Rescuing obscure grape varieties from extinction.
1. Reder of the lost grape - Aramon Gris
Paul Reder should be celebrated for the propagation of the rare Aramon Gris. Here are his own notes from the website of his estate ‘Hautes Terres Comberousse.’
The aramon gris grape variety, similar to terret gris, is an old regional variety that almost completely disappeared during the uprooting campaigns of the 1970’s. It was used to produce a rosé wine, with a strong local reputation. The vine stock originates from a vineyard that was uprooted and is the product of visual selection of the most robust plants.
2. Luigi Laurio and Vincenzo De Santo – Guarnaccino
The small producer 600 Grotte brought back to life the ancient, native Guarnaccino Nero grape. Luigi Lauria, an accountant and one of the estate’s three owners set out to make wine with it again after he had long heard locals speaking of the great quality of wines made from a then-unknown grape that existed mainly in the memories of the local old-timers. The estate’s name (which means “600 caverns”) derives from the many caves that dot the ground to the north of the town of Chiaramonte (near Potenza), where the estate is located. Currently, 600 Grotte is the only estate producing wine with Guarnaccino Nero
3. Emilio Bulfon – Cividin, Cjanorie, Cordenossa, Forgiarin, Fumo Rosso, Piculit Neri, Pocol, Sciaglin, Ucelut
Few could have done more to re-establish so many endangered varieties - all interesting. They come from his area in Venezia-Friuli-Giulia. Nine is an amazing score when you consider the work involved in this task.
Cantine Olivella, Kata. Catalanesca, Catalanesca del Monte Somma IGP. Provincia di Napoli. 2022. 12.5%
Catalanesca is an old variety grown in the area of Mt. Vesuvius and used mainly as a table grape for most of its history. Prior to 1950 it had been included in the blend for white Lacryma Christi but that was then taken over by Caprettone. It was only officially recognised as a wine cultivar in 2006 so in that sense the reported 99 ha. area of plantings is misleading: much smaller if you remove that used for table grapes.
D’Agata considers Catalanesca ‘a recently rediscovered variety’ and quotes Antonio Mastroberardino as ‘throwing his hands up in the air’ and saying ‘We just don’t know enough about it yet…’
When I met Domenico Ceriello of Cantine Olivella at VINITALY in 2014, he told me he was the only maker of a Catalansesca in purezza. Since then others including Sorrentino and Casa Barone have joined him.
Bisson. L’Antico. Cimixa. Portofino DOC. Italy. 2020. 13.5%
Here is an example of a variety saved from extinction by a single person at a verifiable time and place.
It was Marco Bacigalupo, a pastry chef from Cigana who, in the 1970s collected the very few remaining vines of Cimixa (aka Scimiscia, Scimixaa , Scimisaa or Cimixaa) and planted them in a single vineyard near Cassottana, Liguria. With the help of the San Colombano cooperative, the original vineyard was cleaned up and the remaining healthy vines identified. Finally in 1998 the research community got involved in studying Cimixa in earnest. They determined that the Corsican variety Genovese was in fact Cimixa and plantings existed in the Cinque Terre where it is also known as Frate Pelato. It is now grown in a quite widespread way in the Valle del Tigullio, the Val Graveglia and in the countryside around Chiavari. The wine is still ‘a real rarity’ (D’Agata).
Boskinac, Gegic. Kvalitetno Vino KZP. Hravatsko Primorje, Croatia. 2017. 12.5%
The islands of Croatia are an amazing repository for unique indiginous grape varietes. Gegic is native to the island of Pag. Hvar has its Bogdanusa and Darnekusa. Korkula has Grk, Krk has Zlahtina, Susak hosts Sansigot and Vis fields Vugava.
Gegic is declining on Pag due to irregular yields.
Selva Vins, Giro Ros. Vino de Espana. Selva. Mallorca. 2021. 11.5%
Giro Ros or Roz is a pink grape also known as Giro Blanc. It is unrelated to the Giro of Sardinia (a red grape), nor is it the colour mutation of Garnacha which is also called Giro.
No, our Giro (‘Ros’, ‘Roz’ or even ‘Blanc’) is an indigenous Mallorquin variety recently rescued from virtual extinction by someone called Toni Gelabert thanks to the 200 vines that another person, Juaquin Monserrat – a local grower with faith in the variety – had propagated from the few plants that remained on the island. ‘Wine Grapes’ tells us that mutations have given rise to considerable variation in berry colour, hence the synonym Giro Roz/Ros.
There are now 6 ha of these vines planted on Mallorca. It took a 10 year campaign to get official authorization for the variety which it received in 2010.
