Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Abbuoto's leaf is large and pentagonal, and
its cluster medium-large, cylindrical-conical,
often with one or two wings. The berry is
medium-large, not perfectly round, thick
skinned, and dark violet-black. Biotypes of
Abbuoto from Itri in Lazio appear to have
smaller bunches and berries. While it is resis-
tant to oidium and (less so) to peronospora as
well as to drought, it is very sensitive to spring
frosts due to early fl owering; the harvest is in
mid-September. Curiously, Abbuoto shares its
name with a traditional dish typical of the
Frosinone area, a slow-cooked stew of lamb
intestine, celery, fresh tomato, parsley, white
wine, chili pepper, salt, and other ingredients.
The wine is bright ruby-red, with fresh red-
berry and fl oral aromas. Full-bodied, with good
acidity levels, it has always been known to age,
and takes to oak well; its tannins require
patience. The examples of pure abbuoto I have
tasted over the years have left me suitably
impressed. Lazio produces both a sparkling
and a sweet version as well, made from air-
dried
(passito)
grapes. Top producers include
Terra delle Ginestre and Terre Pontine, two
small cooperatives that however do not yet bot-
tle 100 percent Abbuoto, though the percentage
of Abbuoto in Terra delle Ginestre's Il Generale,
now 40 percent, is increasing every year and
will soon be 100 percent. Villa Matilde, a well-
known Campanian producer, and where De
Simone used to work once, is often cited as a
source of Abbuoto wines, but they have never
produced a monovarietal wine. Wines made
with 40 percent Abbuoto or less really do not
speak of Abbuoto (or any other variety, for that
matter, so it's pointless to use such wines as an
example of what a grape variety might deliver).
Bonaccorsi, Aci Castello, Aci Catena, Aci San
Filippo, Acireale, and more. It is a practically
unknown grape variety apparently no longer
cultivated (or limited to a few sporadic vines)
near Catania and found today only in the Faro
red wine production zone, also in the north-
eastern corner of Sicily. Faro is a blend of the
better known grapes Nerello Mascalese and
Nerello Cappuccio with relative unknowns
such as Acitana, Galatena, and Cor' e Palummo.
Like these last two, Acitana is not offi cially
listed in the National Registry and I have no
knowledge of any accurate ampelographic
descriptions or DNA profi les of it. It remains to
be seen whether this is a distinct cultivar or just
another name for a grape known elsewhere.
Still, locals are convinced of its uniqueness and
claim that they include 5-10 percent of it
(though I wonder if those percentages are ever
reached in any bottled wine) in their Faro
blends.
Addoraca
where it's found:
Calabria.
national regis-
try code number:
not registered.
color:
white.
Addoraca is an essentially unknown grape
variety used in the Moscato di Saracena blend,
a lovely sweet wine that has been brought to
everyone's attention in the last ten years by
some excellent wines made by the likes of I
Feudi di San Severino and Cantine Viola.
Aghedene
where it's found:
FVG.
national registry
code number:
not registered.
color:
white.
Rediscovered in 2005 in an old vineyard at
Colle Villano near Faedis, Aghedene was well
known in the fi rst part of the twentieth century.
According to Carlo Petrussi, Friuli Venezia
Giulia's most eminent viticultural expert, its
wine was never considered noteworthy; in fact
the variety's name refers to dilution in the Fri-
uli dialect. Aghedene was always mainly
Acitana
where it's found:
Sicily.
national registry
code number:
not registered.
color:
red.
Acitana takes its name from a number of
small towns north of Catania in Sicily's north-
eastern tip all of which begin with Aci: Aci
