Italy: Southern Flashcards
Sicily: Climate
-Warm, Mediterranean climate
-some higher altitude areas with their own microclimate
-Low rainfall requires irrigation
Sicily: Catarratto
- high yielding and disease restiant
Light I lemon and herbal notes with high acidity and medium alcohol
-Acceptable and inexpensive
-Medium temperatures in SS for 6 months before release
Sicily: Grillo
- natural cross between Catarratto and Moscato
- high yielding and heat /disease restitant
- Care not over expose the grape or it will lose its aromas
-The must oxidises easliy and modern wines are made using SS tanks with temp control
-full bodied with medium intensity lemon and floral notes , medium abv and high acidity
Good to very good and inexpensive to mid priced
eg. Marco de Bartoli , early champion of this variety makes one in oak that is prem priced
Sicily: Inzolia
- early ripening with good drought resistance
-Needs to picked early to retain acid
Wines are medium minus I of lemon fruit, medium acidity and medium body
-blending partner to GRillo and Catarratto
Inexpensive to mid priced and
acceptable to good
eg. Valle dell’Acate - Catarratto, Grillo and Inzolia are allwed in many of the DOC on the island
Alcamo Bianco DOC -
requires 60% Catarratto with oother specified varieties
MAX YIELD 84h/L = wines are low in flavour Intensity
Sicily: Moscato
- Muscat of Alexandria aka Zibibbo
- heat, drought ressitant
-range of styles
-fromthe island of Pantelleria ,close to Tunisia
-intense sunlight ,heat and drying winds mean only drough resistant varieites can flourish
Low bush vines in planting holes , conserve water and giive protection from the wind
THREE STYLES :
Dry - fermetned in SS , released early to maintain the aromatic Muscat
Late Harvest - picked a week later for a for a sweet style . Ferments are stopped early for natural RS
Passito - semi dried grapes , sun dried with high levels of RS
- challenge to balance acidity and sweetness - picked early to and then dried in the sun for 20-30 days
These berries are then added to must of very ripe fruit picked at the end of the season
Passito wines are deep lemonin colour with pronounced cooked orange, apricot and honey . Sweet with high alcohol and good aciity
Wines are very good to outstanding and prem to super prem priced
eg. Donnafugata
Sicily: Nero d’Avola
- most planted grape in Sicily
-grows well in a hot climate
-grown close to the ground to maximsie heat and though it is an adaptable variety that can grow in damper areas
-vigorous , needs lots of canopy management , and is susceptibel to powdery mildew
-Suffers from uneven flowering
-
Wines are medium to deep ruby , red cherry and balck plum fruit ,
medium plus to high tannins and Medium to medium plus acid
-moderate yeilds produce very good to outstanding wines of concentration that are aged in small oak barrels
-mid to prem priced
At high yields, acceptable to good and stored for 6 months in SS tanks
$-$$
Mostly varietal wine
MAX YIELD in Sicily DOC is 70-77h/L
and is usually an IGT wine
Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG is blended with Frappato
50-70% Nero d’Avola and 30-50% Frappato
MAX YIELD 52h/L = very good concentration
eg, Cos and Planeta
Sicily: Nerello Mascalese
- grown for high volume at high yields across Sicily
-Wines made fromthis variety in Etna have become highly regrded in the last two decades - Early budding,
-spring frost, coloure, and as a late ripener , autumn rains
At altitude on Mount Etna 400-1,000m , it has a long season, adding intensity to the flavours
Prone to powdery mildew and botyrtis bunch rot
Care must be taken to de-leaf i cooler sites on Etna
-if its too early , the berries can burn and too late they never fully ripen
-
wines are medium to pale in colour, high intensity of aromas and flacours red cherry , violet, herbal earth notes and high acid, with medium to high tannins ,depending on extraction
ABV is the high end of medium
Must are kept on skins for a short time 10-15 days due to its tannic nature
-eg. Graci - use long maceration 30-90 days resulting in smoother tannins
ETNA ROSSO DOC :
80% Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio ( provides red berry fruit )
Best wines are from very old vines aroufn 60-100yrs , with high concentration and low yields
Most vineyards are on steep slopes =hand work
MAX YIELD 56h/L
RISERVA is 4 yrs aged , 1 in wood
The wines are pale ruby, medium red cheery fruit, high acidit and medium plus to high tannins
Aged in neutral oak casks / 500-600L barrellls
Very good to outstanding and mid to prem priced
Sicily: Carricante
- ETNA BIANCO DOC :
60 (min)-100% Carricante - can be blended with Cattarrato
-prone to fungal disease , it grows best at high altitudes 1,000m
