La Ponca’s 2022 Ribolla Gialla arrives in Cortina and meets an unconventional pairing: venison. At Tivoli, a Michelin-starred restaurant, Graziano Prest brings to the table an original encounter between the wine’s freshness and structure and the deep flavours of autumn in the mountains.
Scriò, Dolegna del Collio (GO) Italy– The 2022 Ribolla Gialla takes centre stage in La Ponca new pairing for the autumn season: a wine that travels from Friuli’s Collio all the way to the Dolomites of Cortina, accompanying “Passeggiata nel bosco”, one of the signature dishes created by Graziano Prest, chef of Ristorante Tivoli in Cortina d’Ampezzo, a one-Michelin-starred restaurant. Venison fillet, Cortina’s puccia and yoghurt mayonnaise evoke an authentic yet contemporary mountain landscape; the Ribolla Gialla responds with structure, freshness and savouriness. A pairing built on balance, in which the wine’s oak character complements the depth of the game, while its citrus and savoury notes lighten the palate and extend the finish.
La Ponca’s 2022 Ribolla Gialla comes from the Skal vineyard, located 200 metres above sea level on ponca soil and with an east-facing exposure. Following gentle pressing and cold static settling, the wine ferments at a controlled temperature. It then spends 15 months ageing on its fine lees, in a combination of stainless steel, barriques and 1,000-litre oak casks. In the glass, it is straw yellow with greenish highlights. The nose reveals mineral aromas, white flowers and citrus, while the palate echoes the aromas perceived on the nose, with citrus notes characteristic of the variety. A fresh and savoury wine, yet at the same time full-bodied and enveloping.
THE PAIRING WITH CHEF GRAZIANO PREST’S CUISINE
At the foot of the Tofane, just outside the centre of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Tivoli is first and foremost a place deeply rooted in the mountains. Here, Graziano Prest, together with his wife Maridilia, has built his culinary home over the years, a cuisine that inevitably reflects the Dolomites through mountain ingredients, game, herbs and woodland aromas. Alongside the mountains, however, there is also the sea, a legacy of the chef’s years in Venice. Here, technique is rigorous and precise, yet always at the service of flavour: distinctive, clean and capable of evoking a place or awakening a memory.
To accompany La Ponca’s 2022 Ribolla Gialla, Prest chose “Passeggiata nel bosco”, a dish that captures the surrounding landscape both in its name and in its ingredients. The lightly seared venison fillet retains all its succulence and the elegant character of game at its centre; around it, the crispness and spiced notes of Cortina’s puccia play against the tenderness of the meat, while the yoghurt mayonnaise introduces freshness and a delicate tang. A dish that encapsulates a walk through the Dolomites’ woodland and finds in La Ponca’s Ribolla Gialla a companion capable of supporting its depth without weighing it down.
“We chose La Ponca’s 2022 Ribolla Gialla to accompany “Passeggiata nel bosco” because venison is a delicate meat that calls for a white wine with body and presence. In this Ribolla, we found a beautiful oak note, resulting from its ageing in wood, which rounds out and fills the typical fruit character of the variety. At the same time, its freshness and savouriness balance the yoghurt mayonnaise and keep the palate clean,” explains Graziano Prest.