Historische Rebsorten Nr. 050 Grüner Adelfränkisch. Deutscher Qualitatswein Rheinhessen Germany. 2019. 13%
"Noble
Variety from the Middle Ages."
An original variety
cultivated already more than 5,000 years ago is related to Traminer
and Süßschwarz. The variety has been documented in Brandenburg
since the middle ages. It belongs to the core group of ancient grape
varieties imported from Moravia since the 8th century AD which as
crossings have become native to Germany. Its robustness and good
ripening qualities combined with noble aroma makes it very valuable
for the native vineyard. Until 2007 this jewel was considered
extinct.
Andreas Jung
Historische Rebsorten Nr. 101 Grünfränkisch Deutscher Qualitatswein Rheinhessen Germany. 2020. 13.5%
From a 300-year-old variety description we can deduce that very probably Grünfränkisch and not Riesling was the actual variety of grape for the world famous Liebfrauenmilch. Grünfränkisch was already mentioned in the Südpfalz (South Palatinate) in the 16th century. The history of this worthy grape goes back to antique times and found its home on the Rhine via north Hungary. Until its rediscovery in 2009 it was considered extinct.
Andreas Jung
NB. The ghastly monniker 'Leibfraumilch' with its inappropriate connotation of blue nuns is of course a total misnomer. Its off-puttingly sexist innuendo has justly been consigned to the dustbin. The original name was 'Liebfrauenmilch' and there were no nuns, blue or otherwise. The Liebfrauenmilch referred to the vineyard of the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of our Lady) in Worms. The term Liebfraumilch began to be used in the 18th century mostly for exported wine. That didn't turn out too well. Riesling has struggled to overcome the crass marketing gimmick and taste of the semi-sweet beverage foisted on a less discriminating world last century.
Slotovino
Crama Nachbil, Gruenspitz. Beltiug, Satu Mare, Transyvania. Romania. 2018. 12.0%
“The Brutler & Lieb vineyard is a well-known local representative of natural wines. There is one variety of wines that is capable of representing the true values of the viticulture region of Beltiug and this is our Grünspitz. Grünspitz is a variety of grapes, that exists only in our region. There are no other vineyards based on this variety, so this could have vanished. A few years ago, we grafted this variety on new plants and started a new vineyard. So this is the only vineyard in the world with this variety.”
Connolly’s Wine Merchant website.
Manz Wines. Dona Fatima. Jampal. Lisboa 2022. 13%
Former Brazilian soccer player André Manz bought an abandoned vineyard in Cheleiros, Portugal to make wine for himself and his friends. A commercial project was far from his ambitions at the time. On the first visit to the vineyard with an oenologist and agronomist, 200 vines of a variety were discovered which nobody was able to identify… with the help of technicians from the Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho (Vine and Wine Institute) the variety’s name was identified: Jampal.
“It is an autochthonous Portuguese variety, characteristic here in the region, but it was abandoned because it was not profitable… very sensitive, it requires a more expensive pruning and produces little quantity… we might as well have just bet on the reds and forget about it” but he persisted and produced the only monovarietal bottling of so far. There were 34 ha. in Portugal in 2016
Passaturi. Terrecarsiche. Minutolo. Valle d’Itria IGT. 2018. 12.5%
Synonyms are Fiano Aromatico, Fiano della Valle d'Itria, Fiano di Puglia, Fiano di Salento, Fiano Minutolo, Fiore Mendillo, Greco Aromatico, Minutola, Moscatellina and Squaccianosa. According to DNA analyses carried out in 2001, Fiano Aromatico, which until then had been considered a variety of Fiano, is an independent variety and has therefore been renamed Minutolo.
Minutolo was rescued from the brink of extinction in 2000 by Lino Carparelli, his father Donato and colleagues who discovered old vines in some old vineyards in the Valle d’Itria in Puglia. Carparelli had heard of the variety and its fine wine potential and had always wanted to make wine with it. He knows the vineyards and varieties of his native region like few others. In 2000 he set out with local old-timers and farmers to search for remaining vines of Minutolo and the spurred researchers to better characterize an aromatic variety that he realized could not be a Fiano… Nowadays Minutolo is found mainly in the Valle d’Itria. The success of this variety there has been such that plantings are on the increase all over the region: Minutolo is now grown in the provinces of Brindisi and Taranto too. There are 10 ha. reported.
Azienda Vitivinicula Mariotti. Malestar. Montuni. Montu. Montu dell’Emilia IGP. 2018. 12.5%
Montu is from Emilia Romagna and is mainly used to make sparkling wines. In Ian D’Agata’s ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’ we read that ‘though typical of the Emilia portion of Emilia Romagna...it was once common in Romagna; today it is hard to find past Ravenna.’
