Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
that of Naples and immediate surroundings,
where Olivella is more common.”
Interestingly, most everyone believes today
that Livella is Olivella, simply called by its
Campanian dialect name. However, Livella and
Olivella are names attributed to many different
grapes in Italy, and it is not at all likely that they
are all one and the same (see OLIVELLA NERA
entry). Costantini Monaco, Vouillamoz, For-
lani, and Grando (2005) found a genetic iden-
tity between Sciascinoso and the Livella grown
around Battipaglia, but this was just one of the
three different Livella accessions included in
the study, so there are other Livella varieties
out there in the vineyards of Campania that
may be completely distinct grapes or homo-
nyms of others.
the aromas and fl avors are so memorable or
intense, but they certainly are easygoing, highly
enjoyable, smooth wines.”
wines to try:
Capolino Perlingieri** (Sciascì),
Dedicato a Marianna**, and Tenuta Vitagliano
(also a good sparkling version).
Scimiscia'
where it's found:
Liguria.
national regis-
try code number:
377.
color:
white.
Unique to a small area of Liguria, Scimiscia'
(or Simixaa or Scimisaa or Çimixaa; the
National Registry offi cially lists Scimiscia') was
essentially saved from extinction in the 1970s
by Marco Bacigalupo
,
a pastry chef from the
town of Cicagna, who collected the remaining,
very few vines of the variety and planted them
in a single vineyard near Cassottana. At the end
of the 1990s, the Comunità Montana della Val
Fontanabuona decided to get involved and
asked the Cooperativa di San Colombano to
clean the by-then abandoned vineyard and iden-
tify any healthy vines. Finally, in 1998, the
research community got involved and studying
Scimiscia' began in earnest.
Studies by Torello Marinoni, Raimondi,
Ruffa, Lacombe, and Schneider (2009) proved
that the Corsican variety called Genovese,
thought in the past to be a distinct cultivar, is in
reality Scimiscia'. Scimiscia' is also grown spo-
radically in the Cinque Terre, where it is also
known as Frate Pelato. Names such as Simixaa
or Scimixaa refer to the spotted berries, small
dots that recall mite or tick bites (the mite in
local dialect is called
simixa
). In fact, it is not
uncommon to fi nd members of Hemiptera,
family Pentatomidae, species
Nezara viridula,
living inside bunches of this variety.
There appear to be at least two biotypes of
Scimiscia', one with medium-large, conical
bunches and bigger berries, the other with
medium-sized, pyramidal bunches and very
small berries. Both are winged, but the latter
are more compact. Today, Scimiscia' grows in
Liguria's Valle del Tigullio, especially around
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Sciascinoso is rarely produced in pure versions.
It is part of blends (usually with wines made
from Piedirosso) of DOC wines such as
Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso, Campi Fle-
grei Rosso, Penisola Sorrentina Rosso, and
Costa d'Amalfi Rosso and Rosato. Recently,
some producers have started bottling 100 per-
cent Sciascinoso wines, such as those of the
DOC Sannio Sciascinoso. The variety also
grows in southern Lazio, near Frosinone.
A good sciascinoso is characterized by fruity
fragrances (mainly red berries), high acidity,
and a midweight frame. The grapes never accu-
mulate high amounts of sugars, so the wine
tends to be bright and fresh; it's an ideal blend-
ing partner with Piedirosso, as the two varieties
ripen at about the same time. Since Piedirosso
builds up sugar easily, a small percentage of
sciascinoso helps the fi nal wine achieve better
balance. Antonio Mastroberardino likens Scias-
cinoso to a quiet old man sitting on park bench
feeding the pigeons: he basically does no harm,
creates no problems for anyone, and actually
delivers happiness (the pigeons certainly are
happy). “It's really an easy variety to deal with,”
he tells me. “It gives no problems whatsoever,
and the wines have a pretty, deep color and very
smooth tannins. If I may quibble, I don't think
