Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
sweet red wine, made with Carmenère and 50
percent Oseleta (hence its name); a very good
wine, but that combination ensures tannins not
for the faint of heart.
to other cultivars are also unknown. A recent
study found Pampanuto and Verdeca to be
identical varieties, on the basis of ampelo-
graphic research consisting of three years'
observation of accessions of the Basile Caramia
research and experiment station in Locoro-
tondo, in Bari, as well as microsatellite testing
(Pirolo, La Notte, Pastore, Torello Marinoni,
Giannini, Venerito, et al. 2009). However,
these results have not been confi rmed by any-
body else, and I for one believe the two varie-
ties are not identical. The wines also taste noth-
ing alike. Luigi Moio, university professor and
consultant winemaker, one of Italy's acknowl-
edged grape variety experts, who worked in
northern Puglia for years, feels the same way:
“I worked with Pampanuto at Tenuta Cocevola
in Puglia, where we used to make a monovari-
etal wine, and I never once thought it had any-
thing to do with Verdeca. Plus, the two culti-
vars are grown in completely different and
well-separated areas, with little overlap, per-
haps only in a few small areas of central Puglia,
so that in itself is indicative.” The supposed
Pampanuto accessions studied by the research-
ers were likely Verdeca, but this doesn't mean
that every Pampanuto vine out there is Ver-
deca. Not at all.
Pampanuto is characterized by medium-
sized bunches and berries; the bunches are
usually conical and the berries round, so it can
look like Verdeca at times, which makes con-
fusing the two easier. In my experience, Pam-
panuto's berries are always paler in color than
those of Verdeca, which, as the name implies,
are really quite green, though this may also be
affected by higher or lower yields. Pampanuto
is a good and dependable producer, with copi-
ous production of juice that is however usually
characterized by low acid and sugar concentra-
tions. There is only one clone available, UBA
20/A.
Pampanuto
where it's found:
Puglia.
national registry
code number:
179.
color:
white.
For a while, Pampanuto seemed to be
included in just about every white wine from
northern and central Puglia. Pampanuto was
everyone's favorite party animal, and fi nding it
on its own proved a diffi cult task indeed.
Finally, about ten years ago, for the fi rst time
(and after much searching) I found a fi ve-liter
demijohn of Pampanuto delle Murge on sale,
proving to me that monovarietal Pampanuto
wines did exist. And though I wouldn't bet the
house that that demijohn really was all Pampa-
nuto (how likely is it that an almost-bulk wine
sold in a demijohn is everything the label says
it is?), I recall fi nding the wine delicate and
enjoyable and was happy to see that Pampanuto
had not gone the way of the dodo.
Also known as Pampanino and Rizzulo
(wouldn't you know it, there's an apparently
unrelated but similarly named Pampanaro vari-
ety in Lazio that needs more study), Pampanuto
is now found mainly in northern and central
Puglia. Given that Pampanuto is a low-acid
variety, it's not surprising that in the Castel del
Monte DOC it's usually blended with Bombino
Bianco, a variety with no shortage of acidity.
According to Count Spagnoletti Zeuli, of the
northern Puglia estate of the same name, Pam-
panuto was always much appreciated, for it
builds up plenty of sugar and provides high
alcohol levels: “Everyone liked this in the old
days, poorer times when wine was a source of
calories and a food. Today, people are less
thrilled, plus the variety's compact bunch and
tendency to rot easily don't do anything for its
reputation either.”
Not much is known about Pampanuto's his-
tory or origins, though Di Rovasenda described
it in Puglia in 1877. Pampanuto's relationships
Which Wines to Choose and Why
In past centuries, Pampanuto was used mainly
as a blending agent, as it produces copious
quantities of essentially neutral wines that can