Kym Anderson writes ‘The variety is no longer of any importance, as in 2016 no more stocks were recorded. In the year 2000 it had been over 1,000 hectares.’
Joseph Schoenleber Mittelheimer Edelmann Orleans Gelb. Rheingau Deutscher Qualitaetswein. Rheingau. 2023. 11.0%
Orleans Gelb, also known as Gelber Orleans has no connection with Orleans. It is unknown in the Loire Valley. It is a very ancient grape variety first mentioned in 1539 but certainly in existence before that. Gelber Orleans was the predecessor of Riesling as the most planted grape in Germany. It came to be considered a run of the mill grape for basic wines for the working class and was gradually replaced by Riesling to the extent that it was assumed to be extinct by the end of the 19th century. It was rediscovered by Helmut Becker of the Geisenheim Research Centre on the terraces of Ruedesheimer Berg in the 1980s. The first plantings were made in the early 1990s in collaboration with Weingut Knisper and in 1995 in collaboration with Weingut Georg Breuer. The first release was in 2002.
Five very old vines of Orleans Gelb have been discovered growing almost wild by Andreas Jung in Disibodenberg. Based on local historical documents, the planting date of these vines has been estimated at between 1108 and 1559, when the Disibodenberg monastery was still active. It has been claimed that these grapevines may be the oldest in Germany. It is now grown by a handful of producers.
Torres. Varietat Recuperada No. 32. Pirene. Capella de Sant Miguel. Sant Miguel de Tremp Spain. 2021. 14%
More than forty years ago, Familia Torres embarked on a project to recover ancestral varieties in an act of archaeology that aims to restore a shared heritage…
I had heard about the Torres programme to revive almost extinct varieties and had always wanted to taste some of the wine made with them. They have counted more than 50 such varieties. After Forcada and Moneu there is Garró, Querol and as here, Pirene. Bottles of these wines are made in very small quantities so far.
Antica Cantina Leonardi, Rossetto ‘Vino Vulcanico.’ Lucidilago, Lazio IGP, Italy. 2018. 12.5%
After a torrid struggle with the identity and name of this grape (Rossetto, Roscetto, Greco di Velletri, Greco Giallo or Greco Verde), D’Agata says we have too few examples to go by to decide what the true character of Rossetto is. ‘I’d be lying to you...if I told you what a Rossetto wine is really supposed to taste like.’ That’s a pretty amazing confession, perhaps unique in his survey of the hundreds of native wine grapes of Italy contained in his indispensible book ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy,’
Rossetto was close to extinction in the 1960s because of its low yields. ‘Wine Grapes’ tells us that ‘oenologists Riccardo and Renzo Cottarella have been influential in promoting this variety and showing its real potential from their vineyards in Montefiascone in Lazio...Their oaked Falesco Ferrantino is a rich but very well-balanced wine, reminiscent of a top-notch Saint-Aubin.’
Turay Csaladi Pinceszet, Rozalia. Baj, Komárom-Esztergom, Hungary. 2021. 12.5%
Also known as Rozala and Rozala Bianca. The parentage is unknown. It is cultivated in the Balaton, Kunsag, Nagy-Somlo, Neszmely and Zala regions as well as Komarom-Esztergom as in this case. All that would suggest a total far more than the two hectares of vineyards designated by Kym Anderson in 2016. Not to be confused with the Rosalia wine-growing region of Burgenland, Austria (230 hectares).
Note: Sir Kym Anderson is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Adelaide and author of the award winning ‘Which Winegrape Varieties are Grown Where? A Global Empirical Picture (with the assistance of N.R. Aryal),’ Adelaide: University of Adelaide Press, 2013. Other fields in which Sir Kym is involved are more numerous and diverse than can be imagined or listed here.
Quartomoro, Semidano SMD Memorie di Vite. Semidano DOC. Sardegna, Italy. 2018. 13.5 %
Ian D’Agata was kind enough to direct my attention to the Sardinian producer Quartomoro at at the wine fair ‘BING Barolo’ which he curated in 2019. BING stands for Best Italian Native Grapes by the way. Quartomoro has a great range of rare Sardinian wines from indigenous varieties including Arvesiniadu as well as our Semidano here and a completely unknown variety called Muristellu. My kind of producer.
