Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
research institute in Tebano came calling. In
2000, the Vitigni Minori project was launched,
sponsored and fi nanced by the government of
the Regione Emilia-Romagna and aimed at
characterizing the rare native grapes of Emilia-
Romagna and evaluating their fi ne wine poten-
tial. Ruggine was identifi ed and microvinifi ca-
tions greatly impressed local growers, who then
took up the challenge and planted the vines and
began making Ruggine wine.
There are only a few hectares specifi cally
devoted to the variety, all in Emilia-Romagna
near the town of Rubbiara, but the vine can still
be found in many old vineyards in the country-
side around Modena. Furthermore, the encour-
aging results obtained with the fi rst few pure
bottlings have led many producers to start
planting Ruggine and to make the wine. It's
safe to say this is one variety that has shaken
the rust off.
falco). In reality the origins of both the grape
variety and name are unclear. While local old-
timers have sworn to me time and again that
the variety has grown in and around Monte-
falco since the dawn of time, documentation of
this seems lacking. In contrast, the existence of
a wine called sagrantino has been documented
since 1598, and apparently a red wine made by
blending Trebbiano Spoletino with Sagrantino
won numerous awards in the late nineteenth
century. However, much like Amarone, sagran-
tino was originally most often a sweet wine; in
fact, the DOC Montefalco Sagrantino was cre-
ated in 1977 for the
passito
(sweet wine made
from air-dried grapes). Dry sagrantino became
a DOC only a few years later. Both wines have
since been elevated to DOCG status (in 1992).
The name Sagrantino is believed to derive
from
sagra
(feast), since the wine was almost
always made sweet and drunk mainly on holi-
days and other festive occasions. Others theo-
rize that the name derives from “wine of the
mass,” or
sacrestia,
but not everyone agrees. It
seems plausible enough, given that sagranti-
no's rich endowment of polyphenols guaran-
tees it will keep longer than many other wines,
making it ideal for the Holy Mass. The variety
looks somewhat like Canaiolo Nero, Sangio-
vese, some
Colorino
s, and Marzemino but can
easily be differentiated from these by careful
observation; there are also several clones that
look and behave differently. The available
clones are 2 ISV-ICA PG
,
UNIMI-CAPRAI-25
Anni, UNIMI-CAPRAI-Cobra, UNIMI-
CAPRAI-Collepiano, and VCR 226
.
Of these,
the 2 ISV-ICA PG clone is ideal for air-drying;
and the 25 Anni has a bigger bunch than the
Cobra, which is not just small but also cylindri-
cal in shape (its name is an homage to the
highly tannic, polyphenol-rich wine produced
with it). Both it and the Collepiano are less fer-
tile than the 25 Anni, and the best wines are
made by blending the three together. Sagran-
tino shows above average vigor but is not par-
ticularly productive; it needs plenty of sun and
heat to ripen properly (at least nineteen hun-
dred growing degree days) and is susceptible to
Which Wines to Choose and Why
A good ruggine has a nose that is honeyed and
ripely citrusy, with average acidity and delicate
herbal fl avors on the palate, complicated by
notes of dried apricot and ripe tropical fruit.
Some producers tend to oak it, but in my view
that can be a risky endeavor, since the wine's
delicate aromas and flavors are easily
overwhelmed.
wines to try:
Leone Conti*** (Anghingò) and
Pedroni** (also an outstanding producer of
Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, the
real, very expensive, great stuff; true balsamic
vinegar always has the word
tradizionale
attached—without, it's not the real thing).
Sagrantino
where it's found:
Umbria.
national regis-
try code number:
217.
color:
red.
Sagrantino is apparently a very ancient vari-
ety, possibly the Hirtiola described by Martial
and Pliny the Elder as typical of the territory of
Mevania (once located in the area between the
modern-day towns of Bevagna and Monte-
