Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
bunch, very thin-skinned berries, and as many
as three wings, and Svagarina, more typical of
the Marruccina area, with a larger bunch,
thicker skins, and usually two wings. Pasetti
believes it is the latter biotype that is more rem-
iniscent of Bombino Bianco, and most often
confused with it.
Castello di Semivicoli*, Pasetti*, Jasci &
Marchesani*, Nicodemi*, and Zaccagnini*
(Chronicon and San Clemente).
Trebbiano Giallo
where it's found:
Lazio, Umbria, Lombardy,
Veneto, Puglia.
national registry code
number:
240.
color:
white.
This variety is particularly confusing due to
many synonyms that are commonly used but
most likely erroneous, such as Rossetto (likely a
distinct variety) and Trebbiano di Spagna
(which is actually Trebbianina). The true Treb-
biano Giallo is historically associated with the
Castelli Romani in Lazio, where it is also known
as Trebbiano Giallo di Velletri (as well as, incor-
rectly, Greco Giallo and Greco Giallo di Velle-
tri). It was an important part of the blend of
wines made in the Roman countryside, in con-
trast to Trebbiano Toscano, which is only a
recent arrival in the region and is not native to
Lazio. Therefore, the
Trebbiano
variety histori-
cally associated with the wines of Frascati,
Marino, and the Colli Albani was Trebbiano
Giallo, not the Trebbiano Toscano you read and
hear about today. Trebbiano Giallo takes its
name from the golden hue of its berries when
fully ripe. Acerbi was the fi rst to describe the
golden look of this variety in 1825, and also cor-
rectly pointed out that the variety was anything
but a generous producer. Molon started getting
things wrong in 1906 by considering Greco
Giallo and Trebbiano Giallo identical. Then
Prosperi in 1939 compounded the problem by
writing that Rossetto, another variety typically
associated with the countryside of Montefi as-
cone in Lazio's northeast, was a synonym for
Castelli Romani's Trebbiano Giallo, since he
believed the golden-yellow berries of the latter
variety could turn pinkish-red when fully ripe.
However, according to the local Castelli Romani
and Cori farmers I have talked to over the years,
such a color change is not characteristic of
the grapes they know as Trebbiano Giallo, so in
my opinion, it's very likely Prosperi just con-
fused the two varieties, because Rossetto and
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Trebbiano Abruzzese is certainly a higher qual-
ity grape than Trebbiano Toscano, and the wine
made with it is too. Therefore, it would be a real
shame if Trebbiano Abruzzese were as rare as
some producers think it might be. Trebbiano
d'Abruzzo offers an interesting white wine
alternative to Abruzzo's other white wine offer-
ings, such as those made with Pecorino wines,
which are more structured and saline. Good
Trebbiano d'Abruzzo has just a hint of white
fl owers and stone fruit on the nose, a creamy
mouthfeel, and plenty of acidity with a citrusy
minerality. Cristiana Tiberio believes that this
variety is better picked sooner rather than later,
for late harvesting Trebbiano Abruzzese means
making wines that are dull and devoid of per-
fume. Harvesting a few days in advance, or at
the point of optimal ripeness, allows wines that
are far better than once believed. In past de-
cades, since Trebbiano Abruzzese was confused
with other varieties, it is likely the cultivar was
never harvested at the best possible time, a situ-
ation that did not allow Trebbiano Abruzzese to
show off its potential. Another diffi culty posed
by this variety (especially so in Italy's winemak-
ing-challenged, not-so-distant past) is that due
to its high polyphenol content, Trebbiano
Abruzzese's must oxidizes easily, so fl at, dull,
and overly-dark white wines were common.
Nowadays, in order to avoid oxidating and los-
ing aromas, many producers have turned to
hyperreductive winemaking techniques when
making trebbiano d'Abruzzo, such as using
presses with inert gas.
wines to try:
Cataldi Madonna***, Tiberio***
(both the Trebbiano d'Abruzzo and the Fonte
Canale, a
cru
bottling), Valentini***, Barba**,
