18. Central Italy Flashcards
What is the general climate of Tuscany?
Warm Mediterranean with adequate rainfall for grape
growing.
What are the five main regions of Central Italy?
1) Tuscany
2) Marche
3) Umbria
4) Abruzzo
5) Lazio
When does the most rain fall in Tuscany?
Autumn and winter with some during the growing season
What is the most important cooling aspect for inland Tuscan vineyards?
Altitude
What are the four main weather hazards in Tuscany?
1) Spring frost
2) Hail
3) Rain during harvest
4) Summer drought and prolonged high temperatures
What is Sangiovese called in Montepulciano?
Prugnolo Gentile
When does Sangiovese bud?
Early
When does Sangiovese ripen?
Late
Where do grapes for the better quality wines tend to be
grown? Why?
1) South, south-east facing slopes
2) 200-550m
3) To enable full ripeness over a long season with maximum sunlight interception
On what two soils does Sangiovese perform best?
1) Friable, shale and limestone soils
2) Clay
What are the main characteristics of Sangiovese in the vineyard?
1) It is a vigorous variety
2) Thin skins make it is very susceptible to botrytis
3) It can produce high yields
What are the two common vine training methods of Sangiovese?
1) Cordons pruned to spurs
2) Cane pruned with vertical shoot
positioning.
In what wine style is Trebbiano Toscano an important component? Why?
1) Vin Santo
2) High acidity
What are the seven overarching DOC/G appellatoins of Tuscany?
1) Chianti et al
2) Montalcino
3) Montepulciano
4) Morellino de Scansano
5) Bolgheri
6) Maremma Toscana
7) Vernaccia di San Gim
When does Trebbiano Toscano bud?
Late
What is Trebbiano Toscano prone to? (2)
1) Downy mildew
2) Eutypa dieback
Why is Trebbiano Toscano declining in popularity? (2)
1) Its lack of fruitiness and low flavour intensity has led to a reduction in plantings
2) Increased demand for red wine
What is the main local black variety blended with Sangiovese in Chianti?
Canaiolo Nero
When blended with Sangiovese it is said that Canaiolo Nero does what?
Promote the floral and red-berried character of Sangiovese
Contemporary Sangiovese spends how long on skins (x2 depending on quality level)?
1) 7–10 days for early-drinking
wines with medium tannins
2) 15–25 days for wines with high tannins intended for ageing.
What are the current trends for Sangiovese maturation vessels?
Older barriques, 500-litre tonneaux and the traditional large, neutral, oak casks
Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Cabernet Franc may not exceed what per cent in a Chianti DOCG blend?
15%
What 3 factors contribute to the generally light to medium flavour intensity and the lower cost of Chianti compared with Chianti Classico?
1) Moderately high yield (63 hL/ha)
2) Less intensive work in the vineyard (flatter land)
3) Short ageing (Chianti DOCG can be released for sale in March following the vintage) in large format stainless steel or old oak
Chianti Riserva must be aged for how long?
Two years before release (vessel unspecified)
Provide two examples of Chianti sub-DOCGs
1) Chianti Rufina DOCG
2) Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG
What enhances the possibility of higher quality wine but reduces production volumes of Chianti sub-zones compared with Chianti?
Lower maximum yield of 56 hL/ha
Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Chianti Colli Senesi and Chianti Rufina must be aged for how long in oak?
6 months
Why is the coolest Chianti sub-zone and why?
1) Chianti Rufina DOCG
2) 350m altitude with cooling winds descending from a pass in the Apennines to the north
Which Chianti sub-zone produces fuller bodied and richer wines and why?
1) Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG
2) Generally warmer than the others
At what altitude are the best wines of Chianti Classico typically grown?
200–500m
What does galestro soil consist of?
Schistous, crumbly rock with clay and marl
What does albarese soil consist of?
Calcareous soils with clay
Galestro is said to give wines what two characteristics?
Aromatic wines with the potential to age
Chianti Classico must be a minimum what per cent Sangiovese?
80%
Are white varieties permitted in Chianti Classico?
No
When is Chianti Classico permitted to be released?
No sooner than October in the year after the harvest
How long must Chianti Classico Riserva be matured?
For two years from 1 January after the harvest
What is the top tier of Chianti Classico?
Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
What are the three requirements for Chianti Classico Gran Selezione?
1) Grapes must come from a single vineyard or an estate owned by the producer
2) Be aged for a minimum of 30 months (no requirement to
age in wood).
3) 90% Sangiovese
What is the maximum yield for Chianti Classico?
52.5 hL/ha
Why is Montalcino generally warmer and drier than Chianti? (2)
1) It is protected from rain by Monte Amiata to the south
2) Cooling breezes at night from the Mediterranean Sea 40km away
What is the elevation of Montalcino’s vineyards?
