If the gloss of excitement surrounding Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Nero d’Avola, Fiano and Garganega is starting to lose its lustre, we’ve still got you. Italy has over 400 indigenous grapes, many of which are barely grown outside their regions, let alone the country. As part of the Alepat Taylor portfolio expansion program, we are ensuring we have all corners of Italy covered, and with that comes a plethora of varieties to kick our wine brain back into its learning phase. Here’s a rundown on the top 10 we’d recommend trying now to broaden your horizons…
PECORINO
PEH-kor-ee-no has only about 300 hectares planted in the Abruzzo and Le Marche regions. It’s name is because the bunch is shaped like a sheep’s head (it otherwise has little to do with the cheese of the same name, except for being a fine partner at
the table). This early-ripening grape thrives in sunny areas, where it can develop sweet fruity characters before the acid drops. It’s a grape known for sucking up terroir, so despite having a stone-fruited/citrus flavour profile, it can taste like almost anything. The Calalenta version from Fantini is a perfumed, pulpy wine with just a touch of spice, produced from vineyards in organic transition from around the town of Ortona, on the Adriatic coast of Abruzzo.
VERDECA
Ver-DEH-ka is a rare variety (around 800ha under vine) that is unrelated but often confused with Verdicchio, Verdejo or Verdea. It shares similarities with Albariño in its vibrancy, herbal aromatics and exotic citrus flavours, along with its ability to suck up minerality from the soil. Although it can be found further north in some Lacryma Christi wines and is even used as a base for Vermouth, its spiritual home is the Salento peninsula of Puglia where the long summers give this slow-ripening grape ample time to develop. Leone De Castris makes several wines from this variety, ranging from the zippy early harvest
Maiana through to the rich, stonefruited and textural Messapia.
INSOLIA
In-SOH-lee-a achieved its fame in the west of Sicily, where it has always been the key component in Marsala wines. This means the grape itself is not rare (well over 7000ha are planted), but when used in the production of dry white wines, it certainly is. This is because the fruit intensity and naturally low acidity can be easily lost when farmed at high yields or not tended with great care. Cusumano grows Insolia on the high hills behind the city of Palermo, solely for white wine production. The site is behind a woodland reserve and enjoys a sheltered yet sunny microclimate cooled by sea breezes and altitude, and produces a luscious dry wine with peachy/ grapefruit character and lovely, balanced acidity.
TREBBIANO DI SPOLETINO
Treb-bee-AH-noh spoh-leh-TEEnoh isn’t related to the widely farmed standard Trebbiano (or Ugni Blanc) that generally produces high yields of grapes with bland neutrality. This variant is suspected to be a hybrid of Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and another unknown, growing only in Umbria with just 120ha under vine. It produces the floral/herbaceous whites with lovely
minerality that are the Bianco wines of the DOCs of Spoleto and Montefalco. We carry the organic-certified Tenuta Alzatura Aria di Casa Montefalco Bianco DOC, which has seen 10 months in barrique to add spice and layers to the zippy, slightly saline, magnolia and pomelolike characters of the variety.
CARRICANTE
Ka-re-KAHN-tay plantings cover 200 hectares in the volcanic soils surrounding Mount Etna. This variety needs a cooler zone and thrives in the high diurnal temperature variations at altitude in old plots surrounding the east and northern slopes of the volcano. This allows the grapes to ripen very slowly, retaining the trademark acidity that has lent Etna Bianco the moniker of ‘Chabils of Sicily’. Like Chardonnay, this grape can handle malolactic fermentation, oak and bottle age and, while the flavour profile is traditionally in the citrus spectrum, don’t be surprised to find herbal nuances and the smoke and minerals of this unique terroir.
SUSUMANIELLO
Soo-Soo-man-YEH-lo can’t be found anywhere else except Puglia, where it is almost exclusive to the Salice Salento
area. It nearly disappeared around 20 years ago due to the declining productivity levels in the vine as it ages. Leone de Castris is a partner in the Vinum Loci Project, a national committee promoting scientifi c research and knowledge of
ancient and native Italian vines, and so can take some claim to the rescue of this among other varieties. The wine has a signature deep ruby colour and aromas of red berries and plums. This is backed by a lip-smacking, rhubarb-laced
acidity in Leone’s ‘Il Lemnos’ vineyard version. Leone’s ‘Per Lui’ is more concentrated, showing spicy, peppery aromas and flavours of dark chocolate.
NERELLO MASCALESE
Neh-RELL-oh Mass-keh-LAY-zay is famous for the Etna Rosso wines it produces from old vines on the slopes of the volcano (Nerello refers to the black skin while Mascali is the name of an area between the mountain and the sea). The offspring of Sangiovese and Mantonico Bianco, many would describe it as ‘Sicilian Burgundy’ due to its taut freshness, bold red-fruited and herbaceous flavours and earthy nuance. It’s nearly always a medium- to lighter-bodied red, but rarely at the loss of complexity or finesse. The Alta Mora version is often in the more savoury spectrum and is stunning with a few years of age under its belt, and we also stock the ultra-rare single-contrada wines from Feudo di Mezzo and Guardiola.
AGLIANICO
Full-bodied, fi rm and musky, ahl-YAH-nee-koh is a late-ripening variety with high acidity, making it perfect for the warmer zones in the south of Italy. It’s wider planted than many of the grapes mentioned here, but often blended with Cabernet or Merlot to soften the fruit profile and acidity. Aglianico del Vulture DOC is the epitome of this grape’s production, and on
the sides of Mt Vulture it is allowed to continue to full ripeness despite the otherwise warm climate of the area, bringing
forth striking blackfruited flavours offset by savoury spice, leather and charcuterie. Cantine del Notaio specialises in pure
bottlings of this grape and is also the region’s flagbearer of its many styles.
LAGREIN
Pronounced la-GRAHN or la-GRINE depending on which subzone of the far north of Italy you’re in, is thought to take its name from the town of Val Lagarina in Trentino. The a cool, sub-alpine area of Alto Adige is ironically one of the most sun-drenched in Italy, due to the positioning of the slopes that harness extra solar hours each day of the ripening period. Lagrein is a deeply tannic red, so extreme care is required in keeping yields low and macerations brief. Get it right, and the wines have a trademark wild cherry character to partner muscular weight and bold acidity. Andrian produces two wines, the juicier Rubeno and the deep and sturdy, fruit-of the-forest-laden Tor di Lupo.
