Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Lanzesa's physiologically female fl ower, and
therefore its penchant for
millerandage
(the fail-
ure of some grapes in the bunch to develop
fully, resulting in berries of uneven sizes) and
so annual productions can be irregular. As a
result, even though Lanzesa is vigorous, pro-
ductivity is low. There are no offi cial clones. In
the past, it was used as a table grape.
There are few, sporadic vines in the province
of Ravenna, around Bagnocavallo, Brisighella,
Castel Bolognese, Faenza, and Fisignano, with
many vines close to or over one hundred years
of age.
(when produced around Finale, Noli, and Spon-
torno), though some believe the latter to be an
unrelated variety. The variety's best-known
name, Lumassina, derives from the Italian
lumasse,
meaning “snails,” and also from an
area of Liguria where locals drink copious vol-
umes of this light, refreshing white wine while
eating snails, a local delicacy. Other synonyms,
such as Acerbina and Buzzetto, refer to the typi-
cally high acidity that wines made with Lumas-
sina are famous for. Documented in Liguria as
early as the 1300s, Lumassina was fi rst accu-
rately described by Di Rovasenda in 1877 and
then in the
Bollettino ampelografi co
of 1883.
Once more common in the countryside around
Genoa and later Savona, it has always been
blended with other local varieties to produce
simple everyday wines called
vini nostralini.
Lumassina is characterized by medium-
large, pyramidal, rather long bunches with two
or three wings and medium-small, round ber-
ries that are very green in color. There are no
offi cial clones. It's a late-ripening variety that
is found only in Liguria, with sporadic rows in
the neighboring part of Tuscany. In Liguria,
Lumassina grows mainly in the Savona coun-
tryside, around the towns of Noli, Spontorno,
and Varigotti, but also around Quiliano and
Finale Ligure. Excellent hillside vineyards are
found in Cappuccini, Montagna, Roviasca,
Viarzo, Garzi, Rive, Molini, Tecci, and
Treponti. Unfortunately, as it ripens about two
weeks later than most local varieties, farmers
were never keen to devote much vineyard space
to it.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
The wines I have tasted are certainly off the
beaten track, even strange: pale yellow-green
hue, pungent (really pungent) aromas of white
fl owers (acacia and buttercups), green apples,
and unripe citrus (with a touch of volatile acid-
ity almost always present), and then herbal and
riper apple and honeyed, tropical fruit fl avors
with a sharp acid fi nish. The wine also has a
richer mouthfeel than the fresh nose would
lead you to expect, with a slightly saline fi nish.
I think Lanzesa has potential for air-dried
wines, since the skins are quite thick and resis-
tant and the berries large and juicy; to date,
though, I have only tasted dry wines made with
the variety. A wine made with Lanzesa is
unique, hitting all the right chords, maybe
because it plays chords no other grape variety
does.
wines to try:
Tenuta Uccellina** (Alma Luna;
medium-bodied, saline, lovely) and Istituto
Professionale di Stato per l'Agricoltura e
l'Ambiente-Persolino* (drink up soon after
bottled).
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Lumassina gives a delicious, lightly alcoholic
(often only 11 percent alcohol) fl oral white wine.
Trouble is, Lumassina's hauntingly fresh, pure
aromas are much less obvious than those of
wines made with Vermentino, and therefore
producers choose to put most if not all of their
eggs in the latter's basket. While everybody in
Liguria produces a monovarietal Vermentino,
the same can't be said for Lumassina. But there
are monovarietals available, and they are espe-
Lumassina
where it's found:
Liguria.
national regis-
try code number:
123.
color:
white.
Lumassina is also called Acerbina, Lumassa
Bianca, Lumaca, Buzzetto (in the area of
Quiliano), and more commonly Mataossu
