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Franco Terpin

Ribolla Gialla 2016

Price: $49.95
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Tasting notes

This wine delivers a rare combination of oxidative depth and bracing saline minerality that only ponka soils and extended oak maceration can produce. Dried apricot, chestnut honey, and a long tannic finish make it one of the most serious orange wines coming out of Collio.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Dried ApricotChestnut HoneyHaySalinity
  • Style: Dry, full-bodied orange wine; deep amber-gold; dried apricot, honey, salinity; 12.5% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Ribolla Gialla; certified organic, practicing biodynamic; ponka (marl and sandstone flysch) soils; San Floriano del Collio and Monte Calvario, ~150m elevation
  • Winemaking: De-stemmed; ~8-day skin maceration in Slavonian oak with hand punch-downs; spontaneous fermentation; 12 months Slovenian oak, 12 months stainless steel, extended bottle aging; unfined, unfiltered, minimal sulfites
  • Serving: Serve at 55-60F; decant 30-45 minutes; sediment may be present
  • Pairing: Soska trout, sea bream, roast white meat, aged Friulian cheese, vegetable risotto
  • Similar To: For fans of Gravner or Radikon who want a textural, mineral-driven, age-worthy orange wine from Collio

Franco Terpin's Ribolla Gialla 2016 is a skin-contact orange wine made from 100% Ribolla Gialla sourced from Terpin's oldest vineyards on ponka soils in San Floriano del Collio, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The vineyards sit on southwest-facing slopes at Monte Calvario, around 150 meters above sea level, right on the Italian-Slovenian border.

Grapes are de-stemmed and macerated for approximately 8 days in open Slavonian oak vats, with Franco punching down by hand three times daily. Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts. The wine then ages 12 months in Slovenian oak barrels, followed by 12 months in stainless steel, and rests in bottle for several years before release. No fining, no filtration, minimal sulfites.

The result is a deep amber-golden wine with notable grip from the skin tannins. On the nose: dried apricot, chestnut honey, hay, aromatic herbs, and a distinct mineral salinity that recalls the fossilized seabed origins of ponka soil. The palate is dense, saline, and long, with vibrant acidity providing freshness against the wine's considerable texture.

This is a wine built for the table and for time. Because it is unfiltered and unfined, sediment may be present — decanting is recommended before serving.

The wine's salinity and grip make it a natural match for Soska trout, sea bream, or other freshwater and coastal fish preparations. It holds up equally well against white meat dishes, aged cheeses, and vegetable risottos. Try it with a platter of Friulian cured meats and hard cheese as an extended aperitivo.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Orange Wine
Wine Style:, Full Body
Grapes:, Ribolla Gialla
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2016
Alcohol:, 12.5%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Appellation:, Collio DOC
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

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**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Franco Terpin

Franco Terpin was born and raised in the Collio Goriziano hills. The Terpin family farm was originally dedicated to polyculture and livestock. The transition to viticulture came in the early 1990s, with the first bottled vintage in 1994. Terpin is based at Loc. Valerisce in San Floriano del Collio, in the province of Gorizia, with his wife Daniela and daughters Sara and Valentina involved in the operation. The estate spans approximately 10 to 12 hectares across plots on both the Italian and Slovenian sides of the border.

Most vineyards are southwest-facing and concentrated around the municipalities of San Floriano and Monte Calvario at approximately 150 meters above sea level. Terpin received full organic certification in 2011 and works with biodynamic principles in the vineyard. No synthetic chemicals are used. Grape varieties grown include Ribolla Gialla, Friulano (Jakot), Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Malvasia Istriana, and Merlot, all on ponka soils.

Terpin's winemaking philosophy is non-interventionist. Grapes are hand-harvested, de-stemmed, and macerated on the skins in open Slavonian oak vats with manual punch-downs. Fermentation starts spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. Wines are aged in Slovenian oak barrels before transfer to stainless steel, and are bottled without fining or filtration. Sulfites are kept to a minimum. Wines are released only after extended cellar rest, typically three or more years from harvest. Total production across the estate is approximately 20,000 to 35,000 bottles annually.

Wine region

Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy

Collio DOC is a crescent-shaped appellation in the province of Gorizia, in the far northeastern corner of Italy bordering Slovenia. The region sits between the Julian Alps to the north, which shield vines from cold winds, and the Adriatic Sea to the south, whose warm currents moderate temperatures and keep grapes dry. This dual Alpine-Adriatic influence creates significant diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity in the grapes. Hillside cultivation is required under the DOC rules, with no flat-land vineyards permitted.

The defining geological feature of Collio is ponca, an Eocene-era flysch soil composed of stratified calcareous marl and sandstone formed from ancient seabed uplift. This crumbly, mineral-rich soil forces vines to root deeply, naturally limiting yields while imparting the characteristic salinity and mineral tension Collio wines are known for. The appellation is home to key indigenous white varieties including Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, and Malvasia Istriana, alongside international varieties. Collio is also the spiritual home of Italy's most serious skin-contact white wine tradition, with producers such as Josko Gravner, Stanko Radikon, and Franco Terpin all based within its borders.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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