About Semidano, Ian writes: ‘Semidano is potentially one of Italy’s greatest grape varieties, and it’s ridiculous that there are so few wines made with it. In fact Semidano is the poster child for everything that was wrong with Italian viticulture and winemaking in the post-phylloxera period and in the 1980s heyday of the international oaky whites. Simply put, quality but little-known grapes were all but forgotten, not studied, and even abandoned in favour of overly productive varieties or those that were easiest to work with. This sorry state of affairs has only led to more than one great native grape being pushed to the brink of extinction, and every time I hear about how Italian native grapes aren’t so interesting after all, I count to ten and then mention Semidano...’
Beykush Winery, Telti-Kuruk. Mykolaiv region, Ukraine. 2021. 13.5%
The grape Telti-Kuruk is surely a major discovery. Telti-Kuruk is said to have originated in Armenia. Synonyms include Telti Kourouk, Telti Kuruk, Tilki Kuyrugu and Tilky Rairuk. The parentage is unknown.
Telti-Kuruk is a unique autochthonous grape variety first planted in the village of Shabo, Odessa Oblast during the Turkish reign. Telti-Kuruk grows almost only in Shabo region. The climate of the Black Sea Lowland has a beneficial effect. The grape is used to produce white table and sparkling wine and grape juice. Telti-Kuruk is also a dessert grape variety.
In 2010, 246 hectares were still in existence, but in 2016 no more stock was reported (Kym Anderson).'
Domaine Jeremy Bricka, Verdesse Pont de Brion. IGP Isere, France. 2019. 13%
From being the most widely planted variety in the Vallee du Gresivaudan (Isere) in 1920 Verdesse had dwindled to just 2 hectares by 2008. It has been successfully replanted since then. Producers today include the Cave Cooperative de Bernin, Michel Magne and Mas Brucher as well as Domaine Jeremy Bricka as in this instance.
‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’ has an entry claiming Verdesse (under the synonym Bian Ver) is Italian. Sightings have been made in Piemonte with sporadic sightings in the Alta Valsusa, Val Chisone and in the Pinerolese. Mention is also made of Verdesse in the Valais, Switzerland. Piedmontese producers clain noteworthy winemaking potential for this variety. D’Agata says ‘I hope it makes a comeback quickly, and there are some encouraging signs. My glass is ready and waiting.’
Red
Historische Rebsorten Nr. 966. Blauer Arbst. Deutscher Qualitatswein, Rheinhessen Germany. 2018. 13.5%
The name Arbst refers to the Arberesh tribe (Abar-Russ) in Monte Negro and Albania. The variety should be linked with other Albanian varieties in the 14th century of rulers of the old house of Anjou who brought vines from their vassal state Romania to Albania and from there to the lower Loire, where the Magdalenen flood of 1342 had previously destroyed all the vineyards. The variety belongs to the Morillon Pinot complex. As Blauer Ortlieber it was one of the main red wines in Styria. As Arbst, it was a famous part of the famous Affenthaler wines in the Affenthal near Bühl contributing to the famous Kallstadt wine.
The variety can be confused with a Pinot Noir. However, the leaf is larger and circular, the stalk partly overlapping and the leaf underside is more shaggy and hairy. The grape resembles the Pinot, but the bunch is looser and matures a little earlier. In mid-October 2013, the difference with Pinot was almost 10 ° Öchsle, but without any decay. The variety was often referred to as the best red wine variety, but is a little less profitable because of the smaller and somewhat looser berries than standard clones of Pinot Noir.
Andreas Jung
I vini di Emilio Bulfon SSA. Cjanorie. Trevenezie IGP 2023. 12.5%
Few could have done more to re-establish so many endangered varieties than Emilio Bulfon - all interesting. They come from his area in Venezia-Friuli-Giulia. Nine is an amazing score when you consider the work involved in this task. The list includes
Cividin
Cordenossa
Forgiarin
Fumo Rosso
Piculit Neri
Pocol, Sciaglin
Ucelut
The red grape variety Cjanorie originates from the border region between Italy and Slovenia. The parentage of the vine is unknown. It used to be widespread in the provinces of Pordenone and Udine in the Friuli-Venezia- Giulia region. In the 1980s, Emilio Bulfon found it in the municipality of Pinzano al Tagliamento, east of Pordenone, together with other varieties and revived it with the help of ampelographers Antonio Calò and Ruggero Forti. In 2016, 1.3 hectares of vines were reported (Kym Anderson statistics).
Bodegas y vinedos Mengoba. Estaladina de Gregory Perez, Leon. Spain. 2021.
Mengoba is the only producer of Estaladina in the world.
Gregory Perez was a top oenologist in Bordeaux (Grand Puy Lacoste, Cos D'Estournel) before returning to Bierzo, his family's area in Spain. There he has made wines from Mencia, Godello, Alicante Bouschet, Dona Blanca as well as Estaladina.