120-500m with the oldest vineyards at the higher elevations
What are the two general soil types in Montalcino?
1) North - galestro (perfume)
2) South - more clay (fuller body)
Brunello di Montalcino must be what per cent Sangiovese?
100%
What are the ageing requirements of Brunello di Montalcino?
It may not be released until 1
January four years after the harvest, and ageing must include two years in oak.
What is Brunello’s maximum yield?
54hL/ha
Name a significant producer of Brunello di Montalcino
Soldera
What is Rosso di Montalcino?
1) 100% Sangoivese
2) From young vines or from less
promising sites.
3) It is aged briefly in stainless steel or oak to preserve primary fruit
4) Can be sold after a year.
How are Vino Nobile di Montepulciano’s vineyards planted?
On east and south-east facing slopes at elevations of 250–600 m
Why are Vino Nobile di Montepulciano’s higher altitude wines more aromatic?
Due to a longer ripening season
What are the soils of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano?
Heavy, cool clay and sand
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano must be what per cent Sangiovese?
70-100
What is Nobile’s maximum yield?
56hL/ha
What are the ageing requirements of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano? (2)
1) A minimum of two years from 1 January after the vintage
2) 12-24 months in oak depending on subsequent bottle age
What are the ageing requirements of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva?
Three years (but no additional requirement for ageing in oak)
Name a significant producer of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Contucci.
What is the less expensive, earlier released version of Nobile?
Rosso di Montepuliano (released approx 6 months after harvest)
Morellino di Scansano must be what per cent Sangiovese?
85%
Describe the climate and location of Morellino di Scansano (2)
1) Close to the coast of southern Tuscany (within Maremma Toscana)
2) A warm area is moderated by altitude (average 250m) and cooling winds from the sea at night
Describe the growing conditions of Bolgheri (2)
1) A warm climate, with cool nights due to the area’s proximity to the sea
2) Winds from the sea throughout the year help to reduce the risk of fungal diseases
How are Bolgheri’s vines trained and trellised and why?
1) Cordon trained, spur-pruned with VSP
2) Easy to maintain and to produce high quality fruit.
Is irrigation permitted in Tuscany?
Yes
What is unique about how Bolgheri’s vineyards are planted?
Densities are around 6,000 vines per ha
What varieties are permitted to be in a Bolgheri blend? (3)
1) Up to 100 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot
2) Up to 50 per cent of Syrah and Sangiovese
3) Up to 30 per cent of other varieties eg Petit Verdot.
White Bolgheri is typically made from what variety?
Vermentino
What are the ageing requirements of Bolgheri Rosso?
Released from September
of the year after harvest.
What are the ageing requirements of Bolgheri Rosso Superiore?
Must be aged for two years following January 1 of the year after the harvest, one of which must be in oak.
Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC requires a minimum what per cent of what variety?
1) 80%
2) Cabernet Sauvignon
What are the ageing requirements of Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC?
Minimum ageing of two years, 18 months of which must be in 225 litre oak barrels.
Describe the growing environment of San Gimignano (3)
1) Dry summers and is windy
2) Vines are planted on hillsides between 200–400 m
3) Sandstone soils
San Gimignano must be what per cent Vernaccia?
85%
What other varieties are permitted in San Gimignano?
1) Sauvignon Blanc
2) Riesling
Why does Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG now limit production to 63 hL/ha?
The variety can produce very high yields, which may have contributed to a lessening of its reputation as wines lacked concentration.
What is Toscana IGT commonly used for (2)
1) Higher yields
2) International varieties exceeding appellation component limits
Vin Santo is most often a blend of what two varieties?
Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia
In which four DOC(G)s is Vin Santo permitted?
1) Vernaccia di San Gimignano
2) Chianti
3) Chianti Classico
4) Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
What is the traditional method of making Vin Santo?
1) Grapes were dried in the loft of the house
2) Their juice fermented
3) Aged in small barrels sealed and stored unopened in the loft for many years (5–10 years)
What is the rarer Sangiovese-based Vin Santo known as?
Occhio di Pernice/eye of the partridge
What is the minimum barrel ageing period for Vin Santo in:
1) Chianti
2) Montepulciano?
1) Two years in Chianti Classico
2) Three in Montepulciano
DOC(G) wines account for around what per cent of all wine production in Tuscany?
65%
What is the largest DOC(G) by sales volume in Tuscany?
Chianti DOCG
What is the largest DOC(G) in terms of sales value in Tuscany?
Chianti Classico DOCG
What per cent of key Tuscan red wines is exported? (range)
60-80%
What is the top export market for PDO wines from Tuscany?
