Italy has a great number of weird and wonderful grape varieties with names hard to remember. They are some much more interesting than your bog-standard Pinot Grigio. Give them a go!
Soave in Veneto, near Genova, near to River Adige is home to the historic variety of Garganega. Naturally cool area paired with altitude helps to slows down ripening and provides conditions for grapes to reach full phenolic ripeness and retain high acidity. Traditionally it used to be trained on pergola, but nowadays it is more likely to be trellised. The ones coming from hillside sites from leading producers can be outstanding, commanding premium prices. The ones coming from the plains are usually, early drinking and inexpensive. It is a vigorous, high yielding grape that ripens late. It is sensitive to harsh winter cold, mildew, botrytis bunch rot. The wines typically have high acidity, medium flavour intensity of lemon, apple, pear and stone fruit if it is really ripe with a hint of pepperiness. Rarely, it can be oaked. The very best examples can age and develop aromas of almonds and honey. The quality producers will use a short maceration, mid- temperatures for fermentation, short fine lees ageing. Just leading examples display oak derivatives. Graganega if it grown on favourable sites under the hands of good producers can produce fully flavoured wines even at relatively high yields. Soave DOC - the blend of Garganega (majority) and Chardonnay or Verdicchio with high maximum (105hl/ha) yields, and it can come from the entire Soave region. Sold very young on the December of the year of the harvest. This type covers 80% of all Soave's white output. Soave Classico DOC - Same rules as for Soave DOC, but coming from the hilly sites and it has marginally lower maximum yields (98hl/ha). Released in February following the harvest. Approximately 20% of all Soave's white wine output. Soave Superiore DOCG - Same rules as Soave DOC, but coming from the delineated Recioto di Soave DOCG area that are hilly. Maximum yields are 70hl/ha. It is a tiny fraction of the production, released the following September after the harvest. Recioto di Soave DOCG - Coming from a delineated hilly zone, the same blend as Soave DOC, but from semi- dried grapes with yields of 36hl/ha. It makes, honeyed, rich, floral sweet white wines with searing acidity.
Cortese is a high yielding white variety grown in the North-West of Italy in Piedmont with a moderate continental climate with cold winters and hot summers, protected from the northerly winds and excessive rainfall. It is a typically light wine with white flowers and lemon and apple flavours and high acidity. Its skin is thin, so it is very susceptible for grey rot. Usually, it is fermented in mid-range temperatures and better examples can undergo pre-fermentation maceration to increase aromatic intensity. It is aged in stainless steel tanks to preserve aromatics and primary fruit. Typically it is made to drink early, but top examples can age in bottle to produce tertiary notes. The wines can be good to very good quality from inexpensive to even premium price examples. Significant producer is La Scolca. Gavi DOCG - 100% Cortese with maximum yields of 67hl/ha Gavi di Gavi DOCG - same rules but grapes are coming from Gavi itself. Riserva wines have the maximum yields of 45hl/ha and have to be aged for a year before release. Campania is home for a lot of local, indigenous varieties, sitting between the Mediterranean Sea and the Appenine Mountains.
Fiano is a promising grape for high-quality wine making, although it has the third of the planting compare to the local workhorse of Falanghina. It was literally rescued after the II World War. It is sensitive to powdery and downy mildew, it is late ripening, but its thick skin makes it tolerant to botrytis. It typically has a peachy, white stone fruit character, with white flowers and hazelnutty aromas and a waxy texture. The wines coming from Fiano di Avellino DOCG are help in a particularly high regard. With maximum yield of 70hl/ha and a variety of soils it can result very different examples. Sandy soils usually produce lighter, fruitier expressions, whereas clay soils produce wines with much more weight. Quality is from good to outstanding and prices from mid to premium. Usually aged in stainless steel to retain primary fruit aromas, but wood aged examples also can be found. The best expressions can be aged a decade in bottles to develop tertiary aroma characters.
Photographs by The Tannin Addict.