Bodegas Galmes y Ribot, Ve D’Avior. Escursac, Santa Margalida, Mallorca. Spain. 2022. 11.0% 0.5 ha.
Cati and her father
Jaume...began to delve into the past of Mallorquin viticulture,
planting old varieties in collaboration with the island’s governing
bodies in 2006. They were one of two producers to start planting new
vines of ancient varieties like Escursac,
the local Malvasía de Banyalbufar, Girò Ros and Prensal Blanc (and
other, even lesser-known varieties like Callet Negrella and Vinater
that remain unrecognized by the D.O. authorities in Mallorca).
The
most important of these varieties to Cati’s story is the red grape
Escursac. Cati
and her father rescued the variety by isolating cuttings from Colonia
de Sant Pere d’Arta to replace a vineyard. Large-berried
and late-ripening, it tends towards the production of wines with
moderate alcohol, delicate red fruit, and soft tannins. To our
knowledge, Cati makes one of
only two bottled varietal
wines in the world from the grape, from 1.2 acres
(0.5 ha.)
of vines that she and her father planted in front of the winery in
2006. Her passion for Escursac led to the planting of another
5 adjacent hectares in 2020."
Chambers St. Wines.
Historische Rebsorten Nr. 938. Frankischer Burgunder. Deutscher Qualitatswein, Rheinhessen Germany. 2018. 14%
Except for an unidentified collection of a Mr. Hartig from Naumburg, the variety was considered extinct until 2009. It was considered a synonym of Pinot.
Around 1905 Frankischer Burgunder was one of the main red wine varieties on the Yonne, where it covered 9000 hectares, and 600 hectares in the Aube department. Old illustrations of Burgundy always show the Little Franconian Burgundy with round berries. It is historically documented for Styria, Swabia, the Lake Constance area, the Upper Rhine plain, Alsace, northern and western Switzerland, the Yonne and Champagne.
Andreas Jung
Grosjean. Fumin. Valle D’Aosta. 2016. 13.5%
First documented in 1785, Fumin was grown abundantly in the the Valle D’Aosta until in the 1960s, experts and university professors recommended that the grape should be abandoned. Thanks to the stubbornness of growers the grape didn’t disappear completely and ‘today Fumin is universally recognized as being the highest quality native grape variety Vall D’Aosta has’
(D’Agata). There are altogether only 480 ha. under vine in Aosta of which 20 are planted to Fumin which D’Agata says is a considerable amount given that the variety had almost completely disappeared. It is grown nowhere else in the world.
There were no monovarietal bottlings of Fumin as recently as the 1990s. Now there are eight very valid ones says D’Agata. Once little thought of Fumin, is now here with us to stay.
Historische Rebsorten Nr. 945. Hartblau. Deutscher Qualitatswein, Rheinhessen Germany. 2018. 13.5%
"Germany's
oldest red wine variety"
This
original variety could without further ado be 8,000 years old! Easily
Germany's oldest red wine variety it is almost a genetic twin of
Süßschwarz. It has existed since the Bronze Age on the southwest
shore of the Caspian Sea. Its name describes the robustness of the
plant and the wine's acid and tannins. In earlier field blends
Hartblau conferred better laying down potential and durability.
Hartblau was considered inexistant
in 2007!
Andreas Jung
Ante Sladic, Lasina. Plastovo, Dalmatinska Zagora, Croatia. 2017. 13.0%
Ante Sladic’s winery is positioned equidistant from Split and Zadar which is where the majority of the rare Lasina is found and authorized. It is used mainly in blends and ‘Wine Grapes’ counted the Lasina of Marko Duvancic as ‘perhaps the only varietal wine available.’ Our second monovarietal Lasina by Ante Sladic may mean hopefully that Lasina will not disappear any time soon.
Castello di Grumello. Il brolo dei Guelfi. Merera. Bergamasca IGT Italy. 2017. 12.5%
The project of the rediscovery of the Merera vine has a history that began in the last century, when Carlo Zadra, the company’s historical oenologist, began to look for every vine grower with plants of vines that were different from the others. Almost every winemaker has in the field some strain with unknown origins, which has always been there, perhaps planted by his grandfather and earlier and was vinified with others. Within a few years, Carlo collected several specimens, which he cultivated separately. Merera is one of these.
