Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and Schiava Gentile proposed parentage also
clashes with the pedigree illustrated by Vouil-
lamoz and Grando based on sixty DNA mark-
ers, as Marzemino, a sibling of Lagrein, cannot
be a progeny of Schiava Gentile. Of course, the
missing parent of Lagrein and Marzemino
could be a relative of Schiava Gentile. If we
accept the DNA parentage analysis and pedi-
gree reconstruction that have established
Lagrein as a natural cross between Teroldego
from Trentino and an unknown variety possi-
bly related to Schiava Gentile and a progeny of
Pinot Nero, we then know that Lagrein is a sib-
ling of Marzemino, a nephew of Dureza from
Ardèche, a grandchild of Pinot Nero from Bur-
gundy, and a cousin of Syrah from the Rhône
Valley.
While Lagrein's family tree is more than a
little diffi cult to pin down, it's a diffi cult variety
from a viticultural standpoint as well; and this
helps partly explain why it hasn't spread signifi -
cantly outside Trentino and Alto Adige. The
main problem is the conformation of its fl ower:
not only is there very little pollen but many of
the female fl owers are morphologically imper-
fect with ensuing fertility problems and
reduced annual productivity. These negative
effects on yields are further amplifi ed by rainy
springs causing
coulure
and variable annual
production output. So you can understand why,
in the eyes of always practical farmers, this can-
tankerous beast is hardly worth planting
elsewhere.
Christian Werth, the longtime
kellarmeister
(winemaker/technical director) of Cantina
Convento Muri-Gries, told me that there are
more than one hundred different Lagrein bio-
types, and at Cantina Convento they have
selected and propagated about twenty, currently
still under observation. For the most part,
lagrein producers work with two main biotypes
of Lagrein, short bunched and a long bunched
(it's actually the stalk that's short or long, hence
the grape bunch). For the longest time, local
producers preferred to plant clones (all derived
from the main two biotypes) characterized by
lower sugar buildup capacity (the pyramid-
shaped SMA 63, SMA 65, LB 511, and LB 523)
rather than the smaller, cylindrically shaped LB
509 and SMA 66 clones (the two short-stalked
ones), which were less generous producers.
Clone SMA 66 especially differs from the oth-
ers, a miserly producer averaging roughly half
the berry production of other clones (so the
aversion shown it by farmers is understanda-
ble), resulting from less heavy and numerous
bunches (30 percent less). On the positive side,
Lagrein (and clone SMA 66 in particular) has
one of the highest total anthocyanin concentra-
tions of all Italian grape varieties (and so wines
are very deeply colored). The good news is that
recently developed short-stalked Lagrein clones
ISMA 261 and ISMA 265 seem to embody the
best of both worlds: higher productivity and
sugar accumulation.
Besides the two biotypes, Scartezzini (2005)
has written that a white-berried Lagrein, or
Lagrein Bianco, was described as early as 1379
in the countryside around the city of Termeno,
and again in 1497 around Appiano and in 1532
near Terlano. However, the exact nature of
Lagrein Bianco is unclear, and many experts
believe it to be either Sauvignon Blanc, Laga-
rino Bianco (once common in Trentino's Val di
Cembra, Faver, and Grumes), or even a name
used to indicate a local white blend. I have
never seen it. In Italy, there are signifi cant
plantings of Lagrein only in Trentino and Alto
Adige (though it's been experimentally planted
in other regions, such as Tuscany); elsewhere,
there are important plantings in the United
States and Australia.
Which Wines to Choose and Why-
Grown everywhere in Alto Adige and Trentino,
monovarietal Lagrein wines are found in DOC
Alto Adige Lagrein and Trentino Lagrein. Of
course, the variety is also included in many
other local DOC red wine blends. The best
wines come from grapes grown on calcareous,
gravelly soils that heat up, as Lagrein likes
warm temperatures that allow it to ripen effec-
tively (a late ripener, Lagrein needs all the sun
it can get).
