North East Italy Flashcards
Climate of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia?
Two climates:
Cool continental with cold winters and hot summers in the northern hillsides up against the Alps
Warm maritime on the flat plain next to the Adriatic sea
Warm air from the Adriatic mixs with the cooler influence from the Alps
High rainfall w 1,200mm/yr – so high humidity and disease pressure
The Wine business of Valpolicella has changed over the last decade, explain how.
Wine Business:
o Large shift to production of Amarone/Ripasso and to a lesser extent Recioto:
o Recioto remains a niche market;
o Amarone has grown 6 fold;
o Ripasso grown four fold by 2016
o Production of Valpolicella dropped by 40 %
o Growers receive 3 times the price for Amarone grapes compared to Valpolicella
o 65% of Amarone exported: Germany, US, Switzerland, UK
Trentino grapes varieties?
- Mainly whites - 75%:
- Unoaked fresh Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Muller Thurgau
- Reds: 25%:
- Teroldego, Merlot, Marzemino
Trentino DOC - the rules and varietals?
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Trentino DOC (●●)
- 10 white & 9 Red varieties bottled as Single variety:
- White: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Muller Thurgau, Pinot Bianco, Riesling, Sav Blanc, Gewurztraminer; 100 hl/ha
- Red: Merlot, Cab Sav, Cab Franc, Pinot Noir; 90 hl/ha
- Large volumes of Pinot Grigio & Chardonnay; 50 % of plantings
- Regional DOC with 17 varietals & high yields authorized:
- Allows wines from International & Local
- Bianco: (80% Chardonnay and/or Pinot Bianco)
- Rosso: Single varietal/ Blends: Cab Sav; Cab Franc; Carmenere; Merlot.
- Single Varietal: 85% of variety
- 2 variety blends: Whites: 50-70%, one of of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Sav Blanc plus remainder of named varieties
- Rose: called Rosato or Kretzer
Ramandolo DOCG?
Famous for making sweet wines from air dried grapes - from the Verduzzo varietal
minor DOC - Bianco di Custoza?
Bianco di Custoza DOC -1,400ha (●)
- Between Verona & Lake Garda
- Fertile soils directly south-west of Lake Garda shores
- Easy drinking; mainly sold in Italy
- Colourless, neutral whites from blend of Trebbiano Toscano (20-45%), Garganega (20-40%) and Friulano (5-30%) plus Malvasia Toscana, Riesling Italico and Cortese
- High yields and production largely controlled by 2 cooperatives
Friulano?
Friulano:
- Formerly known as Tokai. Renamed Friuliano
- Known as Sauvignonasse;
- Prominent role;
- Disease resistant; Imp as it’s a region of high rainfall
- Medium to High Alcohol; Medium (+) Acidity;
- Medium (-) Intensity ; Floral, Apple
- In SS or lightly Oaked; Capacity to age
- Good to Very Good; Mid- priced to Premium
Valpolicella - where is it and explain the topography and soils
VALPOLICELLA:
- North of Verona
- Foothills in the North have Limestone, Clay, Volcanic , cooler soils
- Cooler soils slow down ripening, more Acidity ,ripen slowly, greater concentration
- Flatter South, Soils are Gravel & Sand, warmer
- Grapes fruitier, less Acidity, lower concentration
Two growing areas of Alto-Adige?
o 2 Growing zones:
- Bassa Atesina:
a. South of province; warmer climate;
b. all main varieties except Schiava;
c. Muller Thurgau grown at high Altitude - Oltradige:
a. More northerly - includes Lake Caldaro area for Schiava ;
b. Merlot & Cab Sav in the Valley;
c. PN and white varieties at higher Altitudes
Valpolicella Classico DOC - describe the growing region and wines
Valpolicella Classico DOC: (●)
o Grapes must come from the Hilly, defined Classico zone, with volcanic soils
o Monti Lessini foothills, Classico DOC produces better quality wines
o Accounts for 40% of production
o Have greater concentration
o Good to Very quality
o In expensive to Mid priced
Appassimento method - explain the process
Appassimento method:
- Becoming increasingly important
- Historic method for concentrating flavour, raising Alcohol levels, sweet, dry wines
- Method used in Soave & Valpolicella
- Resulting wine style called Passito
- Grapes are picked, and then allowed to reach semi dried state before crushing
- Picked at 11-11.5 % potential alcohol, to maintain Acidity, ensure perfect bunches
- Healthy grapes with open bunches are left to dry, on vine or usually off vine
- Hung up, or laid one bunch deep in well spaced trays to prevent growth of mould
- Stored for 3-4 mths in well aerated drying lofts
- Checked regularly & rotated, Humidity, temps, air movement controlled
- Depending on speed, length of drying, lose 1/3rd of weight
- Concentrates the juices within the grape (>higher extract+alcohol)
- Increases skin contact of the grapes
- Loss of water leads to High levels of Sugar, Potential alcohol, Acidity, Anthocyanins, Tannins, Flavours,
- Chemical changes occur in drying grapes( more glycerol, Softer fuller mouth feel)
The massive Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC covers which regions?
what is the max yield per Ha. allowed?
