Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
along with Abruzzo, Italy's most important
source of rosato ), these are made either with
Negro Amaro (in the Salento area of southern
Puglia) or Bombino Nero (in northern and cen-
tral Puglia). I think Bombino Nero rosato wines
are fresh, fruity, and have lovely red-berry, fl o-
ral, and citrus notes; they are lighter and fruit-
ier than those made with Negro Amaro. And
I'm not the only one who thinks the difference
between rosati made with Bombino Nero and
Negro Amaro is striking. De Corato says that
“with Negro Amaro, rosato is really a by-prod-
uct, as it's made via the saignée process; those
rosati have the same alcohol level as the red
wines made from Negro Amaro. They are also
bigger, richer wines, and I'm not sure that's
what people are looking for in their rosato.
Palumbo adds that not only the rosati, but also
the red wines are much better than people real-
ize: “Bombino Nero wines used to be too deli-
cate and low in dry extract, but with better viti-
cultural practices that is no longer a problem.”
bodied, richest wine of the three: locals refer to
it as a “red grape in a white grape's clothing.” In
fact, it is the grape used to provide body and
structure to typical local Ligurian wines, which
are often blends of the three varieties. Bosco's
name derives from that of the villa of the Mar-
chesi Durazzo of Genoa, from where the fi rst
Bosco vines were supposedly brought to the
Cinque Terre, though there is no hard proof of
this. Very rarely is it also called Madea, and
then only around Genoa. In any case, it's clear
that the variety was described in 1833 in
ampelographic bulletins and deemed appropri-
ate for planting all over Liguria. Bosco, just like
Albarola and Vermentino, all but disappeared
from the Cinque Terre in the wake of phyllox-
era, and the local economy took a hard hit,
surviving only by commercial fi shing. Accord-
ing to Giacomo Forlini Cappellini, one of Ligu-
ria's best producers, Bosco and the other variet-
ies were brought back to life thanks to local
priests who replanted with material obtained
from the Vatican nurseries located in the Colli
Romani.
In a study comparing monovarietal wines
made with Albarola and Bosco at different alti-
tudes (240 and 430 meters above sea level),
bosco made from grapes grown at 430 meters
had lower color intensity and was less agreeable
to tasters (Cravero, Bonello, Piano, Chiusano,
Borsa, Tsolakis, and Lale Demoz 2010). Grapes
grown closer to the sea, on the other hand, gave
wines with higher sugar content, lower acidity,
and greater body (apparently, no relevant differ-
ences were observed in the aromatic profi les).
If nothing else, this study confi rms that Bosco
seems to thrive in the marine environment.
Interesting research (Romano, Capece, Ser-
afi no, Romaniello, and Poeta 2008) has been
trying to genetically and technologically char-
acterize yeast strains of Saccharomyces cerevi-
siae isolated from Bosco grapes, hoping to iso-
late specifi c yeast ecotypes that are potentially
more suited for the vinifi cation of Bosco wines.
Bosco is characterized by medium-large,
loosely packed bunches and medium-large,
oval berries. It buds early and ripens in the
wines to try: Rivera*** (Pungirosa and Rosé),
Terranostra* (Alterium, which also makes a
Bombino Nero red wine in their Piano Mangeri
line), and Cantina Vignuolo (Manieri di Fede-
rico Rosato). Rivera's two rosati are very
different wines: while Pungirosa is paler and
delicate and not unlike a blush wine from
Provence, Rosé is meatier and richer though
still bright and fresh. Pungirosa is macerated
and fermented at lower temperatures (5-10°C),
but with longer skin contact; Rosé is a more
traditional wine, where the maceration only
lasts twelve hours at temperatures of 10-15°C.
Different strokes for different folks, but equally
good.
Bosco
where it's found: Liguria. national regis-
try code number: 36. color: white.
Bosco is the lone cultivar typical of Liguria's
Cinque Terre to be cultivated right next to the
sea, in contrast to other local natives Albarola
and Vermentino. It also produces the fullest-
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