Agriculture Reference
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later thought to be a close relative of Refosco
Nostrano or even del Peduncolo Rosso. Or, later
still, some thought it might even be a biotype of
either Refosco Nostrano or Refosco del Pedun-
colo Rosso. Other synonyms include Terrano
Piccoletto or Piccolit Nero; Di Rovasenda (1877)
called it Piccolit Rosso. Certainly, Manlio Colla-
vini of his family's Friuli Venezia Giulia estate
believes that Piculit Neri is a biotype of Refosco
Nostrano, while Emilio Bulfon, who has long
championed the variety, thinks it is completely
distinct from all Refosco s. Carlo Petrussi, one of
Friuli's leading viticultural experts, told me that
he adamantly believes the variety is unrelated to
any other Refosco, intelligently pointing out that,
in more than fi fty years of walking Friuli's vine-
yards, he has never met anyone who referred to
Piculit Neri with a Refosco name: “At most, I
have heard some people call it the French grape,
though I don't know why, as there is no docu-
mentation of it having been brought over from
France.” In the past, other experts believed that
Piculit Neri was identical to Refosco degli
Uccelli (or Refoschin), and given the small size
of the grape bunch and berries, I'd be inclined
to agree if Petrussi hadn't recently told me that
Refoschin is genetically identical to Refosco del
Peduncolo Rosso (Refoschin's scrawny appear-
ance is a result of Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso
being planted in poor, nutrient-defi cient soils).
Certainly, given the inaccuracies possible in
poorly conducted ampelographic studies
(Petrussi's experience with Friuli native grapes
being unimpeachable) and the fallacy of genetic
testing conducted on vegetative material, in the
absence of clear-cut genetic results from other
suitably cultured researchers, the jury's out.
However, you couldn't be blamed for thinking
that the “Refoschin” diminutive makes sense
given Piculit Neri's small-sized bunch and ber-
ries (that are very blue-black and have little
bloom). What has been established is that Picu-
lit Neri is completely unrelated to Picolit: one is
not a mutation of the other.
Thanks to Claudio Fabbro, we know that
Piculit Neri was on show at the grapevine fair
organized by the Friulian Agrarian Association
of Udine in 1863 and 1921 and was considered
typical of the area around Castelnovo. This culti-
var is also cited in the Vocabular y of the Friuli
Language written by Pirona (1871-1935). Histori-
cally, it has always been cultivated on the right
bank of the Tagliamento River around the town
of San Vito near Friuli Venezia Giulia's western
border with Veneto, and even as far as Schio
(Vicenza) in Veneto. Documents show it was
grown at the beginning of the twentieth century
by the Conti Zoppola and the Luchini estates.
Candussio published a complete ampelographic
study of the variety in 1977. A vigorous variety,
farmers appreciated its dependable, abundant
production and disease resistance (but it's sensi-
tive to botrytis bunch rot, despite its thick-
skinned berries); the wines were likewise held
in high esteem due to their fi nesse.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Piculit Neri wines can be excellent and, in my
experience, are considerably better than those
made with Refosco s, if for no other reason than
the more refi ned tannins of the Piculit Neri
wines (I've had almost every Bulfon vintage
numerous times and also many examples from
other producers in each vintage). Only Refosco
Nostrano wines can match piculit neri's silky
tannins, but I fi nd the latter usually has deeper,
richer black fruit f lavors. Usually pale to
medium ruby, Piculit Neri wines have intense
aromas and fl avors of underbrush, red currant,
and chestnuts, all complicated by sweet spice
notes. Again, its winning hand is a graceful
mouthfeel, with balanced tannins and acids
and a midweight frame.
wines to try: Bulfon** (two different versions,
one aged in small oak barrels; unfortunately
some recent vintages seemed to contain notable
levels of residual sugar, which is a shame),
Ronco Cliona*, and Florutis*.
Piedirosso
where it's found: Campania, Puglia. nation-
al registry code number: 189. color: red.
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