Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
([1595] 1937) and Agostinetti ([1679] 1988)
write that locals considered Marzemino a native
variety of northeastern Italy. Mozart appears to
have been quite the fan; he had his libretto
writer, Lorenzo Da Ponte, pen a well-known
reference to it in the opera
Don Giovanni.
Lando
writes in 1553 that Marzemino was also being
air-dried to produce a sweet red wine, most
likely the ancestor of Passito di Refrontolo, an
excellent if little-known wine today. Unfortu-
nately, after a few cold winters at the beginning
of the eighteenth century, Marzemino's for-
tunes began to decline, as local growers by-
passed it in favor of hardier if less noble varie-
ties such as Verdise.
By 1825, Acerbi distinguished between
seven different biotypes of
Marzemino
(at least
one of which was a white variety), based on
ampelographic differences. Of these, research
has shown the real Marzemino to be
Marzemino Gentile Comune, found in Tren-
tino and Lombardy (where it is called
Berzemino; most experts consider Marzemino
Gentile and Marzemino Comune to be the
same), closely related to the Marzemino Bianco
of Brescia (most likely a chromatic mutation of
Marzemino, not to be confused with
Marzemina Bianca) (Labra, Imazio, Grassi,
Rossoni, Citterio, Sgorbati, et al. 2003).
Marzemino is also different from Marzemi-
none, another variety sporadically grown near
Bergamo. It is still unclear whether Balsamina,
an important and well-known medieval variety
long considered a synonym of Marzemino, is a
distinct cultivar or not. In the minds of some
experts, the high intravarietal variability of old-
vine
Marzemino
s accounts for some of the dif-
ferent characteristics observed, but there is no
conclusive proof. Certainly, the various
Bal-
samina
s grown in Emilia-Romagna differ mor-
phologically from each other and can be easily
distinguished from
Marzemino
s, though this
might just be the result of different phenotypic
expressions owing to centuries-long adaptation
to different
terroirs.
Today producers can choose from many
clones, all with redeeming features. Older vine-
yards (for example, planted in the 1970s) are
often characterized by clone SMA 14 (very vig-
orous and ideal for the old
pergola Trentina
training system); newer vineyards (for exam-
ple, planted in the twenty-fi rst century) often
have a prevalence of less generous clones such
as MIDA 172/49 that can be trained and pruned
with spur cordon systems. Clone VCR 3 also
allows good sugar accumulation and acceptable
productivity levels. Overall, Marzemino per-
forms best in alluvial soils and well-ventilated
sites, which ensure optimal ripeness. It's sus-
ceptible to viral diseases.
In Italy, Marzemino is grown mainly in
Trentino and also in Lombardy, though small
plantings are likely to be found in Emilia-
Romagna, Abruzzo, and Sardinia too. In Tren-
tino, Marzemino has found an ideal home,
especially in the Vallagarina in the countryside
around picturesque towns such as Rovereto
and Isera. Marzemino has also been planted in
Australia's King Valley, New Zealand's Hawkes
Bay, and California's Lodi AVA.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
In Trentino there are two recognized
Marzemino
crus:
the fi rst is on the right bank
of the Adige River, a swath of land that cuts
from Mori to in front of Rovereto and the hills
of Isera, Nomi, and Aldeno. This is the home of
marzemino di Isera DOC wine (Isera is a sub-
zone allowed in the DOC Trentino Marzemino
Superiore wines), born from grapes grown on
soils of disaggregated tufa and basaltic rocks,
where manganese concentrations are responsi-
ble for a specifi c, refi ned aroma in the wines.
The second area is located on the opposite side
of the valley, extending from Calliano to
Volano
,
rich in calcareous clay and alluvial
deposits that yield generous, richer marzemi-
nos. It is here, near Volano, where the one true
grand cru
for Marzemino is found: the Ziresi (a
term that refers to “cherry trees,” which dot the
countryside). Here the Adige River makes a
right-angle turn, catching the sun's rays at full
force, and on these well-exposed plots
Marzemino achieves a degree of fi nesse and
