Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
really believes in the variety: “I can't fi gure out
why Famoso was abandoned by our ancestors:
it's productive and not sickly, though it's so vig-
orous that to make good wines you have to work
very hard in the vineyards with it.” Claudio
Ancarani of the Ancarani estate tends to worry
about acidity levels: “My estate is up in the hills,
so budbreak occurs earlier and I can harvest a
little earlier than most, thereby preserving total
acidity levels in the grapes. Clearly, with
Famoso there is no deleafi ng whatsoever, for
the variety accumulates sugar easily, and the
last thing it needs is to see more sunlight.”
Plantings of Famoso have slowly but surely
increased in Emilia-Romagna over the last ten
years and it's currently found in the country-
side around Bertinoro, Brisighella, Castrocaro,
Cesena, Faenza, Forlì, and Riolo (especially
toward the Marche).
they make their Famoso Cru Artigianale wine
by harvesting grapes in October, though that
seems to fl y in the face of what I know about this
variety: acid levels in Famoso grapes drop pre-
cipitously as they near optimal ripeness, and
most people harvest Famoso either in early or
mid-September. Not every local producer is con-
vinced of Famoso's uniqueness. For instance,
Alessandro Morini of Podere Morini told me
that “I like it, but fi nd the wine too similar to
Moscato Bianco, though I know the grapevines
are genetically different. I just don't see enough
of a special character to Famoso wine to want to
invest heavily in it. Who knows, I may yet change
my mind.” And Ancarani cautions that “the real
risk, now that Famoso is becoming famous, is of
a huge number of Famoso wine bottlings
springing up overnight, which isn't possible
given the current very limited grapevine availa-
bility. My fear is that less-than-scrupulous pro-
ducers may try to cut it with Malvasia di Candia
Aromatica, which is very easy to obtain, in order
to make more wine. However, the latter variety
is much more aromatic and dominating, so it
gives people the wrong impression as to what
Famoso wines are really all about.”
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Most Famoso wines are bottled as IGT Ravenna
Bianco or Forlì Bianco; other IGT wines are
labeled Rubicone and Emilia. In my experience
(I have tasted every Famoso wine made in
numerous if not all vintages) the best are char-
acterized by an obvious aromatic note of rose
petals, talcum powder, lychee, and peach, with
hints of white pepper; that laundry list may lead
you to think otherwise, but the nose is less aro-
matic than most Moscato Bianco or Malvasia di
Candia Aromatica wines. Unfortunately, I
haven't tasted any wines made with the Erco-
lani biotype so I cannot describe those at the
present time.
Leone Conti, whose fi rst vintage dates to
2006, loves the wine but tries not to let the aro-
matic side take over: “I think this is the most
French of all my wines, and by that I mean a
truly great wine of breeding and depth. I espe-
cially love its mineral, almost saline bent, but it
can be almost overwhelmingly aromatic at
times.” At the Santa Lucia Vinery they also try to
tame Famoso's innate aromaticity (though I
can't fi gure out why: I fi nd this a delicious and
fascinating aspect of Famoso wines) by aging 50
percent of the wine in oak barrels. Reportedly
wines to try:
Leone Conti*** (LeOne),
Ancarani*** (Signore, an unoaked Famoso: a
good thing in my view), Santa Lucia Vinery**,
Tenuta Uccellina** (Rambèla), and Villa
Venti** (Serenaro).
Famoso di Pesaro/Rimini
where it's found:
Emilia-Romagna.
national
registry code number:
not registered.
color:
white.
I may be going out on a limb in giving this
variety a separate heading in this topic, as it's
not an offi cially recognized cultivar and not
much wine is made with it (yet?). In fact, even
its name is bound to change, if and when the
variety is fi nally included in the Registry, as the
use of place names such as “di Pesaro” or “di
Rimini” to qualify grape varieties is now
avoided by legislators in Italy. After all, I could
