Valpolicella's Other Grape Varieties

8/2/2019 Valpolicella's Other Grape Varieties

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Consorzio per la TutelaConsorzio per la TutelaConsorzio per la TutelaConsorzio per la Tutela dei Vini Valpolicelladei Vini Valpolicelladei Vini Valpolicelladei Vini Valpolicella

Sede Legale : Via Valle di Pruviniano, n. 4 - 37020 San Floriano,

Sede Operativa : Via Valpolicella, 57 - 37029 San Pietro in Cariano (VR)

C.F. 00648430239 P.IVA. 02202330235

Tel. 045-7703194 Fax. 045-7703167

Sito web: www.consorziovalpolicella.it - E - mail : [email protected]

Consorzio Tutela Vini ValpolicellaFondato nel 1970

OTHER GRAPE VARIETIES

The production specifications of Valpolicella state that:

The grapes coming from the following varieties can contribute, to a maximum of 25% in total, to

the making of the above mentioned wines:

- non aromatic red-berried varieties allowed to be cultivated in the province of Verona to the

maximum extent of 15%, with a maximum limit of 10% for every single variety used;

- red-berried Italian varieties which have been classified as native according to the provisions of

law nr..82/06, art. 2, and are allowed to be cultivated in the Province of Verona, for the remaining

total amount of 10%.

The list of authorised grape varieties for the Province of Verona is long but within the viticulture in

Valpolicella we can easily find:

Molinara: typical Veronese variety, listed as compulsory in the Valpolicella blends until the

modifications of the production specifications occurred in 2003. Its name comes from the large

amount of bloom on the berries making them look like covered by white flour, as if coming from

inside an old mill. Appreciated for the mineral aroma it brings to the wine.

Dindarella: old Veronese variety, also called Pelara for its very poor-looking bunch with only a

few berries covering the grape-stalk. Appreciated in blends for its typical spicy notes.

Oseleta: old Veronese variety which has been recently rediscovered. Characterized by very small

berries and very hard skin. It gives wine tannic structure and colour.

Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Teroldego: varieties recently

introduced in the Valpolicella blend, appreciated for their positive oenological characteristics: for

some of them colour and for others structure and peculiar notes to the nose.


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C.F. 00648430239 P.IVA. 02202330235

Tel. 045-7703194 Fax. 045-7703167


NATIVE VARIETIES

TO WHICH IS RESERVED THE 10% OF THE AMPELOGRAPHIC BASE

Castelrotto:

Variety to be found in a locality called Castelrotto (San Pietro in Cariano), in a vineyardsituated at an height of 135 metres above the sea level; pergola training system;

Medium-vigour variety, good production, homogeneous ripening of bunches; Good resistance to main cryptogams; The wine has notes of wild berries, blackberry, raspberry; the to taste it is very sweet and

soft and leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste. Suitable for the making of Valpolicella Superiore

and Ripasso wines;

Good quality of total tannins, which are a few and definitely soft.

Bressa

Variety to be found in a locality called Bressa (Negrar), in a vineyard situated at 400 metresabove the sea level; its training system is simple Veronese pergola;

Variety with a regular but limited production (above all due to the size of its bunches); ithas a high potential for sugar accumulation maintaining a high acidity; bunch suitable for

drying; must and wine have a high alcohol content and very intense colour;

It shows a moderate susceptibility to powdery mildew but a very good resistance to downymildew and rot;

To the nose it presents flowery and fruity hints, mainly of pansy and blackberry; its markedacidity comes from the altitude of the vineyard; moderate softness and good structure.

There characteristics, along with the tannins, make it suitable for long ageing wines and for

the making of Amarone and Valpolicella;

The concentration of total tannins is rather high, characterized by a good polymerizationgrade; for what concerns the taste, the tannins are soft and fine.


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C.F. 00648430239 P.IVA. 02202330235

Tel. 045-7703194 Fax. 045-7703167


Corbina

Variety diffused in the whole of Veneto since ancient times, it is part of the Corbine group,also known as Corbinona or Corbinella. In the 4th volume of the Ampelographic Bulletin

(1884-87) there is an evaluation of the diffusion in Italy of the varieties whose names come

from the dark colour of their skins. In the chapter about Veneto it is written that: Veneto.

