Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
linos for archetypal Piedmontese dishes such as
vitello tonnato, lingua in salsa verde,
and
agnolotti
alla Piemontese
or
al sugo di carne.
Luigi Veronelli
believed these two last dishes were perfect with
grignolinos, and I am not about to argue with
Italy's greatest wine and food expert.
The best wines are DOC Grignolino d'Asti
of Asti Province and Grignolino del Monferrato
Casalese of Alessandria Province, though Pie-
monte Grignolino (an umbrella denomination
for Grignolino wines made anywhere else in the
region) can also be very good. There are many
monovarietal wines, though all can contain up
to 10 percent Freisa and/or Barbera. However,
Grignolino's soil and site sensitivity are such
that the wines can show remarkable diversity,
and this can double the fun for wine lovers.
Besides choosing the fi nest and most reliable
producers, insiders know to specifi cally look for
the Grignolino wines of Portacomaro, Castello
di Annone, and Costigliole d'Asti (Asti Prov-
ince) and those made near Moncalvo, Vignale
Monferrato, and Casale Monferrato (Alessan-
dria Province), all of which are true
grand cru
areas for the variety. All Grignolino wines tend
to be tannic and high in acidity, but as the soils
in the best Asti areas can be quite sandy, the
wines are very fragrant and perfumed; in con-
trast, soils around Alessandria are richer in cal-
careous clay (they look very whitish in color,
what the Piedmontese refer to
terre bianche
),
and wines are relatively bigger (this being a
relative term with Grignolino wines). Places
such as Vignale Monferrato are also linked to
high-quality grignolino: producers there are
applying for a DOC “Vignale” especially created
for their Grignolino wines. In general, the best
wines are made from grapes grown on relatively
sunny sites, and this is why I always thought the
Grignolino wines made in the Langhe could be
truly magnifi cent. One of the greatest was made
by Bartolo Mascarello, of Barolo fame: when he
stopped making it (replacing his Grignolino
vines with Barbera), I mourned for days.
Working with Grignolino can be an exercise
in frustration. Veronelli defi ned it “anarchist
and individualistic,” and he was right. Not only
are Grignolino's anthocyanins of the easily oxi-
dized kind (peonin, cyanin) but they are also
hard to extract. Therefore, it's not a matter of
simply macerating the must on the skins for
longer periods of time, for highly astringent,
bitter tannins leach out quickly. Beppe Bologna
of the Braida estate, world famous for Barbera
wines of great class, has devoted much energy
to this wine and has tried different tech-
niques—such as late harvesting the grapes and
even using a small percentage of carbonic mac-
eration—in an effort to increase overall fruiti-
ness. Mauro Gaudio of Bricco Mondalino, one
of the quality producers of grignolino, cautions,
“You really can't macerate the skins for more
than four-fi ve days, because the wine turns bit-
ter; and you can't get carried away with sulfi tes,
for they tarnish the vivacity of the wine's hue.”
When well made from grapes grown on
quality sites, the wine is remarkably perfumed
and crisp, almost cloudlike in its breezy light-
ness, refreshing like few other wines in the
world. Much like Pinot Nero, Grignolino is a
very diffi cult grape variety that represents a
challenge to every skilled grape grower and
winemaker out there. Provided one has the tal-
ent and wits to match with it, Grignolino can
bring something special to the table, and
therein lies its unique magic.
wines to try:
For Grignolino d'Asti, try:
Braida***, Cascina Tavijin***, Crivelli***, Sper-
tino***, Incisa della Rocchetta***, and Montal-
bera***. For Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese,
try: Accornero*** (Bricco Battista), Bricco Mon-
dalino***, Pio Cesare***, Il Mongetto**, Isa-
bella** (Monte Castello), La Casaccia** (Pog-
getto), Canato** (Celio), and Tenuta
Migliavacca**. For Piemonte Grignolino, try:
Cavallotto*** and Francesco Boschis***.
Grillo
where it's found:
Sicily.
national registry
code number:
101.
color:
white.
Why is Grillo (locally also called Ariddu or
Riddu) named after a cricket
(grillo)
you ask?
