IT: South Flashcards
Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Sardinia, Sicily
Italian for “made from overripe grapes”
da uva stramature
Castel del Monte
3 DOCG + 1 DOC
* Murga Plateau/calcareous limestone formations
1. Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva DOCG: min. 65% Uva di Troia
2. Castel del Monte Nero di Troia DOCG: min. 90% Uva di Troia
3. Castel del Monte Bombino Nera DOCG: ROSÉ ONLY; max 10gl RS
4. Castel del Monte DOC: W/R/R/Sp
Tavoliere DOC
Puglia
Uva di Troie-focused rosato, red
Puglia’s 2 main Primitivo regions
- Gioia del Colle (Murge plateau)
- Manduria
Primitivo di Manduria DOC
Puglia
Min 85% Primitivo, min 13.5% ABV
* RSVA: min. 9 months in barrel, 14% ABV
Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Natural DOCG
Puglia
100% Primitivo; passito style
* min 50 gl RS, 13%
* air dried to min. 16% potential ABV
Puglia 4 DOCG
- Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Natural DOCG
- Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva DOCG (red)
- Castel del Monte Nero di Troia DOCG (red)
- Castel del Monte Bombino Nera DOCG (rosé)
Gioa del Colle DOC
Puglia
Varietal Primitivo/based rosato/reds
Aleatico passito
Salento Peninsula
southern third of Puglia
Negroamaro land
* Salice Salento DOC: rosato, reds
* Brindisi DOC: rosato, reds. also whites/sparkling
Puglia native white grapes (4)
- Verdeca (historically known for vermouth base wine)
- Bombino Bianco
- Minutolo
- Pampanuto
Campania’s 2 volcanoes
Campi Flegrei
Mt. Vesuvius
most planted grape in Campania
Aglianico - 34% of plantings
Campania’s 4 DOCG
- Greco di Tufo DOCG
- Fiano di Avellino DOCG
- Aglianico del Taburno DOCG
- Taurasi DOCG
Taurasi DOCG
- province
- aging
- min abv
S. Italy’s 1st - 1993
Avellino province.. Irpinia
* min 85% Aglianico
* normale: min 12%. 3yrs with 1 in wood
* RSVA: min. 12.5%; 4yrs with 18m in wood
^ from Dec 1 of harvest year
Taurasi river
Calore River
Taurasi DOCG aging
Normale: 3yrs with 1 in wood
RSVA: 4yrs with 18 months in wood
(both from Dec 1 of harvest year)
Taurasi vineyard elevation range
300 - 600M
* no elevation requirement
Taurasi climate
Mediterranean but more continental as you ascend the Avellino mountains
* marked diurnal shift
* distinct seasons with winter snow
* low rainfall throughout year
Taurasi soils
High proportion of calcareous clay all over.. varying degrees of volcanic matter, alluvial deposits, sand, clay, limestone, and sandstone
* phylloxera doesn’t like the loose volcanics - doesn’t survive here
Aglianico del Taburno DOCG
- styles, soils, climate, biotype, aging
Benevento
min. 85% Aglianico - rosato, rosso, rsva
* SOILS: calcareous clay
* CLIMATE: cooler, rainy - up to 63in/yr, wide diurnal shift
* biotype - Aglianico Amaro; not bitter.. amaro refers to acidity
* AGING: min. 2 years, RSVA = min. 3 yrs (1 wood, 6m bottle) from Nov 1 of harvest
Benevento, Avellino corresponding cultural names
Benevento = Sannio
Avellino = Irpinia
Fiano di Avellino DOCG
- soils, grapes/styles, climate
Avellino; Mastroberardino is the hero
* Min. 85% Fiano + Coda di Volpe, Greco, Trebbiano Toscano
* SOILS: mostly calcareous clay with some volcanic elements
* Continental
* 300 - 650M; Mount Partenio, S Apennine Mtns
Lapio
Village in Avellino - part of both Fiano and Taurasi DOCGs. Highly regarded in both
*Apianno is an early name for Lapio, which is where it is thought Fiano’s name derived from
Fiano di Avellino Rivers, Mountains
Sabato River
Calore River
Mount Partenio (S. Apennines)
Greco di Tufo grapes + styles
Bianco/Riserva
Spumante/Riserva
* Min 85% Greco di Tufo + max 15% Coda di Volpe
Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo DOCG’s aging for Riserva
both min. 1 year aging
* Fiano released no earlier than Nov 1, Greco just says “from Nov 1”
Greco spumante rsva = 36 months “in bottle”
Greco di Tufo soils
Tufo = named for soft volcanic rock used for construction
Volcanics rich in clay, limestone, gravel, chalk, sulfur
Falanghina
falanghae = tied to the stake
* thought to be the grape of Falernium
- Falanghina del Sannio (min. 85%)
- Irpinia
- Campi Flegrei
Top crus for Fiano in Avellino
Lapio, Candida (east)
- Montefredane (north)
- Summonte (northwest)
Irpinia - DOCGs within?
