Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
have just briefl y discussed this variety in the
Famoso section above, as I have done with the
two
Falanghina
s, which are genetically distinct.
However, unlike those two grapes, the two
Famoso
s give such radically different wines that
I will keep them separate in this topic.
There is historical evidence that the
Famoso
growing in the Pesaro and Rimini countrysides
is different from that of Cesena (the grape we
know as Famoso today). These differences were
clearly remarked upon at the 1876 Forlì ampelo-
graphic fair (Comizio Agrario di Folì 1877) and
in the tenth volume of the 1879 ampelographic
bulletin (Ministero Agricoltura, Industria e
Commercio 1879a). Already at that time, the
Famoso of Cesena was considered to look and
behave more like an Albana, while the Famoso
of Pesaro and Rimini was likened to Biancame
or Trebbiano Toscano. Pastore and Allegro
(2007) distinguish clearly between Famoso
and Famoso di Pesaro/Rimini, on ampelo-
graphic and genetic grounds. Ampelographi-
cally, Famoso di Pesaro/Rimini has a much
smaller, conical bunch and its berries are also
smaller and have thinner skins. Genetically,
Famoso has been analyzed at eight SSR micro-
satellite loci and it is distinct from Famoso di
Pesaro/Rimini. Last but not least, but perhaps
of greatest relevance to wine drinkers, Famoso
di Pesaro/Rimini is a nonaromatic variety.
from little-known cultivars such as Famoso di
Pesaro/Rimini in collaboration with the Univer-
sity of Ancona. They are greatly helped in this
project by the fact that Giancarlo Soverchia is
their winemaker: there's probably nobody who
knows the
Famoso
grapes better than he.
wines to try:
Terracruda**, Il Conventino**
(Il Famoso nel Convento).
Fiano
where it's found:
Campania.
national reg-
istry code number:
81.
color:
white.
I think Fiano may well be Italy's greatest
native white grape: only Verdicchio can lay a
similar claim to that title (though if we consider
sweet wines, then Picolit has a shot too). Like few
other white cultivars in Italy, Fiano can make a
range of wines, from light- to full-bodied, dry to
sweet, easygoing to very ageworthy; the latter
examples easily last and improve for ten or more
years, a rarity with Italian white wines.
Fiano is also one of Italy's oldest cultivars,
once believed to be one of the
viti apiane
cited
by Pliny and Columella, though most experts
today argue these were Moscato Bianco. Car-
lucci (1907) hypothesized that Fiano was culti-
vated in ancient Roman times because of
Fiano's common synonym, Latino. Documen-
tation of a wine called fi ano is available starting
in the twelfth century, when records show that
King Federico II, during his stay in Foggia
(Puglia), bought Greco, Grecisco, and Fiano
wines for private consumption (we still have no
idea with what cultivar Grecisco may have
been). Most likely, Fiano is a native of the area
of Lapio (the variety's name may in fact derive
from Appia, then Apiano, fi nally Lapio and
Fiano), a small town located east of Avellino at
roughly 590 meters above sea level and one of
the real
grand cru
areas for the variety. In 1661,
a publication written by Brother Scipione Bella
Bona mentions the town and its production of
the wine apiano. In 1861 Fusco cited records
kept by Guglielmo De Fisoni indicating that in
the thirteenth century King Carlo d'Angiò II
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Given that the variety is not yet offi cially recog-
nized, the wines made with it can only be labeled
as
vino da tavola.
Famoso di Pesaro/Rimini
wines are undoubtedly
Trebbiano
-like, in that
they have a delicate white-fl ower, lemony-herbal
aroma and fl avor profi le, are light bodied, and
high in acid. Unlike Famoso wines, Famoso di
Pesaro/Rimini wines do not express any spicy or
pungent qualities typically associated with the
Moscato
s and other aromatic grapes. The Ter-
racruda estate in Fratte Rosa deserves the utmost
credit for having launched a program aimed at
preserving local grapevine biodiversity and has
recently started producing monovarietal wines
