round, smooth and comforting wine on the palate.
Find this wine on the producer’s website at corvezzo.it
The Raboso grape’s solid acidity also makes it particularly suitable for making red and rosé sparkling wines.
Olmè ‘Casanova’ Rosé also is a unique expression of the Raboso grape, as a pink sparkling wine.
Sparkling Rosé Raboso Wine
Corvezzo Tenute Olmè ‘Casanova’ Rosé Brut Spumante, Veneto, Italy
Find this wine on the producer’s website at corvezzo.it
Sparkling Red Raboso Wine
“Ikaro” by Corvezzo winery is a very rare red dry sparkling Raboso wine.
Find this wine on the producer’s website at corvezzo.it
Other Popular Raboso Wines
Here is a list of some Italian wine from Veneto made with the Raboso grape, some of the most expensive ones, hence supposedly some of the best examples, with links to the winery websites:
- Ca’ di Rajo ‘Notti di Luna Piena’ Raboso Riserva Piave – Retails around $38
- Ornella Molon ‘Rossi Selezione’ Raboso Piave – Retails around $25
- Cecchetto Giorgio Gelsaia Piave Malanotte DOCG – Retails around $24
- Ca’ di Rajo Sangue del Diavolo Raboso Piave – Retails around $20
- Conte Emo Capodilista La Montecchia Forzate Raboso Veneto IGT – Retails around $14
Sources and References
wine-searcher.com
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