Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
correctly identifying the three. According to
Grimaldi (2002), Castiglione was probably
imported into Calabria in the 1700s, and was a
favorite of farmers due to its productivity. It
yields deeply hued wines since the grape skins
are rich in malvin and not in easily oxidized
pigments.
same variety or truly distinct cultivars is any-
body's guess. Marzotto also mentions that
Cavrara is a quality grape, confi rming Zava's
opinion; by contrast, earlier authors felt that
Cavrara, or the
Cavrara
family, was good only
for the production of inconsequential, light-
bodied wines, though Cavrara del Peduncolo
Rosso was the best of the lot. Today most
experts believe there is only one Cavrara, gen-
erally called Cavrara or Cavrara Nera, while
Cavrara Garbini is considered a biotype (Costa-
curta and Cancellier 1999). In any case, due to
uneven and poor productivity, Cavrara was
slowly phased out by producers. However,
there are still some Cavrara grapevines grow-
ing in Veneto's Colli Berici near Vicenza, and
in the fl atland vineyards around Roncà near
Verona.
The grape bunch is medium-large, pyrami-
dal, winged, and neither compact nor sparse
with oval, medium-sized, thick-skinned, blue-
black berries. It is usually harvested in mid-
October, when its leaves turn a deep red.
Though it is generally disease resistant (except
to peronospora) and fertile, it suffers during
cold rainy springs due to its early fl owering.
The wine is dark purple-red and perfumed
(raspberry, blackberry), with good alcohol lev-
els and high acidity, though it tends to lack
body. It might have a future for sparkling wine
production.
Catanese Nero
where it's found:
Sicily.
national registry
code number:
57.
color:
red.
Catanese Nero is a little-known and rare
grape that has little in common with other
local grapes native to the area of the Etna vol-
cano. Though it seems to have originated on
the eastern part of the island, today it is culti-
vated only on the western side, around Pa-
lermo, Trapani, and Agrigento. It is mainly
used to make simple rosé wines, and no DOC
includes it. The bunch is medium-sized and
elongated, with one or two wings. The grapes
are big and round or at times oval. The skin is
thin and blue-black. It is usually harvested in
mid-September, and gives very acidic wines so
it's best in blends. Famous winemaker Salvo
Foti isn't even sure the vine still exists in vine-
yards anymore.
Cavrara
where it's found:
Veneto.
national regis-
try code number:
405.
color:
red.
In 1754, Acanti described a wine named
cavraio made around Vicenza, so this variety
has been hanging around (literally) on Italian
soil for quite some time. In 1825, Acerbi called
the grape Caprara, but for many centuries
there appeared to be more than one Cavrara, so
experts spoke of a group of
Cavrara
grapes. For
example, the
Bollettino del Comizio Agrario di
Vicenza
(1868) listed Cavrara (or Garbiona),
Cavrara di Monte, Cavrara del Picciuolo Verde,
and Cavrara della Madonna. In 1901, Zava
added the synonyms Bassanese and Bassanese
del Peduncolo Rosso, and in 1925 Marzotto
added Sgarbiona. Whether these were all the
Cellerina
where it's found:
Piedmont.
national reg-
istry code number:
not registered.
color:
red.
Sporadically present in the Tortonese,
Ovadese, and Astigiano areas on both sides of
the Tanaro River, Cellerina seems to grow best
on alluvial, iron-rich soils. It has a long,
medium-sized, very sparse bunch and long
wing, with medium-sized, round berries.
Botrytis resistant, it is used mainly in blends to
make air-dried or late-harvest sweet wines for
local consumption. Cellerina is at times errone-
ously called Balsamina, a name usually
