Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and it's unlikely that will change in the near
future, since the currently available grapevine
populations are almost entirely virus affected,
especially by fanleaf virus.
not to be confused with Avarengo, another Ital-
ian native grape, Avanà may have been imported
into Italy from France when Piedmont and
Savoy were part of the same kingdom, but of
course, it is also quite possible that Avanà moved
in the other direction, from Italy to France. As
the grape is more common today in Italy than
France, Avanà is considered to be an Italian
native. In this respect, a wildly interesting study
by Schneider, Carrà, Akkak, This, Laucou, and
Botta (2001) using molecular markers that ana-
lyzed synonymies between French and Italian
border grape varieties apparently confi rmed that
Avanà is identical to France's Hibou Noir and
Hibou Rouge. These results were in accordance
with a previous observation by Rougier (in Viala
and Vermorel 1901-10) but are in contrast with
those reported by Galet (1990). Furthermore, in
the eastern part of Switzerland's Valais region
(especially in the Mattertal valley) grows yet
another variety called Eyholtzer Rote or Eyhol-
zer Rote that is locally known as Hibou Rouge,
but I have been unable to fi nd any scientifi c data
in support of this synonym. In fact, a careful
review of the 2001 study reveals that the pre-
sumed identity between Avanà and the two
Hibou
s was determined only by RAPD analysis,
and not by SSR profi ling, which was performed
on only eleven other varieties. Since RAPD test-
ing is not the state-of-the-art method by which
to identify cultivars (results are too dependent
on, and affected by, the reaction conditions,
such as DNA extraction and purifi cation tech-
niques), we do not as yet have conclusive evi-
dence as to the synonymity of Avanà with the
Hibou
s. Finally, according to DNA parentage
analysis, it appears that Avanà is related to Ami-
gne, another Valais grape, and either a parent or
offspring of Cacaboué, a practically extinct vari-
ety of France's Savoie region (Vouillamoz and
Moriondo 2011).
The word
avanà
derives from the Latin term
abante,
meaning forward, probably in reference
to the variety's precocious ripening phase.
Recently Mannini, Cavallo, Rolle, Ferrandino,
and Mollo (2008) have studied Avanà's genetic
profi le and overall health, important steps in
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Asprinio grows mainly in the area north of
Naples, around the city of Caserta, in the coun-
tryside surrounding the twenty-two communes
included in the DOC Asprinio d'Aversa. The
latter has long enjoyed
grand cru
status for
asprinio. The wine is light and lively, a perfect
summertime beverage, ideal for uncomplicated
sipping. Due to its high natural acidity, it is also
used to make the sparkling DOC Asprinio
d'Aversa Spumante, though the still version
remains my favorite. The wine always exudes a
crisp lemony zing, and is characterized by
pretty if very delicate citrusy, spicy, and
almondy notes. Asprinio is rich in monoter-
pene and norisoprenoid molecules, particularly
linalool and limonene, which helps explain the
wine's usually marked citrusy aromas. How-
ever, these molecules reach signifi cant concen-
trations only with grapes grown at certain
heights off the ground, as heavily shaded
grapes, grapes growing low to the ground, and
those in excessively humid environments fail to
accumulate enough of these molecules to suf-
fi ciently characterize the wine.
wines to try:
Magliulo**, Cantina Cicala**, I
Borboni** (two versions, one oak-aged, which
doesn't strike me as a great idea), Tenuta Adolfo
Spada** (they also make a
spumante brut
),
Caputo* (their Fescine is named after the bas-
kets traditionally used to carry the grapes),
Grotta del Sole*, and Vestini Campagnano*.
Avanà
where it's found:
Piedmont.
national reg-
istry code number:
17.
color:
red.
It is safe to say that the great majority of tal-
ented, elbow-lifting wine afi cionados—Italian
and otherwise—have never heard of this variety.
Documented as Avanato in 1606 by Croce, and