Mersel ‘Elevate’ Marini, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. 2021. 12.5%
The red grape variety Marini is shrouded in mystery. We can’t find information as to its parenthood, whether it is a Vinifera variety, what the area of plantings might be or if those plantings are limited to Lebanon. All we have is what Doug Wregg writes this in the Caves de Pyrene blog ‘Doug Decants;’
‘The’ Elevate red is from the Marini grape and originates from Blouza in Wadi Annoubine. Here we are on sandy volcanic soils at no less than 1,800m above sea level! The vines are 150-years-old, own-rooted, and co-planted with Merwah. Destemmed grapes are macerated for two weeks and fermented with indigenous yeasts in Georgian qvevri, before ageing in Lebanese amphora. The wine is very shiny, mid rose-hued, and positively bristles with cherry-stone fruit, fine acids and salty minerals. Very delicious and unusual, it reminds us of some of the pale high-altitude country wines from Etna in Sicily or Lechkhumi in Georgia.’
Barbara Fores. Mandon/Morenillo ‘El Templari,’ Vi vermell. Terra Alta DO. Spain. 2018. 13.5%
Barbara Fores estate owners Maria Carme Ferrer and Manuel Sanmartín paid tribute to their great-great-grandmother Barbara Fores (born in 1828), who taught her son Rafael how to make wine. In 1889, he started to build a small cellar in the very buildings where the wine is still made today. Maria Carme has always had a deep respect for this family heritage, but also the ambition to improve on what her forefathers transmitted to her. At the end of the 80’s, she started to bring her old vines into order and planted new varieties. Maria Carme rehabilitated an old and long forgotten grape, the Mandon, also called Morenillo, which she uses for her ‘El Templari.’
There are only 0.5 ha. of this variety in existence.
Monte Rosso. Sassotondo. Nocchianello Nero. Sorano, Toscana Rosso IGT Italy. 2019. 13%
Nocchianello Nero is a stand-alone rare grape variety - a claim that is suggested on the back label;
Nocchianello Nero, vitigno della citta del Tufo, dai nostri vigneti vulcanici a Sorana prende il nome dal vulcano vulsineo di Monte Rosso.
Nochianello Nero has no mention in ‘Wine Grapes’ as it is rarely made into a monovarietal wine for commercial purposes. More surprisingly it has also passed under the radar of 'Native Wine Grapes of Italy' (D'Agata) and even Galet (Dictionnaire Encyclopedique des Cepages). It is purported to have no known genetic relationship to other grapes.
Planeta. Nocera. Sicilia DOC. 2017. 13.5% 5 ha.
Nocera is another local variety that has largely disappeared. In fact it is not even listed among Sicily’s 30 most planted vines. The 10th most planted is Merlot with 5,000 ha. D’Agata considers Merlot should not really be planted in Sicily at all due to the region’s hot microclimate and considers as ‘silliness’ not having more of an indiginous variety like Nocera, a quality, if little-known wine grape.
Nocera was once much more common, and easily found in north-eastern Sicily at least until the 1960s. At the time of writing his Native Wine Grapes of Italy,’ (2014), D’Agata could find only 4 producers of monovarietal Nocera and quotes 2 or 3 others including Planeta as saying they were ‘thinking’ of doing so.
Halara. Parpato. Marsala. Terre Siciliane IGP Italy. 2019. 12%
Halara is a collaboration between Nino Barraco, Corrado Dottori of La Distesa and a handful of friends who happen to be some of Italy’s most talented winemakers. The idea is simple: to restore abandoned vineyards in the hills outside Marsala and produce wines that speak of this incredible place – the sun, the soil, the wind and most importantly, the sea.
For now they are working with two hectares of thirty five year old vines planted with Catarratto and Parpato, a mysterious grape thought to be an ancient relative of Grenache.”
Tutto Wines website.
Parpato is not listed in ‘Wine Grapes’ or ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy nor even Galet.
Domaine Adrien Berlioz. Cuvee Octavie. Persan. Vin de Savoie. 2018. 13%
Before Phylloxera hit the area at the end of the 19th century, Persan was widespread throughout Savoie and Isere. Its paucity in modern times lasted until Michel Grisard and others recently took it in hand. Since then it has gained in popularity.
In Italy there is a small amount grown under the name of ‘Becuet’ and the Swiss producer Jean-Pierre Pellegrin has planted 1,500 vines at his Domaine Grand Cour near Geneva but there is no sign of a Persan from him yet.
The name Berlioz must be common in the area. The composer was from La Cote St. Andre near Grenoble and the Domaine Adrien Berlioz is just over an hour’s drive from where he was born.
Thierry Navarre, Ribeyrenc. Cepage oublie du Languedoc. Vin de France, 2022. 10.5%
Ribeyrenc is also known as Rivairenc and Aspiran Noir. A disappearing but characterful variety brought back from the brink by Thierry Navarre.
