Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso are unques-
tionably fewer and smaller than those between
it and other members of the
Refosco
family. In
fact, Carlo Petrussi, probably Friuli's most
respected viticulture expert, has told me
numerous times that he believes Terrano to be
only a biotype of Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso,
one that has adapted over the centuries to its
specifi c Istrian habitat, which would explain
their differences in morphology and viticulture
behaviors. Poggi (1939) described the sensory
profile of wines made with Terrano, and
affi rmed that it was similar to the
Refosco
s.
Terrano is also called Cagnina, Teran, and
Lambrusco dal Peduncolo Rosso (or Lambrusco
Pjcol Ros). This last name is limited to a few
vineyards around Reggio Emilia, where the
variety was long believed to be a biotype of
Lambrusco Grasparossa, though we know
today that it is not a
Lambrusco
at all. This
“Lambrusco” was so named because its stalk is
very red (red stalk, or
pjcol rosso
in local dialect);
its berries, almost black in hue, are darker than
any
Lambrusco.
Others have proved that Ter-
rano, Refosco d'Istria, and the Slovenian Refoˇk
are identical (Maletic, Pejic, Karoglan Kontic,
Piljac, Dangl, Vokurka, et al. 1999; Kozjak,
Koroˇek Kozuka, and Javornik 2003).
The name Terrano refers to the wine's very
dark color, reminiscent of tar (
ter
in German).
According to Dalmasso (1946), Terrano was
fi rst mentioned by Francesco da Manzano in
the
Annals of Friuli,
which describes a wine
called
terrain
that was so highly thought of that
the city of Udine used to present visiting nota-
bles with a gift bottle
.
It also grows in Emilia-
Romagna, where it is called Terrano Refosco;
most likely it arrived in Romagna along with
the famous Istria stone used to build many of
the palaces and buildings in Ravenna and other
cities. The cluster is medium-sized and not that
tightly packed, the berries large and very thick
skinned.
Terrano is typical of the Carso area of Friuli
Venezia Giulia, but in reality, there are two dif-
ferent Carso areas that both produce Terrano
wines: the better-known Carso Triestino, a nar-
row strip of land characterized by extremely
rocky, almost barren, iron-rich red soils; and
the smaller Carso Goriziano, where the soils
are less poor and ferrous. The variety also
grows in Emilia-Romagna in the provinces of
Forlì and Ravenna. According to Giuseppe Fon-
tana of the La Piccola estate, it seems the best
Lambrusco Pjcol Ros grapes are those grown
around the town of Montecchio, to the east of
the Enza Stream. Terrano is also planted in
Slovenia and in Macedonia.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
The wines to buy in Friuli Venezia Giulia are the
DOC Carso Terrano; in Emilia-Romagna, the
DOC wine is Cagnina di Romagna (an off-dry,
slightly sweet red wine), though the Lambrusco
Pjcol Ros wines are also made with a locally
grown Terrano. In early twentieth-century Friuli
Venezia Giulia, young girls were given a small
glass of terrano from time to time to ward off
anemia, as terrano has always been believed to
make “good blood” due to its strong iron content.
A good Terrano wine is purple-r uby, with expres-
sive violet, blackberry, and black-currant aromas
and fl avors, with almost painful acidity and
strong minerality. It's a great food wine. Cagnina
di Romagna is a light-bodied sweet wine, with
fragrant and delicately sweet red-berry aromas
and fl avors.
wines to try:
For Terrano, try: Zidarich***,
Skerk***, Kante***, Castelvecchio***, and
Castello di Rubbia** (the latter two from the
Carso Goriziano). For Cagnina di Romagna,
try: Tenuta Amalia**, Bissoni**, and Celli
Vini*. For Lambrusco Pjcol Ross, try: Rinaldini-
Moro*** (Pjcol Rosso; rich, complex, and
fruity), La Piccola*** (Lambrusco Picol Ross;
also rich, complex, and fruity).
Timorasso
where it's found:
Piedmont.
national reg-
istry code number:
234.
color:
red.
Timorasso yields an intellectual wine, not
unlike a very dry riesling from the Nahe or the
