Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
youth, when the wine's fruity, fl eshy exuber-
ance tends to dominate. I think it's a great
grape, and I'd like to see what it could do in
Abruzzo, instead of always planting Montepul-
ciano there.”
mecca for botrytis bunch rot. Otherwise, it's a
fairly hardy grape. The variety is pretty to look
at, with large pyramidal bunches and large
round, pale blue-red berries. The origin of
Quagliano's name is unknown: it may be a
derivation of the term
caià
(or
cagliato
), in refer-
ence to the way the wine was once produced.
Recent DNA results suggest that Quagliano is a
possible parent of Impigno, a variety typical of
Puglia, though this is hard to understand, as to
the best of my knowledge neither variety has
ever been associated in the literature, nor have
the two been described in the other's region
(Cipriani, Spadotto, Jurman, Di Gaspero, Cres-
pan, Meneghetti, et al. 2010).
Quagliano is native to the Salluzese area of
Piedmont, in the province of Cuneo (not that
far from where the much more famous Barolo
and Barbaresco are made). Vines grow every-
where around the towns of Pagno, Piasco,
Busca, Brondello, Costigliole Saluzzo, Saluzzo,
and Verzuolo.
wines to try:
San Felice***, Paterna***
(Pugni Rosso; the fi rst vintages, due to limited
availability of grapes, were only 80 percent Pu-
gnitello), Le Buche*, Mannucci Droandi*, and
Poggio al Gello* (Pugnitello del Piaggione).
Quagliano
where it's found:
Piedmont.
national reg-
istry code number:
325.
color:
red.
Quagliano is the only Italian wine grape
listed under the letter “Q” in the National Reg-
istry. It will also prove one of the least-known
varieties in this topic, and yet it is a locally
important grape and wine, albeit limited to a
very small zone of Italy. Quagliano production
was documented in the eighteenth century (it
was fi rst cited in 1721 in agricultural docu-
ments of the town of Busca, and then in 1749 in
those of Costigliole Saluzzo); it was probably
already in place in the 1600s, but called Negro
Dolce. Some researchers identify Quagliano
with the ancient wine
aglieucos
, though there is
no defi nitive proof of this.
Quagliano has always been appreciated for
more than just the quality of its wine: consid-
ered an excellent table grape, it fetched much
higher prices than other grapes of the area. The
fi rst accurate description of Quagliano is by
Molon (1906), who believed the variety capable
of producing delicious wines. The local nobility
believed in Quagliano “grape therapy” as well,
centuries before modern preparations of anti-
oxidant creams and grape-skin massages
became the norm. It seems Quagliano's low
sodium concentration lends it diuretic qualities,
which might not be what producers of a fi ne
wine want to be known for today, but so be it.
The problem with Quagliano is its extremely
thin skin. All it takes is some rain during the
harvest period and the berries split open, a
Which Wines to Choose and Why
The wine is the DOC Colline Saluzzesi
Quagliano, also available in a sparkling version.
It's a delightful, pink-hued, light-bodied sweet
wine that will remind you of strawberries and
has considerable tannins that will coat your pal-
ate. If the grapes aren't fully ripe, then the wine
can be green and less than thrilling, however.
Quagliano is characterized by low alcohol levels
(a minimum of 10 percent and 11 percent for
still and sparkling, respectively). There has
been a lovely wine festival celebrating Quagliano
wines held annually in September since 1928.
wines to try:
Poderi del Palas*, Tomatis*, and
Serena Giordanino*.
Raboso
s
See
RABOSO
FAMILY
, chapter 3.
Refosco
s
See
REFOSCO
FAMILY
, chapter 3.
