Grape Groups and Families - Native Wine Grapes of Italy - page 120

Teroldego is a grandfather and Lagrein either
an uncle or an aunt of Refosco del Peduncolo
Rosso. Furthermore, Refosco del Peduncolo
Rosso is a parent of Corvina and a grandparent
of Rondinella, two famous Veneto varieties
used to make Valpolicella and Amarone wines,
so it turns out that Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso
is a pretty noble grape. Last but not least, this
study also confi rms that Piculit Neri is unre-
lated to Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso.
Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso has a medium-
large, pyramidal bunch with one small wing,
and medium-small, very dark blue berries with
thin but resistant skins (a good thing, in view
of it being a late ripener). A strong differentiat-
ing factor between it and all other Refosco-
named varieties is that the underside of its
leaves is milky-white, covered in a downy sheen
that is absent from the greenish underside of
leaves of all other Refosco s. Refosco del Pedun-
colo Rosso adapts well to just about any soil
type but does best in nutrient-poor, calcareous-
clay soils and hillside locations, as it's very vig-
orous. Above all, it needs to ripen well in order
to avoid green, vegetal aromas and fl avors; and
as ripeness is everything, nurseries and
research personnel have strived to develop bet-
ter clones. The best of these are ISV-F1, ISV-F4
Toppani (one of the most widely planted, as it's
less vigorous than most, producing more com-
plex and ageworthy wines), VCR 14 (the least
sensitive to botrytis), ERSA FVG 400 (slightly
less productive than the rest, giving complex
wines), and ERSA FVG 401 Villa Chiozza.

Rosso is a reductive variety and according to
Collavini estate winemaker Walter Bergnach
“stainless steel can be used, but care has to be
taken to provide lots of air in the immediate
post-fermentation phase, for if off-odors
develop, they're very hard to get rid of. Small
barrels also serve to smoothen the variety's
somewhat angular tannins, but they don't have
to be new oak.” Clearly, when Refosco del
Peduncolo Rosso grapes fail to reach optimal
maturity, the wines display varying degrees of
greenness and vegetal aromas and fl avors,
something true of all the Refosco varieties. In
this respect, Refosco s have plenty in common
with the Cabernet s.
Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso is by far most
common in Friuli Venezia Giulia, though it is
also grown in Veneto. The best wines to try are
those of the DOC Colli Orientali del Friuli of
Friuli Venezia Giulia; Friuli Grave, Friuli
Annia, and Friuli Latisana can also be good,
but it is often too rainy, especially in central and
western Grave, or yields are too high, to achieve
truly great wines. However, potential for very
fi ne wines made with this variety is considera-
ble in DOCs such as Latisana, Annia, and Aqui-
lea, as Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso is a variety
that likes very loamy soils rich in red clay; in
that light, the combination of strongly gravel
soils and high rainfall typical of some parts of
the Grave makes it unlikely, in my opinion, that
truly great Refosco wines will ever be made
there. Unsurprisingly, Refosco wines from
these DOCs have noticeably improved over the
last decade or so. Veneto's DOC Lison Pramag-
giore also grows this variety, but those wines
fail to excite.
Outside Italy, besides very rare examples
from Greece and Croatia (Terrano is far more
common in the latter country), Refosco del
Peduncolo Rosso is grown in Argentina's Men-
doza and Chile's Colchagua viticultural areas;
and it has sparked interest in the United States,
especially in New Mexico and California.
Though a great deal of so-called Refosco in the
latter state is Mondeuse Noire, in the last
twenty years there have been many new plant-

Which Wines to Choose and Why
I fi nd that Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso wines
are by far the most complex of any made with
Refosco varieties, hinting at dried red cherries,
fresh herbs, almonds, and fl owers (lavender,
geranium, violet). However, they are often
short, with aromas and fl avors that though very
intense, even seductive on entry, fail to linger
much. The tannins can also be quite tough,
certainly much more aggressive and astringent
than those of wines made with Refosco Nos-
trano. Furthermore, Refosco del Peduncolo