large diuranl range produces great acidity
-Wines are usually MLFC treated and aged in old oak for texture
-The wines are medium lemon and green apple , high acid, medium alcohol
Same price point as Etna Rosso
Sicily: Wine Law and Regulations
- In 2011, former IGT SIcilia became Sicilia DOC
- covers a large range of varieties and combinations
-Max yields are high at
WHITE 91h/L
RED 84h/L
Wines are low in concentration and intenstiy
-There is now a requirement to bottle in the region of production to suit the DOC
Sicily: Wine Business
- wine business is led by a small number of large private companies eg. Planeta and Donnafugata
-Important co-ops with 2,000 growers
-most of the wine was shipped tocooler regions in Italy in bulk and added in for body and alcohol
-it is still a large prodcuer of bulk wine at 75%
- rapid, large scale take up of Grillo and Nero D’Avola and is growing
Aided by dry and windy climate , 27% of the vineyardsa re certified organic
- Now offers inexpensive to super premium wines and of good value
Etna Rosso has created great interest in specialist wine bars and Somm led wine shops
90 wine businesses , represent 80% of bottled wine by value
and are members of Assovini Sicilia which promotes their wines across the world and has their own
En primeur Sicilia event
Sardinia: General
- complex history
-important varieites are Cannonau and Carignano also gronw in warmer parts of Europe
-The white Vermentino is the important variety
-warm, Mediterranean climate
-low rainfall
-NW corner has adequate but the SE corner needs irrigation
-island wide scheme to make water avaiallbe for farmers
-cooling influences incl. altitude ( hilly) and sites open tothe ocean are affected by the drying charachter and less susceptible to disease
Most vines are bush trained although newer areas are treliised with VSP , cordon trained , spur pruned
Sardinia: Cannonau
-Grenache Noir
Cannonau di Sardegna can be grown on any part of the island
MAX YIELD is 77h/L
and CLASSICO is 63h/L
RISERVA wines must be aged for 2 years, 6 months in oak
12 months in oak for RISERVA CLASSICO
Good to very good and inexpensive to mid priced
eg. Sella and Mosca
Sardinia: Vermentino
- early budding
-prine to downy mildew and grape moth
-ripens mid season , making it less prone to rain
-grows best in sunny areas with poor soils
Wines are medium lemon, acacia and riper with tropical notes , a light to medium body, and medium alcohol and Medium plus acidity
Wines are made by gentle pressing of grapes . a short 24 hr skin contact , ferments at cool to mid range temperature in SS to maintain fruit -
some are aged for 3-4 months in SS tanks with fine lees
PDOS’ :
Vermentino di Sardegna DOC
grown anywhere on the island and MAX YIELD 112h/L - low concentration
**Vermentino di Gallura DOCG
NW corner of the island , this is the only DOCG
MAX YIELD 63h/L
Sardinia: Carignano
- heat and drought resistant , good in drying winds , hot ,dry weather
-grown in the SW corner
-low fertility soils help to control the high vigour
**Carignano del Sulcis DOC
ungrafted old vines around 100yrs
very low yields and high quality wines
Superiore DOC category requires bush vines only
Bush vines are suited to the dry climate and restrain natural vigour
Limited irrigation is permitted to allow vines to grow adeqaultey in the period of vegetative growth but not after veraison
MAX YIELD 77h/L and
Superiore limits MAX YIELD 52.5h/L
Inexpensive wines are macerated on skins for 7-10 days and aged for 3-4 months in large neutral containers
Mid priced wines are around 15 days on skins and warmer ferment for more colour , flavour and tannins
French oak barriques for 12-18 months
Superiore and Riserva require 2 years of ageing
Good to very good and some outstansing wines - inexpensive to prem prices
eg. Santadi
Sardinia: Wine Business
- changed from selling bulk wine for blending
-EU finding encouraged the growth of the co-ops wineries in the late 20th century
Vinyard area reduced dramaticaly when EU subsidies were available to remove uneconomic vineyards
2/3 is classified as PDO Sardinia and has important co-ops
eg. Cantina Santadi
Exports ahve remained flat for nearly a decade
Campania: The Growing Environment
- 200-600m slopes , provide cooling
-range of soils
-warm, mediterranean climate
-Many of the varieties are late ripening
Frost in spring can be a problem
And cold rainy autumns
SOILS :
DOCG’s are defined by soils type
Limestone and clay in the hils = good balance for drainage and water retentions
Best wines :
Fiano di Avellino DOCG
Greco di Tufo DOCG
Taurasi DOCG
Volcanic Soils in the Naples region
Campi Felgrei DOC - tuff, pumice and sand , fast draining
Wines are made from Falanghina and the black Piedirosso
