Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Romagna portion of Emilia-Romagna. It must
not be confused with Marzemino, which is also
called Berzamino and Balsamina, or with
Berverdino, though in the past it was consid-
ered to be a biotype of Marzemino. Silvestroni,
Marangoni, and Faccioli (1986) describe it as
one of the local grapevines of Emilia-Romagna.
Apparently, it has medium-large, conical
bunches and round berries, and ripens in late
September. I have never seen it and have never
tasted a wine made with it; but for Belzemino,
survival is all that matters right now.
Piacentini DOC, and one of Italy's better sweet
wines. Historically, it was often confused with
Erbaluce though the two varieties are not found
in the same regions and have since been deter-
mined to be distinct (Cosmo, Sardi, and Calò
1962). A rare description in the literature is by
Boselli and Venturi (1993). The bunch is
medium in size, pyramidal or conical, usually
winged, and compact. The berry is thick
skinned and dehydrates very well, explaining
its usefulness in late-harvest and air-dried
wines. As they ripen, the berries turn an almost
amber-gold hue; the harvest usually takes part
in the last half of September. Apparently it
thrives in poorer soils, and does not like exces-
sive humidity. I've tried artisanal pure dry
wines, all blessed with high acidity and delicate
fl oral aromas, but I am unaware of any monova-
rietal bottling commercially available. Genetic
analysis performed on Bervedino accessions by
Torello Marinoni, Raimondi, Ruffa, Lacombe,
and Schneider (2009) confi rmed that it is syn-
onymous with Vernaccia di San Gimignano,
but I am unaware of any further studies on the
matter. However, the same study apparently
misattributes Canaiolo Bianco as synonymous
with Vernaccia di San Gimignano (according to
Storchi, Armanni, Randellini, Giannetto,
Meneghetti, and Crespan 2011), further evi-
dence of how hard it is to draw conclusions
from genetic tests if sampling errors occur in
the vineyards. As the National Registry lists
Bervedino separately, and Marisa Fontana,
probably the greatest expert on Emilia-
Romagna grape varieties, also considers the
variety distinct from others, I will continue to
consider it a distinct variety until new research
results help us clarify the matter.
Bertinora
where it's found:
Emilia-Romagna.
national
registry code number:
not registered.
color:
white.
Bertinora is another almost-extinct variety
that was once more common in the countryside
around Cesena and Bertinoro. It was also
known as Rossola and numerous writers
including Pasqualini and Pasqui (1878) and
Bazzocchi (1923) described it as having tightly
packed bunches and very large, round berries.
Bazzocchi pointed out the existence of a higher-
quality biotype characterized by much looser,
winged bunches and oval berries. All experts
agreed that Bertinora was also an especially
good table grape that kept longer than most
other grape varieties. Bertinora ripens in the
second half of September, but according to
Marisa Fontana is now reduced to only a few
scattered vines. The grapes are reserved for
home consumption and it's not clear to me if
anyone is making wine with it.
Bervedino
Bianca Capriana
where it's found:
Emilia-Romagna.
national
registry code number:
24.
color:
white.
Also known as Berverdino and now quite
rare, Bervedino is found mainly in the Valle
dell'Arda in Emilia-Romagna. Along with other
rare varieties such as Melara and Santa Maria,
it is used to make Vin Santo di Vigoleno, a Colli
where it's found:
Veneto.
national regis-
try code number:
not registered.
color:
white.
Sporadically grown in the province of
Verona, Bianca Capriana seems not to have left
any believable historic documentation—