USA
How does the marketing of Chianti and Montepulciano differ to that of Montalcino and Bolgher?
The former is on the region’s reputation/history etc, the latter of the wine’s reputation
What is the climate types of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC?
Broadly Mediterranean climate featuring hot summers and little rainfall in summer.
What is the climate types of Verdicchio di Matelica DOC?
Protected from the influence of the sea by mountains and hence with a continental climate of hot days and cold nights,
What are the principal soils of Marche?
Limestone, clay
What are the main four grape varieties of Marche?
1) Sangiovese
2) Montepulciano
3) Verdicchio
4) Pecorino
Why do Pecorino and Verdicchio need to be planted at low densities/trained long?
The first four buds are sterile
When does Verdicchio ripen?
Late
What is Verdicchio susceptible to? (2)
Both forms of mildew and to botrytis
What are three aromatic properties of Verdicchio?
Lemon, almond, fennel
What winemaking techniques are employed for Riserva Verdicchio?
1) MLC
2) Lees ageing
3) Old oak
What are the two main Verdicchio denominations in Marche?
1) Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC
2) Verdicchio di Matelica DOC
How do the soils of Verdicchio di Matelica DOC differ from Castelli di Jesi?
Freer draining due to less clay
Which of the two Marche Verdicchio DOCs is larger?
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC
How do yields for Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC compared with Classico Superiore?
98 vs 77 hL/ha
What are the ageing requirements of Castelli di Jesi & Matelica Riserva DOCGs?
A minimum 18 months of ageing, which may be, but does not have to be, in oak.
How do the wines of Verdicchio di
Matelica DOC compare with Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC?
The wines are fuller bodied but with higher acidity and are less overtly fruity
When does Pecorino ripen?
Early
What does Pecorino taste like? (2)
Herbs (sage/thyme/mint)
Pear and apple
What is Marche’s Pecorino denomination?
Offida Pecorino DOCG
What is Biancame?
A local Marche variety making fresh and crisp white wines for local consumption
What is Passerina? (3)
1) Late ripening
2) Naturally high acidity, but can lose acidity quickly once fully mature
3) It produces ripe lemon and yellow apple fruited wines
What is Montepulciano resistant to?
Botrytis and downy mildew
What is Montepulciano susceptible to?
Powdery mildew
What is it about Montepulciano bunches that leads to either lower quality or to the need to select carefully?
It tends to ripen unevenly within individual bunches
Why does Montepulciano require frequent aeration during winemaking?
It is susceptible to developing reductive sulfur compounds during winemaking
What are the two contrasting styles of Montepulciano in Marche?
1) Ripe, medium intensity red-cherry fruited wines with no oak flavours with a medium body
and medium tannins (short maceration)
2) Medium (+) to pronounced intensity red cherry and black plum fruited wines with oak aromas and medium (+) tannins (long maceration of top quality fruit followed by ageing in
oak, typically large oak vessels).
Rosso Piceno DOC must be what per cent Montepulciano?
35-85%
Rosso Piceno Superiore DOC is a higher quality designation. What are its three requirements?
1) Can only be made from fruit grown in 13 townships in the Ascoli Piceno province in the south of the region
2) higher alcohol
3) One year ageing
What are the three requirements of Offida Rosso DOCG?
1) 85–100 per cent Montepulciano
2) Must be aged for 24 months
3) 12 months must
be in oak before release
What are two other Marche denominations for Montepulciano-dominant wines?
Rosso Conero DOC
Conero Riserva DOCG
What is the key challenge facing Marche producers?
To build an international reputation for quality, rather than quantity
What has contributed to a decline in plantings of Verdicchio in Marche?
The sales growth of Pinot Grigio from other regions
What are the two main denominations of Umbria?
1) Orvieto DOC
2) Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG
What is the climate of Umbria?
Warm, mildly continental climate
What are two key grape varieties of Umbria?
1) Sagrantino
2) Grechetto di Orvieto
Describe three characteristics of Grechetto in the vineyard
1) Thick-skinned variety
2) Resistance to fungal disease that makes it suitable for late harvesting
3) Good resistance to downy mildew
Where is Sagrantino best planted?
On hillside sites, 220–470m, for the best sunlight interception and good drainage.
What are the three main vineyard concerns for Sagrantino?
1) Tiny spiders that can live on the hairy
underside of its leaves and reduce vegetative growth
2) Vine moths
3) Downy and powdery mildew
Orvieto DOC must be a minimum what per cent of what variety/varieties?
60 per cent of Trebbiano Toscano and/or Grechetto
Orvieto DOC must be grown at what altitude?
100–550 m above sea level
How does Orvieto DOC and Superiore’s yield limits differ?
77 vs 56 hL/ha
Name a significant producer of Orvieto DOC
Barberani.
