Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
crus. Also good are Villasimius and Costa Rey
(though here the Sette Fratelli mountains pro-
vide a sheltered habitat and create a different
microclimate). These hillside vineyards
(roughly 150-250 meters above sea level) are on
heavily drained soils and water shortage is com-
mon (this area has the lowest precipitation rates
on the island); consequently, vines located in
the foothills are subjected to considerable
stress, which greatly reduces yields.
Nuragus has medium-large to large (more
than 550 grams!), stocky, conical-cylindrical,
winged, compact bunches, with medium-large
round berries that turn golden-amber if
exposed to full sunlight. There is one clone,
CFC-26. It's very vigorous, guaranteeing abun-
dant yields, as it's resistant to diseases and
drought (rootstocks such as 779R and 140 Rug-
geri are best) and it adapts well to just about any
kind of soil. However, it tends to overproduce in
the presence of too much water. Blessed by a
long vegetative cycle with an early budbreak
and late harvest, Nuragus can potentially
deliver complex, very interesting wines.
mas, so in my view, oak really isn't helpful.
However, Mariano Murru of Argiolas, who cer-
tainly knows more about this than I do, has
been experimenting with gentle oak aging and
feels this might be a route by which to make
even more interesting, complex Nuragus wines.
wines to try: Pala*** (I Fiori; the estate has
cultivated Nuragus since the mid-nineteenth
century and owns two top vineyards,
S'Acquasassa near Serdiana and the Is Crabilis
near Ussana), Argiolas** (the excellent
s'Elegas), Cantina Trexenta*, Cantina Sociale di
Monserrato*, and Dolianova* (Perlas).
Olivella Nera
where it's found: Campania, Lazio. national
registry code number: 176. color: red
Olivella Nera is one of many grapes in Italy
named for their olive shape (or oliva ). There are
therefore many Olivelle in Italy (or Livelle or
Ulivelle, the latter a term fi rst used by Semmola
in 1848), all of which descend, in name at least,
from Pliny the Elder's Vitis oleaginea. But the
main, or true, Olivella cultivar is typical of
Lazio and Campania. In the latter region, Oli-
vella Nera (more commonly called Livella in the
past) was, and is, always confused with another
variety, Sciascinoso; and while Gasparrini
reported in 1844 that at least since the nine-
teenth century Livella and Sciascinoso were
considered distinct, Bordignon (1965) confused
the two, including Olivella Nera under the
Sciascinoso heading. For what it's worth, I
believe the two varieties are most likely distinct
(from a morphological perspective; I can vouch
that while bunches and berries of the two look
similar, the leaves are very different). Simply
put, it seems logical to me that, given that
grapes called Olivella (or Livella) were myriad,
it is highly unlikely that these varieties are all
identical to Sciascinoso. One maybe, two, but
not all.
A very interesting and extremely useful
study by Costantini, Monaco, Vouillamoz, For-
lani, and Grando (2005) best addressed this
Which Wines to Choose and Why
The best wines and the only potentially mono-
varietal versions are DOC Nuragus di Cagliari,
which can be made in frizzante (sparkling) and
amabile (off-dry) styles as well. The maximum
allowable yield of two hundred quintals per
hectare is a joke, however. Still, that number is
positively restrained compared to the three
hundred quintals per hectare of centuries past,
so I guess legislators were only thinking of tra-
dition when they created the laughable produc-
tion guidelines. In fairness, one of the trump
cards up this variety's sleeve is that it is capable
of delivering fresh wines full of charm despite
low concentrations of alcohol and aromas and
fl avors. Still, Nuragus has a high polyphenol
concentration in its skins, and care must be
taken not to overextract during vinifi cation, lest
the resulting wines become bitter and astrin-
gent. For this reason, the choice of new oak for
aging is not an intelligent one; also, Nuragus is
a nonaromatic variety blessed with delicate aro-
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