Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
grape that Sardinia's better estates, such as Pala
and Argiolas, have records of cultivating since
the nineteenth century. Fabio Angius, techni-
cal director at Pala says, “We only wish we had
more of it!”
It is not clear whether Nasco is a true native
or if it was brought to Sardinia by Greek colo-
nists or, much later, by the Spanish. It is geneti-
cally distinct from all other Sardinian varieties,
and that includes the little-known Ogu de
Arrana variety, erroneously believed to be iden-
tical to Nasco (the two only share an allele in
nine of twelve SSR loci studied). Unfortu-
nately, Nasco was uprooted for the better part
of the twentieth century so that more produc-
tive and parasite-resistant varieties could be
planted in its place. In modern times, things
have changed considerably, and local universi-
ties are busy trying to develop clones (as yet
unavailable), proof positive that the variety is
attracting attention and that it has numerous
supporters.
For what it's worth, I fi nd Nasco to be one of
Italy's prettier grapes and a joy to look at. The
cylindrical-conical medium-large bunches have
two wings and medium-large round-oval ber-
ries. Not that vigorous, it's disease-resistant
(except to oidium) and tends to produce a lot of
foliage; however, as it grows erect, it's easy on
the back during vineyard work. Nasco's bud-
break is relatively early in the season, but this
does not pose much of a problem in Sardinia's
warm island climate, where spring frosts are
practically unheard of.
Nasco grows mainly east of Cagliari (75 per-
cent of the 105 total hectares planted to Nasco
are in Cagliari's Campidano area) and to a
lesser extent around Oristano; however, the
quality of the wines is such that plantings are
increasing, and so Nasco is now found around
Nuoro too. The best sites for Nasco are the cal-
careous-marly hillsides near Cagliari (Parteolla
and Sibiola in the townships of Serdiana and
Dolianova, and around Settimo Ninnai and
Quartu). Therefore, rootstocks such as 140
Ruggeri are a good choice, or 1130 Paulsen in
less calcareous and droughty zones.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Local farmers believe Nasco is one of the oldest
grape varieties of Sardinia and potentially the
best. They get no argument from me, if for no
other reason than that Nasco is one of those
rare grapes that yields mesmerizingly good dry
and sweet wines.
In cooler areas and on more fertile soils, the
dry wines tend to be more vegetal and less
interesting. Of course, Nasco wines are always
characterized by a strong herbal note, with
rosemary and thyme sticking out, and a muski-
ness that recalls the variety's name. The wine is
DOC Nasco di Cagliari, available in sweet, dry,
fortifi ed dry, and fortifi ed sweet
riserva
ver-
sions, though there are also about fi fteen IGT
wines that allow use of Nasco. The best Nasco
wine by far is the sweet one; Nasco tends to
dehydrate easily on the vine and accumulates
sugar quickly but without dropping its already
rather low acidity too fast, so sweet wines can
be thrilling. Care needs to be taken with Nas-
co's pips, particularly rich in potentially bitter
polyphenols, while the compounds are in sur-
prisingly low concentrations in the skin. I fi nd
it interesting that Nasco is able to deliver wines
of above average complexity even though it's an
early ripener: usually, complexity stems from
long, slow ripening in cooler areas, but Nasco is
an exception to this rule.
wines to try:
Gigi Picciau***, Argiolas***
(Iselis, which has a little Vermentino added.
Their Angialis is the best sweet version, though
not 100 percent Nasco; they believe that a little
Malvasia di Cagliari turns the monovarietal into
a more genteel wine, as the variety's strong per-
sonality may not suit everybody), and Meloni
Vini** (Donna Jolanda, another sweet nasco).
Nebbiolo
where it's found:
Piedmont, Lombardy, Valle
d'Aosta.
national registry code number:
160.
color:
red.
Nebbiolo is Italy's greatest native grape and,
by most expert accounts, one of the world's fi ve