Thierry writes:
An old variety from the Languedoc planted in the 18th and 19th centuries. After Phylloxera many varieties disappeared or were not grafted. About ten [Ribeyrenc] vines survived and these allowed me to bring them back into cultivation. This work has taken me about twenty years.
Historische Rebsorten Nr.242 Schwarzblauer Riesling. Deutscher Qualitatswein, Rheinhessen, Germany. 2018. 13.5%
The variety has survived with two very old specimens on black slate in one of the oldest, ungrafted Riesling vineyards in the Middle Moselle. It was described as "Blaue Vorzuegliche" by the Austrian ampelographer Franz Trummer in 1855, who named the variety as "Black of Heidelberg". The Schwarzblauer Riesling is probably very old and is one of the varieties that, like the Côt and Malbec, fell victim to the Little Ice Age. That is why they have only survived in the mildest winter vineyards in Germany. The ancient, extremely valuable grape variety was already a rarity in Germany in the 19th century. However, it could date back to the Old Franconian-Germanic period on the Moselle. Schwarzblauer Riesling is likely to have been widespread since the early Middle Ages in the core areas of the Moselle Franconia, Rhine Franconia, Carolingians and Alemanni, i.e. in Champagne, Alsace-Lorraine and in the middle and upper Rhine Valley (Palatinate, Electoral Palatinate). Ultimately, this original variety becomes a grape variety of Armenia, whose ancient inhabitants, after the conquest by the Assyrians and Urartians, were in direct connection with the Norman, Allemannen (Allemand), Mayer, Germanic, Tra-mini and Aminean people of late antique Europe. The variety has comparatively weak growth and very small leaves that are reminiscent of Riesling. The small, cylindrical grapes bear small, round, blue-black berries that become very sweet when fully ripe in mid-September and do not tend to rot. The fruit produces a wonderful cassis-tasting wine with high quality potential. Andreas Jung
Ca de Noci. Il Kyathos del Poggio. Sgavetta. Quattro Castella. Reggio Emilia Italy. 2019. 10.5%
From D’Agata (Native Wine Grapes of Italy) we learn that Sgavetta is a relatively recent variety grown in the vineyards around Modena and Reggio Emilia and has been cited as one of the highest quality grapes with which to make wine there. We also learn that it supplies colour to other lighter-hued wines, that the bunches are medium-sized, long, pyramidal and very sparse and that the berries are round, medium-sized, deformed, blue-black and thick skinned. He mentions that a small producer called Morsi Franzoni is making experimental batches of a Sgavetta wine. The fact this is not one of his might mean Sgavetta is on the march.
Szentesi Pince. Tihany Kek. Szőlő. Hungary. 2020. 12.5%
As
a child, József Szentesi showed little interest in working in his
father’s 1ha vineyard in Budaörs, 10km from Budapest. But, in
1998, he decided to make his own wine, training himself and gaining
inspiration from winemakers in Burgundy. Currently, he manages 16ha
on the slopes of Lake Velencei, 50km from Hungary’s capital, at an
altitude of 175m. He grows 30 different grape varieties – including
20 that are extremely rare.
"In an old publication written in 1880, I read about the ancient first-, second-, and third-class grape varieties. I was surprised that I hadn't even heard about many of the first-class ones. I have chosen 10 red and 10 white varieties; I purchased the rooted grafts from the Winery Research Faculty of University of Pécs, and Dr Pál Kozma (grape breeder) helped with the grafting.
The reds are Tihanyi Kék, Tarcali Kék, Csókaszőlő, Kékbajor, Feketefájú Bajor, Hajnos Kék, Kékszilváni, Purcsin, Laska, Feketemuskotály. The whites are Szerémi Zöld, Balafánt, Kovácsi, Kolontár, Lisztes, Fehér Gohér, Hamvas, Sárfehér, Vörösdinka, Piros Bakator. I see a big potential in the reds, because only Kékfrankos (Blaufrankisch) and Kadarka have survived the phylloxera plague from the native red grape varieties. From eight of the reds I already made wine several times. From the whites, I see potential in Szerémi Zöld. In addition, I make a blend of Lisztes Fehér and Zöldszilváni.
Tetramythos Mavro Kalavritino PGI Achaia, Peloponnese, Greece. 2022. 12.5%
A rare variety found only in Achaia in the Northern Peloponnese. It was close to extinction until oenologist Panayiotis Papagiannopoulos from Tetramythos Wines found viable Mavro Kalavrytino vines 15 years ago, which helped save the varietal.
Found mostly as a supporting player in blends, Tetramythos Wines are unique in producing 100% Mavro Kalavrytino wines.
