Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Abruzzo's similarly named Montonico Bianco;
unlike the latter, Mantonico Bianco makes not
only good dry white wines but also very good
sweet wines. The variety is also called Manto-
nico Viru in the Locride area in southeastern
Calabria (
viru
means “real” in the local dialect).
A biotype called Mantonico Pizzutella (fi rst
shown to be identical to Mantonico Bianco by
Pellerone, Edwards, and Thomas in 2001),
characterized by slightly more pointy berries
(in this case,
pizzo
refers to something pointy),
is also grown along the Ionian coast. Though
genetically identical to Mantonico Bianco, this
biotype differs from the standard variety not
just because of its obvious morphologic differ-
ences but also because of lower sugar accumu-
lation (Zappia, Gullo, Mafrica, and Di Lorenzo
2007). Cipriani, Spadotto, Jurman, Di Gaspero,
Crespan, Meneghetti, et al. (2010) have also
suggested that Mantonico Bianco is a relative of
Gaglioppo, Marchione, and Nerello Mascalese,
all southern Italian red-berried natives. Manto-
nico Bianco is unrelated to any of the Manto-
nico Nero varieties (of which there appear to be
at least four in Calabria alone) and Mantonico
Russeda, yet another
Mantonico,
a few vines of
which grow near Bivongi (in the province of
Reggio Calabria). All of these dark-berried vari-
eties need to be studied via microsatellite analy-
sis for clear-cut identifi cation, for they may not
be
Mantonico
s at all. In an unfortunate turn of
events that only confuses things more, Monto-
nico Bianco (with an “o” instead of Mantonico
Bianco's “a”), a white-berried cultivar that lives
mainly in central Italy but of which there is also
a little growing in southern Italy, is called Man-
tonico Bianco Italico (or Greco Bianco del Pol-
lino) everywhere in Calabria except in the Pol-
lino area. Finally, Mantonico Bianco should not
be confused with Guardavalle, another Ca-
labrian grape, which is usually called Manto-
nico in the area around Cosenza. Surprisingly,
Mantonico Bianco is not listed in Italy's
National Registry, where only Montonico
Bianco is included, and though I could cer-
tainly be mistaken, I think this is an error that
ought to be rectifi ed.
Mantonico Bianco has been grown in Cala-
bria since the eighth century
B
.
C
.
E
. and its name
(according to the Ceratti family, which pro-
duces the best mantonico bianco in Italy today)
derives from the Greek
mantis-eos
(meaning
prophet, because the wine was apparently used
by sorcerers and offered to those who predicted
the future). Mantonico Bianco is both a high-
acid and tannic variety, and though it's not gen-
erally viewed as an aromatic cultivar, careful
analysis of its aroma molecules suggests that
it's very close to being just that. In particular,
grapes are especially rich in benzenoids (espe-
cially benzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, and
4-vinylguaiacol) and terpenes (geraniol and
8-OH linalool), which are responsible for spicy,
gamey, rose-like aromas, but these latter mole-
cules are less evident in the wines, where nor-
isoprenoids are more frequent (Lanati and
Marchi 2008).
Mantonico Bianco is mainly grown along
the lower Ionian (or eastern) coast of Calabria,
where in 2010 there were an estimated forty-
fi ve hectares. It is especially found around the
towns of Bianco, Casignana, Locri, Monaster-
ace, and Palazzi, the classic areas where it has
always been cultivated, all in the province of
Reggio Calabria. Without doubt, the
grand crus
are found around Bianco and Casignana. How-
ever, interest in Mantonico Bianco is resurgent,
and it is being increasingly planted in the areas
of Cirò and Lamezia as well. Though I do not
have any data regarding its presence in New
World countries, I have no doubts that this vari-
ety would be well suited to warmer, drier cli-
mates as it tolerates heat and drought well;
more importantly, Mantonico Bianco main-
tains high total acidity levels in its grapes even
in the face of high temperatures.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
There is increasing interest in mantonico
bianco wines. Mantonico Bianco has histori-
cally been famous for its sweet wines, but
encouraging attempts are being made at pro-
ducing successful dry whites with it too. Espe-
cially around Cirò and Lamezia Terme it is