Black Corvia or Refosco is reported in Vicenza, Padova; Corbinella in Verona; Crovaja in

Vicenza; Corbinone in Verona.

There might be some similarities between Cro and Corbina of Verona. The wines obtained

from Corbina and Crovino were presented in 1865 at the Fair in Turin, in Ferrara in 1875, in

Vicenza in 1876, in Verona in 1876, at the Gianduja Fair in Torino in 1877. It can be said

that Corbina, or Crovino, is among the best and most important grape varieties of Veneto,

they are located here and here they are to be studied;

Variety subject of our studies. It shows moderate vigour; the production is not high, aboveall if cultivated in the hills. Suitable for long pruning;

Low susceptibility to the main cryptogams, Botrytis in particular; Great olfactory impact, with hints of citrus and balsamic and flowery notes; to the taste it

has very good structure and softness. Wine with high oenological potential, whose

characteristics are suitable for long ageing wines like Amarone della Valpolicella;

High concentration of total tannins whose soft fraction is largely predominant on theastringent one; good polymerization index which results in stability and longevity of the

polyphenols.

Corvina

Native variety; the first hints of its cultivation in Valpolicella date back to 1824 by Pollini; Variety with a good vigour and regular production. Low fertility basal buds; long pruning

and expanded training systems (pergola) suit it better;

Good resistance to winter cold; sensitive to downy mildew, Botrytis, powdery mildew andacid rot;

It presents flowery and fruity notes with slight hints of pansy and blackberry; spicy, lightherbaceous hints; to the taste it denotes a light astringency and a high acidity, due to the

height of the vineyards and to its incomplete malolactic fermentation;

Limited content of polyphenols and total tannins; low tannic fraction that does not reveal aparticular softness and astringency.


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C.F. 00648430239 P.IVA. 02202330235

Tel. 045-7703194 Fax. 045-7703167


Spigamonte

Variety to be found in a locality called Spigamonte (Negrar), in a vineyard located at 500metres of altitude; pergola training system;

Variety subject of our studies; average vigour with a regular but not rich production; It does not show any particular sensitiveness to pathogens; To the nose intense flowery and spicy notes and dried fruits hints; its remarkable structure

is appreciable to the taste, modulated by a very good tannic texture which gives body and

high softness to the wine. These characteristics demonstrate above all the suitability of the

grapes for drying and the longevity of the wine which is for this reason apt to produce

Amarone della Valpolicella;

Great polyphenolic framework, with a noticeable percentage of antocyanins and a highquantity of total tannins; the latter are characterised by an outstanding softness and a

good polymerization index that make them suitable for ageing.

Turchetta

In the past this variety was rather diffused, so that Cosmo (1964) reports that it wascultivated in the Polesine and in the province of Verona as well as in other provinces of

Veneto. In the Ampelographic Bulletin (1884-87, 4th volume) under the entry Name of

varieties cultivated in the province of Rovigo we find Turchetta, enumerated in 23

municipalities of the province and Calma Turchetta, listed in 17 municipalities of the

province. Before that, Pollini had pointed out V. Turchetta at number 52 in a record in

which he reports the varieties found in the province of Verona on the basis of some

observations made between 1818 and 1823. In the same province, in 1900, Perez seems to

have mentioned Turchetta among the varieties of vines cultivated in the 9th area of the

lower Veronese plain;

Being the subject of our studies, Turchetta is a variety with average vigour and good, butnot rich, production; very suitable to short types of pruning;

It resists rather good downy mildew and other cryptogames; it is not easily rotten; To the nose it expresses a good vinosity which reveals notes of raspberry and pepper; to

the taste it is rather soft and of great elegance. The complexity of its elegant but not

invasive organoleptic characteristics make it suitable to improve the typology of

Valpolicella Classico and Superiore.

Good quantity of total tannins which have a high grade of polymerization, fairly goodsoftness and low astringency.


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C.F. 00648430239 P.IVA. 02202330235

Tel. 045-7703194 Fax. 045-7703167


Valpolicella's Other Grape Varieties

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