Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
acidity and softer tannins than Aglianico
wines, but they almost always show a green or
herbal streak that in my opinion rarely goes
missing even with very ripe grapes. In bad
wines, the green note is very apparent and
frankly weedy or vegetal: to my palate, unbear-
able. However, when Piedirosso ripens properly
it yields a remarkably satisfying wine character-
ized by bright red-berry and fl oral aromas and
fl avors, complicated by obvious tar and herbal
notes and a saline tang. It's the fl oral element
(geranium, lavender, and with age, violet) that
sets the good wines apart from the bad ones
(which aren't fl oral, but vegetal). In fact, I fi nd
Piedirosso a good candidate for carbonic mac-
eration techniques, for its effusively fruity and
fl oral aromas can be downright charming.
Piedirosso Nouveau, er Novello, anyone?
another), and Schneider, Carrà, Akkak, This,
Laucou, and Botta (2001) proved that Pignola
and Pignola Spano are identical. Further
research showed that Pignola is likely a cousin
of Nebbiolo (Schneider, Boccacci, Torello Mari-
noni, Botta, Akkak, and Vouillamoz 2004), and
that the
Pignola
s from Lombardy's Valtellina
and Friuli Venezia Giulia are different from
those of Lombardy's Bergamo and the Oltrepò
Pavese winemaking zones (Fossati, Labra, Cas-
tiglione, Scienza, and Failla 2001). In fact, Can-
cellier, Giannetto, and Crespan (2009) showed
Pignola to be identical to Groppello di Breganze,
a very rare
Groppello
that from the start struck
most observers as fairly different from the
main
Groppello
varieties known (save for some
morphologic features resembling those of
Groppello di Revò). Characteristically, Pignola
heals quickly from hail damage and is resistant
to even very cold temperatures, all-important
qualities in alpine vineyards; though sensitive
to oidium and botrytis bunch rot (especially in
very rainy autumns), it's resistant to perono-
spora. Today, Pignola Nera is essentially found
only in Lombardy, in the provinces of Bergamo,
Brescia, and Pavia.
wines to try:
La Rivolta***, D'Ambra** (Per'
e Palummo), Cantine Federiciane Mon-
teleone* *, Masser ia del Bor ro* *, Sor rentino* *
(Versacrum), Varchetta**, Contrada Salandra*,
and La Sibilla (Piedirosa).
Pignola
where it's found:
Lombardy.
national reg-
istry code number:
191.
color:
red.
Distinct from Friuli Venezia Giulia's more
famous Pignolo, Pignola shares with it and
many other similarly named cultivars a very
compact grape cluster, which resembles a small
closed fi st or pinecone
(pigna).
Though many
refer to this variety as Pignola Nera, the offi cial
name in the National Registry is Pignola and so
that's the one I shall use here. Once common in
Piedmont, the region it is believed to be a native
of, Pignola nowadays grows practically only in
Lombardy, where Pier de' Crescenzi first
described it in 1495. A little more than three
centuries later, Acerbi (1825) described two dif-
ferent
Pignola
s, Croattino Piccolo and Neretto
di Monte Segale. Molon (1906) wrote that the
Pignolo Spano of Novara and the Pignola
Spanna of the Vercellese were identical varie-
ties (Novara and Vercelli are very close to one
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Pignola is most typically associated with the
Oltrepò Pavese and Valtellina production zones,
and it is usually found in blends with other
local varieties in IGT wines such as Terrazze
Retiche di Sondrio. Pignola had been reduced
to a blending agent, and it is only thanks to
recent efforts and dedication from the esteemed
Triacca estate in Valtellina that we can hope to
see more monovarietal Pignola wines on the
market. Since Groppello di Breganze and
Pignola are supposedly identical, wines made
with this variety can be found around Vicenza
in Veneto.
The Triacca estate has made as many as
three different wines from Pignola: Their white
wine is called La Contea (blended with Sauvi-
gnon Blanc). A second very interesting version
was a sparkling wine made by secondary fer-
mentation in the bottle; the 2002 vintage was