- Grapes must be grown in 3 regions of Veneto, Fruili-Venezia Giulia, Southern Trentino province of Trentino
- 126 hL/Ha.
Trentino was one of the first to produce what style of red wines?
Bordeaux blends (Cabernet Sav-Merlot)
Teroldego - describe the varietal
Teroldego:
o Most planted red grape - parent to Lagrein grape
o Common Black variety
o Traditionally Pergola trained, Guyot used now
o Suffer from drying stems, less susceptible to mildews
o Best clones: 145 & 152 for intense aromas
o Best from Teroldego Rotaliano DOC,
o Rotaliano plain, Sandy & Gravelly soils in North of Trentino
o If grown out of GI of Teroldego Rotaliano DOC, cannot be bottled as Trentino DOC but as Vini delle Dolomiti IGT
o Deep colour, Full body, Low to Medium Tannins, Black cherry, Some can age
The two climates of Friuli-Venezia Giulia - describe them.
- Two climates:
- Cool continental with cold winters and hot summers in the northern hillsides up against the Alps
- Warm maritime on the flat plain next to the Adriatic sea
- both have high rainfall - 1200mm
Alto-Adige is 98% DOC production - what are the DOCs of note and what are their rules?
-
In Alto Adige DOC, wines can be:
- Bianco: - 75% Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio - 2 varieties must be present not exceeding 70% of blend. No corresponding Rosso category
- Single Variety: min 85% of named variety
- Dual variety: Chardonnay/Pinot Bianco; Cabernet/Lagrein; both varieties must be more than 15%
- Possible to label wine in DOC with one of the 6 subzones
- Largest subzone: Alto Adige Valle Iscaro (mostly white)
- 90 hL/ha max yield for whites
-
Lago di Caldaro DOC
- is devoted to Schiava
-
Santa Magdalena DOC
- Min 85% Schiava with max 15% Lagrein
Size of Veneto vineyards?
o 73,000ha – 2nd largest area under vine (after Puglia)
Climate of the Alto-Adige region
Alto Adige:
o Mild Alpine Continental climate
o Protected from cold winds by mountains to the North
o Altitude: 300-700m
o Warm currents in valleys; 300 days of sunshine;
o Large day/night temps: good growing conditions; retaining Acidity
o Sufficient rainfall throughout the year; Low in Winter
What are the moderating factors for the Veneto climate
The Alps in the North, the Adriatic sea and Lake Garda all moderate the climate howevers summers are hot.
Winemaking for inexpensive Valpolicella - describe it
Inexpensive Valpolicella:
- Fresh, Fruity wines for early consumption
- Ferment in controlled temps, 20-25°C ( retains primary aromas)
- 5-7 days maceration typically ( light Tannins),
- Aged in SS or large neutral Oak barrels for 6-8 mths
How much if Veneto’s production DOC?
How much of Soave and Valpolicella DOC’s production as proportion of the total Veneto DOC production?
- 25% is DOC production - largest in Italy by volume
- Soave + Valpolicella = 40% of Veneto’s DOC production
What has happened with the production of Valpolicella wines over the last few decades?
- Large shift to production of Amarone/Ripasso and to a lesser extent Recioto:
- Recioto remains a niche market,
- Amarone has grown 6 fold since 1990s,
- Ripasso grown four fold in decade by 2016
- Production of Valpolicella dropped by 40% over decade to 2016
- Growers receive 3 times the price for Amarone grapes compared to Valpolicella
Viticulture training systems in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia?
- Mainly High trellising systems:
- Pergolas/tendone
- Full VSP setup - able to be mechanised for high volume
- High rainfall means high vineyard vigour and disease pressure
- So high trellis systems help to allow airflow and lower disease pressure while assisting in the ripening of the fruit
Describe the white winemaking of Alto-Adige
White
- Emphasis on preserving fruit aromas & flavours
- Must fermented at low/moderate temps(12-15°C), selected yeasts, aged in SS
- Mid priced wines:
- may be kept on fine lees (4-6 mths) to fill out Body
- Premium wines
- for 1 yr on fine lees
Some top Whites & Reds (Lagrein, PN) aged in French barriques
One of the first regions to adopt modern winemaking techniques
Winemaking for Garganega
WINEMAKING:
o Short cold maceration then pressed off
o Cool ferment: 16-18°C
o Few months ageing on Lees before bottling,
o Some ferment/mature in barrels
o Some wines made by Appassimento method
Key appellations for Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region?