Greco, Fiano, Taurasi
DOC tied to historical Roman falernum?
Falerno del Massico DOC
Costa d’Amalfi - subzones and most famous producer
Marisa Cuomo
3 subzones: Furore, Ravello, Tramonti
Aglianico del Vulture DOC - grapes, styles
Basilicata
100% Aglianico - rosso, rosso spumante
Aglianico del Vulture Superiore DOCG
- grapes, style
- aging requirements
Basilicata
100% Aglianico - superiore, superiore RSVA
- Normale: 3yrs total, 1yr in barrel. 13% ABV
- RSVA: 5yrs, 2 in barrel; 13.5%
[both to Nov 1 of yr after harvest]
Calabria’s most planted grape
Gaglioppo
Ciro DOC
Calabria; Ionian coast
WHITES: min 80% Greco Bianco (NOT Campania Greco - identical to Malvasia di Lipari)
REDS: min 80% Gaglioppo
Gravello
Librandi’s “Super Calabrian”
Gaglioppo + Cab Sauv
Body of water separating Sicily from mainland
Strait of Messina
the Brit who “discovered” Marsala & the other guy
John Woodhouse, 1770
* introduced fortification in 1773 - looking for a cheap alternative to Port, Sherry, Madeira
* Benjamin Ingham was the “other guy” - set up a rival company in 1812
Name for traditional Sicilian stone fermentation houses
Palmenti
Sicily’s most planted grapes
1 Cataratto
#2 Nero D’Avola
Sicily’s 1st DOC
Etna, 1968
Which side of Etna is NOT planted
West
Etna DOC elevation
Generally, 300 - 900M, reaching up to 1100
Etna’s slopes
NORTH: most producers. Nerello dominates. Up to 800M. 31in rain/r
EAST: Carricante dominates. Most wind/rain. Overlooks Ionian. 79in rain/yr (Milo is here)
SOUTHEAST
SOUTHWEST: less rain, hot winds. Vineyards exceed 1000M. More Nerello Cappuccio here
Etna vine training - type and benefits?
Albarello (bush vines)
- tolerate high winds
- at elevations, even distribution of sunlight
Etna DOC white grapes + styles
- normale
- superiore
NORMALE: min 60% Carricante + max 40% Catarratto Comune/Lucido + max 15% Trebbiano, Minella
SUPERIORE: min 80% Carricante + max 20% Minella, Trebbiano
** ONLY from commune of MILO
Etna Bianco Superiore
SUPERIORE: min 80% Carricante + max 20% Minella, Trebbiano
** ONLY from commune of MILO
Etna DOC red/rosé grapes
Min 80% Nerello Mascalese
Max 20% Nerello Cappuccio
Max 10% white grapes
Etna sparkling
Min. 80% Nerello Mascalese
* 18 months on lees
* bianco, rosato
Aging requirement for Etna Rosso
none for Normale
RISERVA: min. 4 years from Nov 1 of harvest with 12 months in wood
Explain Etna’s contrada
similar to frazioni or menzioni geografiche aggiuntive (MGAs)..
* NOT single vineyards, but districts, zones, or neighborhoods
* largely based on geological formations formed by different lava flows
Faro DOC grapes, styles
RED ONLY
* 45%–60% Nerello Mascalese
* 15%–30% Nerello Cappuccio
* 5%–10% Nocera
* 15% Nero d’Avola, Gaglioppo, and/or Sangiovese
Tyrrenhian + Ionian Seas; rain, humidity and little hillside protection. Almost extinct region in 90s. Palari, Bonavita, etc are reviving it
local name for Etna lava flows
sciari
ripiddu
term for ash, pumice, glassy black fragments shot out of Etna’s fissures
Malvasia delle Lipari DOC grapes + styles
Sicily
Sweet whites, passito, & fortified styles
* 92 - 95% Malvasia di Lipari, 5 - 8% Corinto Nero
~80% of production is passito
Passito, fortified = min 60gl RS
(dry styles = Salina IGT)
Cerasuolo di Vittoria
- varietal requirements
- claim to fame
- aging
Sicily’s 1st and only DOCG
* 50-70% Nero d’Avola (Calabrese)
* 30-50% Frappato
Classico = longer aging, ~18 months (March 31 of year #2)
Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico
~18 months aging (March 31 of year 2 after harvest)
* Hyblaean Mountains - covers a plateau 175 - 300Mish, around the town of Chiaramonte Gulfi
** best area for Frappato. Terra rossa soils.. red clay over limestone
Nero d’Avola’s “Grand Cru”
Pachino subzone of the Eloro DOC
* min 80% NdA
* southernmost tip of Sicily
* unofficial contrada: Baroni, Bufaleffi, Maccari, and San Lorenzo
Marsala name origin
Mars el-Allah = “Allah’s harbor”
Italian name for solera system
perpetuum
Marsala grapes
- Ora/Ambre: Catarratto, Inzolia, Grillo, and/or Damaschino
- Rubino: min. 70% Perricone, Nero d’Avola, and/or Nerello Mascalese
Concia
addition of mosto cotta - required 1% addition for Ambra styles of Marsala. Not allowed for Ora/Rubino styles.
