Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
a table grape as well as used in wine, this vari-
ety risks extinction. In 2000 there were only a
reported eight hectares of Angela planted in
Italy, six of which were in the province of Bolo-
gna. This is a shame considering its antiquity:
Marescalchi and Dalmasso (1937) report that
Francesco Sacchetti wrote of an “Angiolla”
grape already in the fourteenth century. There
are apparently two biotypes, a Bolognese and a
Romagnola, that are different both phenotypi-
cally and isoenzymatically, though some
believe the latter to be identical to Verdea (also
called San Colombano). I don't know of any
SSR testing done on the two to determine if
they are distinct varieties, but there is evidence
suggesting the Romagnola biotype may also be
Paradisa, a distinct local variety. Marzotto in
1935 describes Angela as “a magnifi cent grape
and much in vogue on export markets,” as it
held up well to travel. In effect he was confi rm-
ing what others, including Soderini (1590) and
Di Rovasenda (1877), had written before him. I
haven't tasted any monovarietal wines made
with it, but have a few local names to visit.
generous productive tendencies would be a
must for any discernible fl avor to become appar-
ent. I have tasted supposedly pure, artisanally
made Arilla wines and found them to be tannic
and a little neutral, with lowish acidity. How-
ever, the value of such a tasting experience was
strongly limited by the winemaking talent
involved, so I'm not sure what to think of Arilla's
potential, or lack thereof. In 2013, I began a proj-
ect with Giancarlo Carriero, the enlightened
owner of the Albergo Regina Isabella at Lacco
Ameno in Ischia, in which the hotel will work
with small local growers in an effort to help pre-
serve Ischia's viticultural biodiversity. It is every-
one's hope that limited little quantities of mon-
ovarietal bottlings of arilla and other local
cultivars will be successfully produced, and in
that case the hotel will buy the bottles and offer
local wine producers an opportunity to sell more
of their wines. I am doing so free of charge and
am impressed by Carriero's enthusiasm and
willingness to give this a try; only time will tell
how successful the project will be, but it's a
start.
Arilla
Arvesiniadu
where it's found:
Campania.
national reg-
istry code number:
not registered.
color:
white.
Arilla is typical of Ischia where it is still com-
monly used in DOC Ischia Bianco blends. It was
fi rst mentioned by D'Ascia (1867) and then by
Nesbitt (1884), both of whom called it Agrilla; I
fi nd that nowadays most locals call it Uva Rilla.
Its large bunch is compact, with medium-sized
oval berries. The wine is rich and concentrated,
but can develop volatile acidity. In old vineyards
around Forio there is also an extremely rare bio-
type called Arillottola. I have spoken about
Arilla many times to local growers on my
annual visits to Ischia, and almost everyone on
the island, from Andrea d'Ambra to Gino Iacono
of Pietratorcia, feels the grape could have a fi ne-
wine future but it is excessively sensitive to oid-
ium, and therefore that goal has never been
much pursued. Certainly, curbing Arilla's very
where it's found:
Sardinia.
national regis-
try code number:
15.
color:
white.
A true native of Sardinia rather than a Span-
ish import, Arvesiniadu is now almost extinct,
remaining in only a few scattered plots in the
provinces of Sassari and in the Campidano area
of Sardinia. However, it may be more abundant
than is commonly believed, since it was recently
reported that the Vernaccia di Oristano grown
around Arguingeniau is actually Arvesiniadu.
Arvesiniadu has been described by Manca
dell'Arca (1780), who called it Arvu Siniagu,
and by Cara (1909), who listed its synonyms as
Alvusignadu (Ozieri), Arvisiniadu (Bono), and
Arvusiniagu (Sassari). Other synonyms used
today include Argu Ingiannau, Alvu, and Arvu
Siniadu. The fi rst complete description is by
Bruni (1964), who explains that the variety's
scarce diffusion was due to a low base fertility
rate. Sanna (2000) has since described three
