Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Ciliegiolo, at its best, is an amazingly fruity
wine with a very graceful, refi ned mouthfeel: it
really will remind you of a sour red-cherry fruit
cocktail with alcohol. Its acidity can be lacking
at times (especially when made from grapes
grown in warmer microclimates), but well-
made wines are medium-bodied, bright, and
juicy, the red-cherry and berry fl avors crisp and
sweet, with smooth tannins. It takes very well
to carbonic maceration and for this reason can
make wonderful novello or nouveau) wines, but
very few Italian producers take novello s seri-
ously, so beware. The best Ciliegiolo wines are
from Tuscany's Maremma region, while those
from Liguria are more herbal and those from
Umbria simpler and a little neutral, but still
embody ciliegiolo's fresh, fruity appeal.
rather to the San Pietro al Natisone Valley,
where it used to be common. However Ivan
Rapuzzi of the Ronchi di Cialla estate, who has
recently been experimenting with Cividin,
believes that Cividin is the grape of Cividale.
The fi rst accurate description of the variety is
that of Maniago in his nineteenth-century Cata-
logue of the Grape Varieties of the Veneto Kingdom
(Bulfon, Forti, and Zuliani 1987). In any case,
Cividin was apparently once highly thought of.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries its
wines were particularly sought after, curiously
enough, for wedding banquets. Today, Cividin
seems to be on a comeback course, with a
number of different estates working with the
University of Udine to set up experimental vine-
yards and microvinifi cations.
Cividin has medium-sized, pentagonal
leaves with fi ve obvious lobes and jagged teeth.
The grape bunch is also medium-sized, cylin-
drical, and very tightly packed, with one to two
wings. Berries are spherical tending toward an
almost oval shape. Very sensitive to oidium,
Cividin needs well-exposed sites, otherwise it
fails to ripen properly, as it's also a very late rip-
ener (it some vintages, late October harvests are
not unheard of). There are no offi cial clones. It
grows only in small vineyard plots of Friuli
Venezia Giulia. Cividin is most planted around
Pinzano al Tagliamento, though recently vines
have been located near the upper reaches of the
Vipacco River and even in the Carso, near
Trieste.
wines to try: For Tuscany, try: Sassotondo***
(Sanlorenzo, a great Italian red), Antonio
Camilli*** (Principio), La Selva***, Poggio
Argentiera** (Vallerana Alta), Rascioni & Cec-
conello** (Rotulaia, the fresh entry-level ver-
sion, and Poggio Ciliegio), Cesani** (Serrise),
La Busattina*, and Roccaccia* (Poggiocavalluc-
cio). For Liguria, try: Bisson**, Pino Gino**,
and Il Monticello (Serasuolo, a good rosato );
many other locals use Ciliegiolo in red blends
with Sangiovese or Granaccia. For Umbria, try:
Zanchi** (Carmìno), Vallantica*, Cantine Colli
Amerini, and San Lorenzo (Cleos).
Cividin
where it's found: FVG. national registry
code number: 388. color: white.
The name Cividin derives from the town of
Cividale, the ancient Forum Julii founded by
Julius Caesar, later the fi rst capital of the Lon-
gobard kingdom, the ancient tribe from which
the Lombardy region takes its name. It is not
known if Caesar liked wines made with this
variety (though he was a known fan of Sicily's
mamertino), but given its birthplace, Cividin
certainly qualifi es as a grape of the Caesars.
Despite the variety's name, Marzotto (1923)
wrote that Cividin is not original to Cividale but
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Given its only very recent rediscovery, Cividin
wines are still a work in progress. Microvinifi -
cations show dry extracts of medium concen-
tration, generally high alcohol (Cividin grapes
have no trouble accumulating sugar), and high
total acidity levels. The latter characteristic sug-
gests Cividin might be particularly suited for
sparkling wine production. Wines I have tried
over the years all exude aromas of citrus
and tropical fruits, plus a terpenic note that
recalls the white-berried Moscato s. They are
almost always somewhat more austere and
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