Marsala aging requirements, min. alc
Fine: 1 year min, 8m in barrel (17.5% min)
Superiore: 2 years min, 20m in barrel (18%)
Superiore Riserva: 4 years min, 44m in barrel (18%)
** all allow addition of sweetening/coloring agents
Marsala sweetening/coloring agents
- sifone (a sweet and syrupy mistelle)
- mosto cotto
- rectified concentrated grape juice
Solera Marsala
Perpetuum = min 5 years aging, no vintage date
*Stravecchio can apply to Vergine, Solera = min 10 years
Vergine Marsala
No addition other than spirit
* Min. 5 years aging
* Min 18% ABV
* Secco only - max 40 gl RS
*Stravecchio can apply to Vergine, Solera = min 10 years
Marsala min. ABV
17.5% for fine; 18% for all others
Marsala RS for Secco, Semisecco, Dolce
Secco: max 40 gl RS
Semisecco: 40 - 100 gl RS
Dolce: 100+
Vecchio Samperi
Marco De Bartoli’s unfortified Marsala, named for the contrada of his family winery
* 1st vintage in 1980
Pantelleria - grape, styles, method
Moscato di Pantelleria, Passito di Pantelleria
* Zibbibo (zibbib = Arabic for “dried grape”): right at home. Big berries, thick skins can withstand wind and sun
METHOD:
- grapes dry to varying degrees in stenditoio (walled area) or serre (drying tunnels)
- dried grapes are added to fermenting base wine (just like Tokay, minus the botrytis)
Marco Bartoli “Buckram”, Donnafugata “Ben Ryé”
Nuraghi
truncated conic towers built with basalt stones by early Sardinian peoples during the Bronze Age
Sardinia most planted grapes
1 Cannonau (center and south)
#2 Vermentino (north)
Vermentino di Gallura
Sardinia’s only DOCG
* Pink granite soils - a rarity
* min 95% Vermentino
* normale, superiore, sparkling, late harvest, passito
Vementino di Sardegna DOC - min % of Vermentino?
Min 85% Vermentino
Cannonau di Sardegna DOC
-subzones
-varietal requirement
Min. 85% Cannonau
* Subzones: Oliena, Jerzu, Cap Ferrato, Classico
* * Classico requires min 90% Cannonau + 2yrs age (12 in wood)
Carignano on Sardinia
Sulcis zone in SW and Sant’Antioco island
* identical to Bovale Grande
Mirto di Sardegna
Protected IGP - sweet herbal liqueur made from myrtle plants. 28 - 36% ABV, max 270gl RS
Alghero DOC
Sardinia
Torbato (white)
Vernaccia di Oristano DOC
Sardinia; heritage specialty
* dry or sweet, fortified or not. Always oxidative
* ages in solera system of chestnut or oak barrels, not topped up. Develops flor
* min 2 years flor for normale, 3 for superiore, 4 for rsva
Etna vintage highlights - since 2015
2015: hail, humidity etc
2016: good, no challenges
2017: dry, not bad
2018: disastrous. Rain, cool. Wettest August in 18 vintages+
2019, 2020: no big challenges
2021: DRY all season long
2022: some hail
2023: downy mildew, hail and drought
mainland regions closest to Sardinia
Lazio
Tuscany
Cagliari native variety DOCs
Nasco di Cagliari DOC
Giro di Cagliari DOC
Nuragas di Cagliari DOC
Cannonau di Sardegna subzones
- Classico
- Oliena/Nepente di Oliena
- Capo Ferrato
- Jerzu
strain of yeast is responsible for development of the flor?
saccharomyces cerevisiae
first DOC in Sardinia?
Vernaccia di Oristano DOC (1971)
What body of water separates Sardinia from Corsica?
Bocche di Bonifacio aka the strait of Bonifacio
Name 5 Etna contrada
Feudo di Mezzo
Cavaliere
Monte Serra
Pietrarizzo
San Lorenzo
Crasa
Ben Ryé
Donnafugata; Passito di Pantelleria
IDDA
Graci x Gaja
What Aglianico DOCG mandates the longest aging?
Aglianico del Volture Superiore Riserva DOCG
(60 months total. 2yrs in barrel, 1yr in bottle)