Vesuvio DOC - wines are made from the Coda di Volpe / white and Piedirosso / red
Alluvial soils make up a large area between Naples and Benevento incl Sannio DOC and Beneventano IGP
Campania : Falanghina
- workhorse, most grown variety and popular in the hospo sector
-Good resistance to disease but can shrivel at the end of harvsest - mid-late ripening ,
Wines are medium apple, white peach and grassy notes with medium acid
-Nearly all wines are unoaked
-The wines rnage from acceptable to very good in quality and are inexpensive to mid priced
Falanghine del Sannio DOC
MAX YIELD 84h/L accounts for 1/3 of all plantings
Campi Flegrei Falanghina MAX YIELD 84h/L V
Campania : Greco
- prone to grey rot and both mildews and is low yielding
- tolerant to drought and heat
-vines are trained Guyot or cordon , spur pruned , allowing some machines
-Grapes are picked late
Grecodi Tufo DOCG
Densely planted areas on limestone and clay - good drainage and water retention
MAX YIELD 70h/L
near the town of Tufo
The wines are deep lemon in colour , hihg in alcohol and oily in texture with floral ,stone and fruit and smoky notes
Best can age in bottle
Good to some outstanding and mid to prem priced
Campania: Fiano
- potential for high quality wines
Fiano di Avellino DOCG :
Guyot and cordons withVSP are commonly used
Sensitve to mildew but with thick skins can resist botrytis
-late ripening
Fiano di Avellino DOCG
MAX YIELDS 70h/L
Wines are medium minus to medium floral and peach and haelnut with medium plus body, medium to medium plus acid and a waxy texture
Grown on a range of soils
Lighter, fruitier wines come from open sandy soils and fuller bodied wines from clay rich soils
Very good to outstanding and mid to prem priced
Best wines can age for 8-10 yers.
Some are aged in wood but most in SS tanks
Campania :
Campania: Aglianico
- early budding ,late ripening
-requires long seasdon for tannins
-vigorous and needs to be controlled for high qaulity fruit - Planted on spurred cordons or can pruned with VSP at mediu densitie to allow for machines
-on slopes 200-600m to moderate
-The wines have medium to promounced rose, red plum and blackberry , high acid and high tannins - softened by barrel ageing in high quality small barriques or long ageing old ,large casks
**Taurasi DOCG
Minimum 85% Aglianco
MAX YIELD ARE 70h/L
DOCG requires 3 years of ageing with 1 year in oak
RISERVA - 4 years and 1.5 in oak
Grapes are picked at the end of the seeason for ripeness and macerated on sking for 20 days or more and aged in French barriques or large oak
Very Good to outstanding and mid to prem priced
USA is the most important marekt
Campania: Piedirosso
- old histoirc grape
Wines are pale ruby , with fresh, medium pus acidity and medium tannins , red plum and cherry
Campi Flegrei DOC and Vesuvio DOC
It has to form 50% of the blend ., but most are 100%
-heat and drought resisant
-only 600mm of rain
-open bunches and thick skinned berries amke it resistant to botrytis
-also little trouble of the mildews
-old vines that never saw phyloxera in the sandy soils
Trained high with many bunches for high volume
Guyot helps with the quality and greater concentration
Wines are only 12-13%
Used for early drrinking , varietal wines and to softern Aglianico , where it adds perfume and freshenss
Most wines are ages in SS or old oak
Mostly sold local - some looking for volcanic wines in the export market
Mid -prem priced
Campania : Wine Law and Business
- large number of private companties with vineyards across DOCs and provinces
-Mastroberardino playted a huge role in the success of Fiano
-Co-ops are important
Eg. La Guardiense in the Benevento is a 1,000 memeber co-op and makes 15% of the wine for the province
Basilicata : General
- most wine is IGT
**Aglianico del Vulture DOC :
Inactive volcano
with high quality structured wines from the Aglianico variety
1/3 of the plantings ( see Campania)
made for local consumption
Wine must be 100% Aglianico
MAX YIELD 70h/L
SOILS are clay, limestons and volcanicn - lava and ash
and provide escellent drainage
and water renention to give vines
water
Rainfall 550mm
Warm, Mediterranean
Cooling influence from the 600mm high vineyards
Wines are picked in October and aged in French barriques , some new,
They are powerful with red plum and Blackberry and full body with high acid, high tannins and high abv%
Capable of bottle ageing
Good to outstanding and mid to prem priced
**Aglianico del Vulture Superiore DOCG
**MAX YIELD is 52h/L , min 3 years, with 1 in wood
RISERVA 5 years , two in wood
Basilicata: Wine Business
- Sales are divided between Italy and expports markets led by USA, JApan, China and north Europe
Generazione Vulture is a group of young grower keen to promote the region and its wine
eg. Paternoster
