Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
this I am not alone: many local growers and
winemakers feel exactly the same way. Granted,
diverse growing conditions (Asprinio grapes
are often grown in heavily shaded conditions,
where the vines cling to natural supports such
as trees, and are allowed to produce extremely
high yields, so resulting wines are invariably
thin, tart, and nothing at all like those made
with Greco) and winemaking skills involved
are such that the two wines taste very different,
but Asprinio and Greco wines are more like
vanilla and chocolate, rather than different
chocolates made from Criollo and Trinitario
beans. So it is very hard for me to believe that
the two varieties are identical. This is one of the
many cases of DNA profi ling that makes me
highly nervous. Now, I'll be the last to question
properly obtained scientifi c data, but I wonder
if the very few Asprinio or Greco accessions in
this study really were true Asprinio or Greco; it
wouldn't be the fi rst case of a mistaken ampelo-
graphic observation leading to erroneous con-
clusions. Of course, I'm probably wrong, but
still . . .
Greco is a diffi cult variety, both viticultur-
ally and enologically. It ripens late, in October
(not exactly a good thing in the cool and often
rainy mountainous areas where Greco often
grows), and is characterized by low vigor and
productivity, as well as by sensitivity to grey rot,
oidium, and peronospora; in this respect, it is
less resistant than other Campanian varieties
such as Coda di Volpe Bianca. Ferrante wrote in
1927 that Greco has been abandoned because of
all the headaches it caused farmers, who
replaced it with more prolifi c varieties. Greco is
no easier for winemakers, as the variety is very
rich in polyphenols that tend to oxidize, brown-
ing the wine and creating volatile acidity. It
tends to be more productive in deep volcanic
soils. There are different clones available: the
VCR set (VCR 6, VCR 11, VCR 2, and VCR 5),
all developed between 2001 and 2002, and
Ampelos-TEA 25 and UNIMI-VITIS GRE VV31,
available since 2008 and 2009. Of these,
UNIMI-VITIS GRE VV31 gives the simplest
wines, meant to offer early appeal, while VCR 11
tends to give more structured wines and its
thick skins make it ideally suited for sweet wine
production (of which there is however very little
where Greco is concerned).
Greco is planted mainly in Campania;
unlike Fiano, the other best-known Campanian
white grape, it has not been “exported” to other
regions in Italy, though pockets of it exist in
neighboring regions such as Lazio, Abruzzo,
Molise, Puglia, and even Tuscany. It has also
been planted abroad, for example in Australia
and the United States, but there too it usually
takes a back seat to Fiano. Nevertheless, as it is
both heat tolerant and drought resistant, Greco
is potentially an extremely important “new”
variety for the warmer viticultural areas in
these countries. Greco also has little need for
irrigation, making it even more ideally suited to
these often water-challenged lands. In Califor-
nia, Noravine grapevine nursery acts as the
importer of Italian budwood produced by Vivai
Cooperativi Rauscedo (VCR), the world's largest
producers of budwood. The Foundation Plant
Services (FPS) have offi cially recognized Greco
FPS clone 01, generated from the VCR 11 clone.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
Greco di Tufo is one of Italy's most famous
wines, and the better versions are among Italy's
best white wines. It usually shows much greater
alcohol and structure than Fiano di Avellino,
the other famous white wine of Campania,
which is more minerally and refi ned. As of
2008, Greco di Tufo accounted for 14 percent of
all DOC wines made in Campania (Fiano di
Avellino represented only 8 percent) but can be
made from grapes grown only in the country-
side of eight small towns near Avellino. There
are two true
grand crus
for Greco, Santa Paolina
and Tufo, and one
premier cru,
Montefusco; and
given similar winemaking techniques they
yield very different wines. All three are located
on the right side of the Sabato River, and are
blessed with south to southeastern exposures,
which are ideal to ensure proper ripening of
this capricious grape. Tufo's is an extreme viti-
culture, at least in some sections of it, where
