Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Pelara less so), and disease resistance, but it is
unfortunately very subject to
coulure,
which can
greatly reduce yields. The thick-skinned berries
have a characteristic, faint
Muscat
-like fl avor;
the thick skins and large, loosely packed
bunches make Dindarella ideal for air-drying,
though it tends to drop acids quickly when ripe.
There are no clones available.
Stefano Cesari of the world-class Brigaldara
estate in Veneto, who planted his own
Dindarella vineyard in a collaboration with the
University of Verona, has no illusions about
why Dindarella started falling out of favor: “It's
all about money. Since the markets didn't care
for light red wines, everybody got rid of
Dindarella, since the grape can never yield any-
thing even remotely dark, given its anthocy-
anins. Only those who couldn't care less about
wines being deep ruby in color held out.” This
is an interesting observation, since Dindarella's
reddish-blue grapes do not look particularly
pale, a telling example of how wine and grape
color do not necessarily match.
While pure dindarella is hard to come by, its
wines are still easier to fi nd than many made
with other rare Italian natives. Made as a
rosato,
something Dindarella has a real calling for
given its generally high total acidity levels, it is
a lovely, dainty wine exuding a delicately aro-
matic nose reminiscent of cinnamon, bay
leaves, and red currant. The wines are usually
labeled as IGT Rosso Veronese, Vallagarina or
delle Venezie, or as Vino da Tavola.
wines to try:
Brigaldara*** (Dindarella) and
Aldegheri* (a reportedly monovarietal
Dindarella wine that depending on the vintage
sports roughly eight grams per liter of residual
sugar and is big, dark, and tannic; very fi ne and
enjoyable, but different from other wines made
with the variety).
Dolcetto
where it's found:
Piedmont, Liguria, Sar-
dinia.
national registry code number:
73.
color:
red.
Decades ago the Langhe, a beautiful area of
Piedmont situated around the Tanaro River and
most famous for its production of Barolo and
Barbaresco, was a kaleidoscope of colors at har-
vesttime, alive with an entire spectrum of leafy
reds, yellows, and greens. Dolcetto, which rip-
ens earlier in the season than Nebbiolo or Bar-
bera, was a big contributor to the panorama,
along with varieties such as Grignolino and
Barbera. Alas, thanks to human nature (and
the high prices Barolo and Barbaresco fetch
nowadays), producers have taken to planting
Nebbiolo just about everywhere, even in sites
that are not especially suited to that late-ripen-
ing variety. The end result is that Dolcetto and
other varieties (Freisa and Grignolino have
fared even worse) have been planted less and
less, and that much of the Barolo and Bar-
baresco made today is from lower-quality sites.
I'm not being needlessly poetic or intellectual
here: the latest Italian agricultural census
(2010 data) reveals that the total hectares
planted to Dolcetto in Italy have decreased
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Typical of Veneto, where plantings were
recently on the decline, Dindarella is making
something of a comeback thanks to today's
appreciation for lighter-bodied, lower alcohol
red and
rosato
wines that marry better with
food. It is also particularly suited to air-drying,
making it interesting for producers in Valpoli-
cella, where air-drying is a way of life. You are
most likely to come across it as part of the
blends of DOCs Valpolicella, Amarone, Recioto,
Valdadige, and Garda Orientale. Cesari pro-
duces a lovely monovarietal Dindarella Rosato
at his Brigaldara estate: “I used to use it as part
of my Recioto blend, because I feel it adds a
lovely spicy aroma. Then my Italian distributor
asked me to make a
rosato,
which we didn't
have in our portfolio, and Dindarella, with its
penchant for giving lightly hued wines, seemed
an ideal candidate.” Interestingly, Cesari feels
that Pelara makes an even spicier contribution
to wines it's blended into, but he only has a few
vines of it.
