Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
centuries past had more faith in Bianchetta
Trevigiana's potential. That Bianchetta Trevi-
giana is not just another simple white grape
was demonstrated in 2009 by Lomolino, Zocca,
Spettoli, Zanin, and Lante who recorded high
fl avanol (polyphenol) concentrations in wine
made with the variety; in fact, higher than
those of some red wines. In this light, recent
research by Lomolino and Lante (2012) is
extremely interesting: reducing agents such as
β
wines to try:
Pure examples made in com-
mercially signifi cant numbers are hard to come
by, but try Fratelli Collavo**. Another excellent
example is by De Bacco** (Saca), an extra dry
sparkling wine made from grapes culled in
very old vineyards growing in the hinterland of
Mugnai di Feltre and Fonzaso.
Bianco d'Alessano
-mercaptoethanol, threo-1,4-dimercapto-2,3-
butanediol (DTT) and K
2
S
2
O
5
, used in wine-
making, were found to reduce grape skin ester-
ase activity. Since esterase is important for the
hydrolysis and synthesis of esters, which in
turn characterize the wine's aroma and fl avor
profile, over-enthusiastic use of reducing
agents in vinifi cation of Bianchetta Trevigiana
grapes may alter the wine's typical aromatic
profi le. Relative to the expression of native
grape variety characteristics in wine, exces-
sively reductive winemaking is a problem I
have broached before in this topic (see chapter
1). I know of no estate-bottled monovarietal
Bianchetta Trevigiano wine made outside Italy,
but a 2012 Bianchetta Trevigiana bulk wine has
been sold in Paso Robles, California, at ten dol-
lars a gallon. Also from California, a wine
named Cameo made by Laraneta Vineyards in
Templeton is supposedly monovarietal “Ver-
naccia,” which the producers also refer to as
“Bianchetta Trevigiano,” which they describe as
an ancient grape known in the Veneto region of
Italy since the 1500s and associated with the
town of San Gimignano in Tuscany. There
seems to be a little confusion here: though the
grape used to make this wine might be Bian-
chetta Trevigiana, this variety has nothing to
do with San Gimignano or with the Vernaccia
di San Gimignano grape; still, I hope to visit
them soon. It's thrilling for me to see someone
so far from Italy trying their hand at making a
wine with what is still a very rare variety in the
United States. Laraneta has apparently been
very successful too: the 2007 Cameo won
bronze at the 2010 Central Coast Valley Wine
Competition.
where it's found:
Puglia.
national registry
code number:
28.
color:
white.
It's unlikely that anyone will ever mistake a
wine made with Bianco d'Alessano as the sec-
ond coming of Riesling. That said, the grape
and wines deserve better—if only Italian pro-
ducers would lower yields and give this a grape
a chance.
Also known as Acchiappapalmento, Bianco
di Lessame, and Verdurino, Bianco d'Alessano
has recently been proven identical to the Cala-
brian variety Iuvarello (Schneider, Raimondi, De
Santis 2008). The history of Bianco d'Alessano
is not particularly well documented. There's lit-
tle or no information prior to 1870, when it was
mentioned for the fi rst time. It is probably origi-
nal to the Valle d'Itria in Puglia and has always
been planted promiscuously with Verdeca, a
more popular white Puglian variety, because of
the delicate aromatic quality, higher productiv-
ity, and vibrant green color of the Verdeca
wines. On its own, Bianco d'Alessano has less
to offer; its nonaromatic wines can be watery
and neutral. The variety has conical-cylindrical
bunches and round berries; it ripens between
late September and early October. Two clones
that became available in 2010 and seem prom-
ising are CRSA-Regione Puglia C2 (more pro-
ductive, medium-compact bunch) and CRSA-
Regione Puglia C5 (loosely packed, more
productive, and more disease resistant). Viticul-
turally, it is characterized by its relatively early
budding and fl owering, which exposes it to the
double whammy of spring frosts and
coulure,
or
berry shatter, a viticultural condition arising in
cool, rainy, or abnormally hot springtime
weather conditions in which fl owers fail to