Orvieto DOC includes provision for what wine style?
Dry, off-dry and sweet wines including late harvest wines and noble rot
What is the typical Rosso di Montefalco DOC blend?
Sangiovese is the main variety (60–70 per cent), with Sagrantino (10–15 per cent) and other permitted varieties
What are the ageing requirements of Rosso di Montefalco DOC?
Minimum ageing is 18 months before release
Montefalco
Sagrantino DOCG must what 100% what variety?
Sagrantino
How do yields compared between Rosso di Montefalco DOC and Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG
77 vs 52 hL/ha
What are the ageing requirements of Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG?
Must be aged for 37 months before release, of which one year must be in wood
What are the leading two varieties of Lazio?
Malvasia and Trebbiano Toscano
What is Lazio’s local black variety?
Cesanese
Describe Lazio’s climate
Warm, Mediterranean moderated by altitude on low hills (up to
300m) and by cooling winds from the sea
What are Lazio’s four weather hazards?
1) Occasional spring frost
2) Hail
3) Excessive heat in summer
4) Rain during the harvest period.
What are the two types of Malvasia grown in Lazio?
1) Bianca di Candia
2) del Lazio
Why has Malvasia di Lazio fallen from favour?
Due to its lower yields and lower disease resistance
Describe Malvasia Bianca di Candia (2)
1) A white variety with good resistance to disease
2) Produces high yields
Why does Malvasia Bianca di Candia need careful handling in the winery?
Its juice is prone to oxidation
Describe Cesanese (3)
1) Semi-aromatic
2) Very late ripening
3) High yielding but with high quality potential
What is Cesanese vulnerable to? (2)
1) Powdery mildew
2) Autumn rains
What DOCG requires 90% Cesanese?
Cesanese di Piglio
Frascati DOC can be made from which varieties?
Either Malvasia (70%) min and Trebbiano
What are the three key denominations of Lazio?
1) Frascati DOC
2) Frascati Superiore DOCG
3) Castelli Romani DOC
How is most Frascati DOC made?
1) Cool fermentation temperatures to retain primary fruit.
2) The wines are stored briefly in stainless steel tanks
How might volume be achieved in Frascati DOC?
The wine can include up to 30 per cent of the high yielding Trebbiano Toscano
How is greater quality achieved in Frascati Superiore DOCG
1) Lower yields (maximum 77 hL/ha)
2) Aged for one year
before release, with no requirement to age in oak.
Describe the wine business of Frascati (3)
1) Reduction in land under vine
2) Co-ops account for 20 per cent of production.
3) 60% of Frascati is exported
What are the three main wines of Abruzzo?
1) Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, a crisp white with high acidity, typically unoaked
2) Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, a rose made from the Montepulciano
variety
3) Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, also made from the Montepulciano variety.
What are the two broad growing environments within Abruzzo?
1) Hillside vineyards under the high Apennines
2) Flatter, coastal zone.
Describe the growing environment of the hillside vineyards of Abruzzo
A warm continental climate with cold snowy winters and warm, short summers with cooling influences from the mountains.
Describe the growing environment of the coastal vineyards of Abruzzo
A warm Mediterranean climate.
Why is cordon-trained spur-pruned or Guyot is more common in the coastal zones of Abruzzo?
Mechanical harvesting, bringing down the price of wine.
What are three characteristsics of Trebbiano Abruzzese in the vineyard?
1) Late ripening
2) Vigorous
3) Highly productive
What training method is Trebbiano Abruzzese best suited to and why?
1) Pergola systems as high training
2) It is appropriate to the size the vines and provides the fruit
with shade.
What two varieties might Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC be made from?
Trebbiano Abruzzese and Trebbiano Toscano.
Name a producers of high quality Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC
Valentini
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC must be made from a minimum what per cent of what variety?
1) 85%
2) Montepulciano
Why are the maceration times for Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC often short?
To avoid the extraction of too much colour as Montepulciano is rich in anthocyanins
What are the three levels of red wines made from Montepulciano?
1) Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC
2) From five official sub-zones that restrict yields
3) Colline Teramane Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOCG
What are the ageing requirements of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo if from one of the five official sub-zones?
18 months of ageing, half of which must be in oak
What are the ageing requirements of Colline Teramane Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOCG?
Must be aged for two years before release, of which one must be in wood.
What is unusual about the packaging of wines from Abruzzo?
The DOC wines do not have to be bottled in the region of origin
What is a criticism of Abruzzo’s packaging leniency
The freedom has contributed to lower quality standards and to the use of wine from Abruzzo to add colour and alcohol to red wines in other regions and countries
What business type is responsible for 75% of Abruzzo’s production?
Co-operatives
Name a significant Abruzzo co-op
Cantina Tollo
