Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and Piedmont; for example, the CAPVS series
is of Sardinian origin), plus another ten French
clones selected from Corsica. It is not without
interest that many producers in Italy have
planted French clones as well as Italian ones: as
I discussed this in chapter three, I won't dissect
this here, but I will repeat that I am not in favor
of such actions, for they will ultimately lead to a
globalization of wine production and harm
locally specifi c biodiversity and plant genetic
makeup. That said, viticulture expert Stefano
Dini points out that France's ENTAV has done
an amazing job with Vermentino clonal selec-
tion, and in his opinion many of their clones
are better than the ones available in Italy. He
especially singles out the older AP series for
criticism as not allowing the highest-quality
wines to be made; these grapevines are easy to
recognize because their berries are quite big
and tend to gain a reddish hue as they ripen,
and because they are not very crunchy when
you bite into them. According to Dini, many
Ligurian Vermentino grapevines are character-
ized by these bigger berries.
Vermentino yields the best results in poorly
fertile soils and has good tolerance to salty
marine winds and dry climates. Producers will
tell you it's a rare variety in that it craves the sun
and does best in relatively hot habitats. (Vermen-
tino prefers sunny exposures and poorly fertile
soils in general.) It is sensitive to moths and mil-
dew, especially in dense foliage conditions, and
is moderately tolerant to oidium. Though
unquestionably a citizen of southern Europe, it
is cultivated mostly in Italy, with more than
4,000 hectares planted to it: roughly 3,300 hec-
tares in Sardinia, 544 in Tuscany, 250 in Liguria,
and 105 in Piedmont (in Sardinia, most is in two
provinces: roughly 1,300 hectares at Olbia Tem-
pio and another 1,100 around Sassari). There are
an estimated 750 hectares in France (in Pro-
vence and especially Corsica, where 80 percent
of all French Vermentino is found).
countrysides where the vineyards sometimes
seem like a prop for tourist snapshots rather
than a source of serious wines, and the fi rst taste
is usually enough to prove how wrong fi rst
impressions can be. More than fi fty differently
named white wines are produced in Italy with
Vermentino, involving one DOCG and twenty-
two DOCs (eleven in Tuscany, six in Liguria,
three in Sardinia, and one each in Piedmont and
Umbria). As Pigato, it is mainly grown in the
western half of Liguria, especially in the Valle
Arroscia up to Pieve di Tenco, where the prov-
inces of Savona and Imperia meet. The best
wines to try are the DOC Riviera Ligure di
Ponente Pigato, though they need be only 95 per-
cent Pigato to earn the label. To my taste, Pigato
yields bigger, fatter wines than Vermentino, with
similar saline nuances but a creamier texture.
The aromas and fl avors recall delicate notes of
apricot, peach, and ripe Golden Delicious apple
but are more typically musky and fl oral.
Wines can differ greatly based on degree of
berry ripeness and use of oak (or not), as well
as soil and climate diversity: some Italian
estates produce many different Vermentino
wines simply by harvesting at different times.
Winemaking techniques employed usually
involve short pellicular macerations, followed
by fermentation in steel, while barrel fermenta-
tion is less commonly used in an effort to avoid
camoufl aging the wine's delicate aromas and
f lavors. Recently, many winemakers have
begun adopting techniques aimed at minimiz-
ing air contact, to prevent oxidation and loss of
aromas. Greater texture and richness is
achieved by aging on the lees, with more or less
bâtonnage
(stirring of the lees) depending on
what style of wine the estate is aiming for.
Therefore, vermentino can range from light
and fresh to structured and alcoholic. Wines
offer a large range of aromas and fl avors: from
citrus to ripe tropical fruit, with fl oral (acacia)
and herbal (rosemary, thyme) notes. Most
always, the wine is recognized by a defi nite
saline nuance on the fi nish.
Vermentino is thriving outside Italy. Very
good examples can be had in the United States,
Which Wines to Choose and Why
I'm not the only one who thinks Vermentino
makes a great little wine. It is made in bucolic
