Anyone heard of Remondolo?

[Garbo]

Thanks to Drew and Iggywine I can now give a fuller report on the elusive "Ramandolo". The following comes courtesy of Roger Rogness, proprietor of Wine Expo in Santa Monica, California and an afficionado of/expert on Italian wine:
1. The full name is Verduzzo di Ramandolo, Verduzzo being the grape and Ramandolo being the region, a very small area in the northeast, within the Colli Orientale Del Friuli.
2. The Verduzzo grape was originally cultivated in the area by the Romans, but through the years it gradually was eradicated in favor of Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, etc.
3. There are only three producers who are making this wine. Gravner, Dru, and Cialla. They are rather passionate about the grape and believe those "other" grapes to be, well, less than desirable.
4. Mr. Cialla, whose version of the wine is called Verduzzo di Cialla rather than di Ramandolo, is the one who brought the grape back into the region. (Full label reads Ronchi di Chialla Verduzzo di Cialla.) In the 1960s he literally crawled under barbed wire to cross the border into Slovenia and bring back root stock.
5. In response to queries, it is a delicious dessert wine, sweet but yet retaining the fruity nature of the grape rather than merely being sugary. I wish I could be more specific but I'm a newbie and I haven't yet opened my new bottles and my memory of the only glass I've had is a little fuzzy.
6. Wine Expo has quantities of the Verduzzo di Cialla (750 ml)in both 1983 ($39.99) and 1992 ($29.99) vintages. According to Rogness, the prices are about half of what the true value is, owing to a distributor who didn't quite know how to market the somewhat unheard-of wine. Also according to Rogness, the younger one still has enough acidity to serve with smoked salmon or foie gras. When we had the wine in Italy we had it as a dessert wine, served with biscotti for dipping. Both vintages should keep for another 15 yrs.
For those in the area who haven't been, the Expo is friendly and Rogness is a hoot. He has a great newsletter and also a "hot tips" e-mail list you can join so you may be alerted to new wines that are available only in limited quantities. No website, unfortunately, but you can call toll free at 1-800-WINE EXPO or e-mail at WineExpo@earthlink.net.
No, I do not work there or get kickbacks, just getting out the word about a good shoppe. So good luck. I'll let you know when I pop a cork on my new Verduzzo...