Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Moscatello Selvatico
likely that it was brought to Italy by Greek colo-
nists (a past assumption).
Historically, the famous Moscato di Novoli,
known locally as Muscateddhra (or Moscatella)
was believed to be produced from a biotype of
Moscatello Selvatico, known today to be identi-
cal to Moscato di Barletta. Moscatello Selvati-
co's scarce modern-day diffusion can be par-
tially explained by compatibility problems with
the area's chosen rootstock, Berlandieri ×
Riparia 157. While Primitivo and Negro Amaro
encountered no diffi culties being grafted to 157,
Moscatello Selvatico behaved miserly, with only
two or three small bunches per vine. However,
the aromas of the grapes and wines were spec-
tacularly intense, and so, even though farmers
were not thrilled at the volume of grapes and
wines produced, they continued to grow a few
vines. For this reason, Moscatello Selvatico sur-
vived in the Gargano area; another reason is
that the locals appreciated it as a table grape
and raisin. Moscatello wine was the typical
quaff on the day of Santo Antonio's feast. Most
often, Moscatello Selvatico is characterized by
medium-large bunches and berries; the former
are conical, the latter round. The grapes ripen
relatively early in September, and are resistant
to most pests. Productivity is good on the right
rootstock and the usually large berries release
copious amounts of juice. There are no offi cial
clones.
Antonio Guerrieri of Cantine Guerrieri in
Puglia, whose family has done much to save
and bring back Moscatello Selvatico, points out
that the IGT Salento denomination only allows
the word Moscato on the label, and not Mos-
catello, which is a shame. Antonio and his
brother decided to plant the old grapevines
grown by their uncle, against the wishes and
suggestions of their father, who was completely
unimpressed by the variety's poor productivity,
and they are very happy with the results.
where it's found: Puglia. national registry
code number: 307. color: white.
Fewer Italian grape varieties cause more
errors among wine writers than this one. First,
Moscatello Selvatico is a distinct cultivar, but
moscatello has always been the generic name
for varieties characterized by a delicate mus-
caty aroma and fl avor, even though known not
to be true Moscato s. Second, to further confuse
matters, some wine producers have unfortu-
nately chosen to name their wine moscatello
even when it is made with known Moscato s,
such as Moscato Bianco or Moscato di Alessan-
dria. Perhaps the best example is Montalcino's
famous moscadello (with a d ) wine, which
more than one writer has written is made with
Moscatello Selvatico, fooled by the wine's
name: in fact, moscadello di Montalcino is
made, by law, with Moscato Bianco (though in
Siena Province, up to 15 percent other cultivars
is permitted for viticulture, and apparently
Moscatello Selvatico is one of them). There are
also Moscatello wines made in Calabria and
Sicily that are not made with Moscatello Sel-
vatico, so the word moscatello on a label guaran-
tees nothing. Which of course in Italy is par for
the course.
The beautiful Gargano (a tourist heaven)
was already known in the 1700s due to its pro-
duction of Moscatello wine though there is no
way of knowing if the wines were made with
Moscato Bianco, Moscatello Selvatico, or some
other variety. In the landmark study of the
Moscato s by Crespan and Milani (2001), Mos-
catello Selvatico is shown to be the offspring of
Moscato di Alessandria and Bombino Bianco, a
fi nding confi rmed by Cipriani, Spadotto, Jur-
man, Di Gaspero, Crespan, Meneghetti, et al.
(2010). Therefore, Moscatello Selvatico must be
a grandchild of Moscato Bianco and Axina de
Tres Bias (a rare variety still found in Sardinia
that fl owers and crops up to three times a year).
Clearly, if Moscatello Selvatico really is the
result of a natural crossing between two such
well-known southern varieties, it seems less
Which Wines to Choose and Why
True Moscatello Selvatico wines are not easy to
fi nd. The Centro Ricerca e Sperimentazione in
Agricoltura (CRSA), the experimental research
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