dossier

Native Italian vines, "outside Italy"

[vc_row full_screen_section_height=”no”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Grape variety autochthonous ...This is one of the key words for investigating the current trend of the global wine market – alongside trends such as #volcanicwine e #naturalwine, with the resulting popularity for regions such as Etna or products such as colfondo/refermented in the bottle/sur lie.
From New York to Copenhagen, from Australia to Japan, markets and wine lists are increasingly receptive to native varieties, which combine the attraction of a new organoleptic profile, unusual compared to the "usual" Bordeaux blend and what a Chardonnay or a Sauvignon can be, with a strong link to the territory of origin, which translates into an important evocative power, often closely linked to wine tourism.
This popularity is a favorable factor, especially for Italy, where the native varieties – which have yet to be registered in their entirety – amount to about 700 (seven hundred) and could open new doors to the Bel Paese, especially in the most receptive, curious and prepared markets.

Although the obstacles should not be underestimated: 
from the little knowledge that requires mediated work in promotion through educated and careful sommeliers and restaurateurs (and here Italian cuisine once again demonstrates its crucial role in the knowledge of our wine) to the small quantities produced that often fail to satisfy the quantitative demands of importers.
But there is another risk, minimal but still real: that these varieties are planted elsewhere, in third countries that can also circumvent the EU protection system.
A case in point is the Glera brought to Australia by Italian immigrants, which also has the advantage ofitalian sounding of the names of companies such as Dal Zotto, Pizzini, Politini. There are two major production areas of Australian Prosecco: the King Valley in the state of Victoria which has inaugurated a real Prosecco Road and the Adelaide Hills area in South Australia.
Australian Prosecco is all the rage at home and, thanks to competitive agreements between Australia and China, it could become a competitor for Italian Prosecco in that market, especially for those brands for which price is the winning component.

In Australia, for some years now, in addition to Glera, Nebbiolo has also been grown in the Yarra Valley in the state of Victoria and in the Adelaide Hills.
The area north of Melbourne offers the climatic situation most similar to that of Piedmont, thanks to the temperate climate and the hilly reliefs, which has allowed obtaining discrete results.

Here, in Heathcote, already 25 years ago, in 1993 Ron Laughton of Jasper Hill decided to plant Nebbiolo.
The greatest representative of Nebbiolo near Melbourne, however, is Luke Lambert, who grows the variety in the Yarra Valley.
Awarded 95 points by critic Jamie Goode, this is the highest rated and most expensive Australian Nebbiolo to date – $60 Australian, excluding tax.
Nebbiolo also appears in the catalogues of producers such as Pizzini, Coriole, Pannel, Giaconda.
In terms of price, Australian Nebbiolos range between 30 and 60 Australian dollars, while a Barbaresco or Barolo will typically set you back around 100 dollars.

But Glera and Nebbiolo are not the only Italian grapes that have made their way abroad…the most famous, but also the most controversial case is that of Zinfandel, our Primitivo – even if there are differences in vigour and size of the bunch with the latter.
Recent studies have demonstrated that the Italian Primitivo and the ancient Croatian variety Kastelanski are genetically identical to Zinfandel.
However, Zinfandel did not reach American shores thanks to Italian immigrants but rather Croatian ones who imported it to Boston around 1820, so much so that, to date, the first reference to the name is found in an advertisement from 1832.
From here, what was now known as Zinfandel was brought to California where over time it acclimated to the point of developing its own characteristics, so much so that the state of California requires that on labelling, Zinfandel and Primitivo be designated with two different names.

On the other hand, homonymy does not always indicate genetic identity: This is the case of Bonarda in Argentina, which is not the same Italian variety but rather the Douce Noir widespread in Savoy.
In Veneto and Friuli the surprise concerns Cabernet Franc: much of what was planted in the past as Cabernet Franc is not such but is instead Carmenere.
Although the two grape varieties are similar, they do have some differences: compared to Cabernet Franc, Carmenere is more intense and spicy.

An example of the confusion between the two is the famous label of the wolf in sheep's clothing that stands out on the Carmenero di Ca' del Bosco.

The company has collaborated for years with the Sacred Heart Agricultural University of Piacenza to investigate its nature.
And if Carmenere was imported into Veneto from France, what comes now is the story of a Venetian brand that exported Corvina to Argentina.
For over a decade, the Masi company, with the Masi Tupungato project, developed in the region of the same name, has cultivated one hundred hectares between 900 and 1.000 metres above sea level, with a south-west exposure and notable temperature variations between day and night.
Initial experiments allowed us to test both white and red grapes, both Italian and international, in the vineyard to understand which of them reacted best with the volcanic soil and the extremely scarce rainfall but counterbalanced by snow. Volcanic soils, altitude, constant ventilation and significant temperature variations favor quality viticulture and organic management.
The first tests also saw batches of Corvina arrive from Italy to undergo the drying process in Tupungato to understand its feasibility.
A doubt that was soon resolved and which convinced the Venetian company to adopt the Amarone technique on Malbec and Corvina, giving life to a wine that bears the name of Corbec.

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