Collio DOC
- 77 hl/ha;
- In the process of becoming a DOCG
- Single variety: Friuliano; Ribolla Gialla; Sav Blanc or Chardonnay
- Can have a variety name: eg: Collio Sav Blancs or Collio Friulano
- 18 approved varieties
- Centre of Orange wine production
Collio Orientali del Friuli DOC
- Single variety: Friuliano; Ribolla Gialla; Sav Blanc or Chardonnay
- Can have a variety name: eg: Colli Orientali Sav Blans or Colli Orientali Friulano
- 18 approved varieties
Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit DOCG:
- Historic wine that competed with Hungarian Tokaj
- Prestigious and premium-priced Picolit dessert wine
- Picolit: small variety has bunches with only 10-15 berries due to berry set
- Grapes are air dried
Ramandolo DOCG:
- Air dried grapes from Verduzzo variety made into a sweet wine
Friuli Grave DOC - 6,500ha (●●●+sparkling)
- Largest DOC in quantity (more vs. sum of all others Friuli DOCs); mostly in the western part of Udine
- Flatland w gravel & sand-based soils
- Wines – mainly made from international grapes
- Predominantly light, fruit reds made from Merlot/Bordeaux blends or hi acidity Refosco
- Fresh & aromatic whites made from Friulano, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco & Sauv. Blanc (herbaceous)
Friuli DOC
- Introduced in 2016 and covers the entire region including DOCs, etc.
- Permitted yields are high
- i.e. whites – 98 hL/Ha.
- International varieties will mainly be used for this DOC
Two growing areas of Alto-Adige?
o 2 Growing zones:
- Bassa Atesina:
a. South of province; warmer climate;
b. all main varieties except Schiava;
c. Muller Thurgau grown at high Altitude - Oltradige:
a. More northerly - includes Lake Caldaro area for Schiava ;
b. Merlot & Cab Sav in the Valley;
c. PN and white varieties at higher Altitudes
Valpolicella DOC - describe the rules and wines made
Valpolicella DOC: (●)
- Max 84 hl/ha = Low concentration
- Short maceration
- Low to Medium Tannins, Medium to Medium (+) Acidity with medium alcohol
- Purple tints in youth, Red Cherry, Rose, No Oak
- Good to some very Good, In expensive to Mid priced
The flat fertile plain of Veneto is the source of what wines?
- The flat fertile plain is the source for inexpensive high-volume brands (such as Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC):
- Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot (International varieties)
- Corvina, Garganega, Trebbiano (Local varieties)
Climate of Alto Adige?
Alto Adige:
- Mild Alpine Continental climate
- Protected from cold winds by mountains to the North
- Altitude: 300-700mRL
- Warm air currents in valleys, 300 days of sunshine,
- Large day/night temps: good growing conditions, retaining Acidity
- Sufficient rainfall throughout the year, Low in Winter
Soave DOC?
Soave DOC (●)
- Grapes from the entire Soave region
- Requirements: Garganega min 70%; Trebbiano di Soave 30%(Verdicchio) or Chardonnay; of the 30%, 5% can be any other authorised variety
- 105 hl/ha;
- Leading producers work with yields close to maximum but produce concentrated , intense wines, showing that Garganega grown on favourable sites produce flavoured wines
- Wines can be sold very young; after 1st December of yr of harvest
- 80% production of all Soave
- Min 10.5% abv
Collio is famous for Orange wine production; explain the techniques and philosophy of these winemakers
Collio Orange wine producers
o Oslavia; Small sub region of Collio; like Brda in Slovenia
o long maceration on skins (8 days to 6-8 mths);
o long ageing (2-6 yrs) in large Oak barrels
o Pioneering a returning to old winemaking ways are Josko Gravner (introduced Amphora), Dario Princic, Stanko Radikon who are committed to:
- Organic methods in vineyard
- Use of local varieties like Ribolla Giala along with International ones
- Long maceration on skins
- No temp control during ferment
- Long maturation in large format Oak or other
- Minimum wood; no fining/filtration
- Low or no SO²
o Wine:
o Amber, Orange, Gold in colour;
o Medium Tannins; Muted varietal charcter;
o Pronounced flavours of Citrus rind, Marzipan, Honey,
o Premium
o Currently appreciated by Sommeliers, Natural wine lovers
Soave Classico DOC?
Soave Classico DOC
- Grapes from hilly classic region
- Same rules about varieties as Soave DOC
- 98 hl/ha
- Wines released on Feb 1 after harvest
- 20% of production
- area in the hillside vineyards around Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone w better exposure, less fertile soils i.e. limestone and also volcanic rock for more full-bodied wines (e.g. Pieropan, Suavia)
What do the bottles carry that mark them as being from the Alto Adige region?
- Wines branded with Sudtirol logo on capsule of bottles
name of big cooperative producer in Soave?
Cantina di Soave
Describe the Garganega variety and the wines made
GARGANEGA:
o Historic white variety
o Late ripening (October), Vigorous,
o Traditionally trained on Pergola, Now Trellised
o Sensitive to winter cold, mildew & Botrytis
o Handpicked on hillsides, machine on plains
o Wines
o High Acid,
o Medium Body,
o Medium Intensity, Lemon, Apple/pear, white pepper, Ripe stone fruit
o Premium examples have Oaked, Best can age, developing flavours of Honey & almonds
o Good to very good, Inexpensive to mid priced
