Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Given that an important estate such as Feudi di
San Gregorio has enlisted the consultation of
Champagne luminary Anselme Selosse, my
belief that
Falanghina
sparklers are so-so may
soon be proven wrong, and nothing would
make me happier.
Pesaro/Rimini (see FAMOSO DI PESARO/
RIMINI entry). The former is the variety
recently listed in the National Registry (in
2009) simply as Famoso, while the latter
requires further study and has yet to be offi -
cially recognized and named as a separate vari-
ety. I will keep them separate in this topic while
waiting for the second Famoso to also be
inserted into Italy's National Registry—and I
will show that there is enough historical,
ampelographic, and anecdotal data to do so.
Though in the future one Famoso may be
proven to be just a biotype of the other, I don't
think that's very likely.
Famoso, whose synonyms include Ram-
bella, Rambela, Uva Rambella, Valdoppiese (or
Valdupies, in dialect), and Bianca di Spinello is
a white aromatic grape variety that will remind
you of Moscato Bianco. It is yet another Italian
grape variety with a very interesting if complex
history. Cultivated for centuries in the
Romagna portion of Emilia-Romagna, mainly
in the countryside around Cesena, Faenza,
Bertinoro, Lugo, Forlì, Ravenna, and through-
out most of the Savio River valley (hence the “di
Cesena” descriptor still used today by many
locals), it was known to be distinct from
another, rarer Famoso variety that also grew in
Emilia-Romagna, farther south and west, near
Pesaro and Rimini. In any case, Famoso di
Cesena virtually disappeared in the twentieth
century. And yet, the variety had always been
described favorably by experts, including at the
1876 Forlì ampelographic fair (Comizio
Agrario di Folì 1877) and in the tenth volume
of the ampelographic bulletin (Ministero Agri-
coltura, Industria e Commercio 1879). The fall
in Famoso di Cesena's total acreage was most
likely a consequence of phylloxera, but perhaps
the reduction was also due to diffi culty in rec-
ognizing Famoso di Cesena without confusing
it with another similar-looking local native
variety called Cargarello (currently only grown
in the experimental vineyards of the Centro
Ricerche Produzioni Vegetali in Tebano,
though it appears to have promise as a wine
grape).
wines to try:
Cantina del Taburno***
(Falanghina Taburno: rich, expressive wine
and very inexpensive), Mustilli*** (a very per-
sonal style, mineral and pungent and typical of
the Falanghina of Sant'Agata dei Goti; the
Vigna Segreta bottling is fruitier and richer),
Contrada Salandra** (Falanghina Campi Fle-
grei), Fontanavecchia** (Falanghina Taburno),
Grotta del Sole** (Falanghina Campi Flegrei
Coste di Cuma), Vesevo** (Falanghina San-
nio), Viticoltore Moccia / Agnanum** (Falan-
ghina Campi Flegrei Aganum; the Vigna del
Pino bottling is also impressive), Astroni*
(Falanghina Campi Flegrei Colle Imperatrice),
Quintodecimo* (Via del Campo, in a richer
creamier style than most but typical of Luigi
Moio's white wines), Mastroberadino* (Falan-
ghina Irpinia Morabianca, in a creamy interna-
tional style, but you won't want to put the glass
down), Nifo Sarrapochiello* (Falanghina
Alenta, which is slightly late harvested and a
good value), Ciabrelli* (Falanghina Alexia San-
nio), Colle di San Domenico* (Falanghina Ven-
demmia Tardiva), Corte Normanna*, De
Lucia*, Ponte*, Terra dei Briganti*, Torre del
Pagus*, and Villa Matilde (Falerno del Massico
and Carracci; the latter, a creamy rich, gently
oaked version, is a very impressive, excellent
wine made in an international, buttery style
that has garnered numerous awards through
the years, but doesn't taste anything like I
expect
Falanghina
to).
Famoso
where it's found:
Emilia-Romagna.
national
registry code number:
420.
color:
white.
There is not one Famoso variety in Italy but
two: the Famoso of Cesena and Famoso di
