Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
In any case, Famoso di Cesena was believed
by locals and experts alike to be virtually extinct
when in 2000, two rows of very old vines of
grapes the owner called Famoso were discov-
ered near Mercato Saraceno, in the province of
Forlì-Cesena. Ampelographic analysis subse-
quently confi rmed that the newly discovered
grapes were indeed Famoso di Cesena, but it
was found that the variety was also remarkably
similar to another local cultivar known as Ram-
bella (or Rambela), and more rarely as Valdop-
piese or Valdupies. In any case, just like Famoso
di Cesena, Rambella had always been highly
thought of, as described by experts such as
such as Pasqualini and Pasqui (1875), De Bosis
in the
Bollettini Ampelografi ci Provinciali
(1876),
and Marzotto (1925b). Not surprisingly, and
just as with Famoso di Cesena, Rambella's for-
tunes turned for the worse with the advent of
phylloxera: by 1923, Bazzocchi wrote that it was
“a good-quality but not much cultivated variety
typical of the Cesenate area.”
Winemaker Giancarlo Soverchia of the
Santa Lucia Vinery (yes, with a “V”), who also
consults at other local estates and is perhaps
the single biggest expert on the
Famoso
varie-
ties in Italy today, told me that “Famoso is a
hard variety to identify correctly: not just the
grapevine, but its wines can be a pain to recog-
nize as well. It's very easy to come away with a
mistaken impression. For example, Famoso
wines made on the hillsides of Cesena are dif-
ferent from those of the fl atlands of nearby
Faenza, even when the wines are made in the
same way and the grape variety used is exactly
the same. Actually, though I am among those
who think that the Rambella of Cesena really is
a different biotype of Famoso (and its wines
will differ accordingly), I also wonder how
much of these differences are man-made. For
example, in the f latland vineyards around
Faenza yields are invariably higher, so the
wines can seem more diluted and less intense
in their aroma and fl avor.”
Soverchia points out minor ampelographic
differences between Rambella and Famoso too,
such as Rambella's conical, winged cluster and
large oval berries and Famoso's pyramidal,
loosely packed bunch. However, despite these
minor differences, Famoso is generally charac-
terized by large bunches and berries; so much
so that it is also appreciated as a table grape.
The variety usually ripens by early September
and tends to drop its acidity quickly at that
time; it is both vigorous and productive. There
are as yet no offi cial clones available. The defi n-
ing characteristic of Famoso and one that has
attracted plenty of attention is that it is intensely
aromatic, especially the Ercolani biotype—so
much so that comparisons have been drawn to
Moscato Bianco, though all tests performed to
date have shown this variety to be distinct from
known
Moscato
s (Crespan and Milani 2001;
Fontana, Filippetti, Pastore, and Intrieri 2007).
In fact, it is thanks to researchers at Tebano
and the University of Bologna that Famoso got
a second lease on life. The Vitigni Minori
project, launched at the beginning of 2000 and
fi nanced with regional funds, was aimed at
characterizing the less-known native grapes of
Emilia-Romagna and evaluating their fi ne-
wine potential. The project involved both the
Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerche Viticole
ed Enologiche (Interdepartmental Center for
Viticultural and Enologic Research) of the Uni-
versity of Bologna and the Centro Ricerche
Produzioni Vegetali (CRPV) in Tebano. Over
one hundred different accessions of then-
unknown or rare grape varieties were studied
using ampelographic, isoenzymatic, and DNA
analysis. This body of work has led to the char-
acterization of many now important cultivars
such as Famoso and Ruggine, as well as other
local varieties. Producers such as Leone Conti
and others (unfortunately, still only a handful)
who are now actively producing Famoso wines
credit a scientifi c presentation and tasting held
roughly ten years ago of wines made from those
little-known but fi nally studied varieties for
getting them turned onto Famoso and other
previously forgotten cultivars.
In any case, it all adds up to quite a turn of
fortune for Famoso, a variety and wine that was
off all radars only a decade ago. Leone Conti