Tamada Ojaleshi. Semi-Sweet wine. Martvili vineyard, Lechkhumi region of Racha, Kheketi, Georgia. 2019. 11.0%
How Ojaleshi was saved.
The residence of the Dadiani family in Georgia was at Salkhino. Salome Dadiani married Achille Murat, grandson of Napoleon Bonaparte’s commander, the King of Naples, Joachim Murat. Achille Murat increased the area of the Ojaleshi vines in the Salkhino vineyards to 16 hectares. Murat saved these vines by grafting them onto phylloxera-resistant rootstocks. In 1912 at the Paris Agricultural Exhibition, Salkhino Ojaleshi was awarded a gold medal.
After the establishment of the Soviet Union, this unique variety was not widely produced due to the fact that it was rather difficult to cultivate, relatively low-yielding and late. Ojaleshi was once more practically on the verge of extinction. The task of saving it was taken on by Klimenti Kekutia, the winemaker at Ojaleche Ltd. in Salkhino. The first vintage of his Ojaleshi to be bottled was that of 2016.
4. Luis Hidalgo and Horacio Fernandez – Godello
Godello was on the verge of extinction, down to little more than several hundred vines. Thanks to the oenologist Luis Hidalgo and vineyard owner Horacio Frenandez there were 1,153 ha as of 2008. The first Godello wine in the present revival was released only in the mid-1980s.
Michel Grison at
Rencontres de Cepages Modestes, 2015
5. Michel and Jean-Pierre Grison - Persan
‘In France, Persan used to be the dominant variety in Pricens, a highly regarded vineyard near St. Jean de Maurienne, east of Grenoble…Today there are just 9 hectares [of Persan]. Nevertheless the variety is gaining popularity and, with the help of Michel Grisard in Freterive, one of the rare producers of varietal Persan, a local association is planning to replant Persan in the Princens vineyard.’
Wine Grapes, 2012
‘The first Savoie Persan that I ever tasted was made by Domaine Grisard (run by Jean-Pierre Grisard, brother of Michel) in 2001. Doubling as a nursery, Grisard sold cuttings to other growers and now, as well as a few blends, you can find at least four other pure Savoie Persan wines...’
Wink Lorch, Wine Travel Media 2013..
6. Walter Massa – Timorasso
‘The fact is , Timorasso has only resurfaced to international attention recently, and this thanks to the initial efforts of Walter Massa, a wine producer of the Colli Tortonesi area in southeastern Piedmont who basically brought Timorasso back from oblivion all by himself.
...Legend has it that even Leonardo da Vinci liked Timorasso so much that his gifts at Isabella of Aragona’s wedding
were the Montebore, an ancient cheese of the area, and a bottle of white wine, the Timuras, which was supposedly the best possible match for that cheese.’
Ian D’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy, 2014.
7. Jose Luis Mateo – Caino Longo, Monstruosa de Monterrei, Zamarrica.
Described as Vigneron, historian, and preservationist, Jose Luis Mateo has worked for decades to revive rare and lost varieties of the Monterrei Denomination de Origen Protegida in the province of Ourense, Galicia. These varieties are grown in 26 different vineyard sites in the area. His wines are sold under the name Quinta de Muradella.
8. Heinrich Meyer – Blatterle/Blaterie
Heinrich Mayer is one of the only growers still farming the old and almost extinct Blatterle, an obscure white variety from the Alto Adige.
.
Robert
Plageoles at the Rencontres des Cepages Modestes 2015
9. Robert and Bernard Plageoles – Mauzac Noir, Mauzac Vert, Ondenc, Prunelard, Verdanel.
Robert Plageoles, took great pride in bringing back the lost indigenous varieties of the area. He researched and replanted over a dozen varieties (7 in the Mauzac family alone) indigenous to Gaillac that had all but vanished. Robert did painstaking work, often going in to the forest to find wild vines growing, and going to seed banks to resurrect these grapes.
10. Danni Christe and Domenico Perini of A.A. Pravis – Negrara Trentina
A.A. Pravis is situates between Trentino’s Brenta Dolomites and Lake Garda.
Many indigenous varietals are cultivated and some, being saved from extinction.
11. Florence University and Società Agricola San Felice – Pugnitello
Florence University and the Societa Agricola San Felice have devoted themselves to protecting Tuscany’s viticultural heritage and forgotten indigenous varieties such as Abrusco, Ciliegiolo, Mazzese and, above all, Pugnitello – before it was too late. In collaboration with the University of Florence, in 1987 San Felice created a 2.5ha experimental vineyard called the Vitiarium where analysis of more than 250 different grapes immediately revealed one with exceptional potential: Pugnitello, so called because of its fist-shaped bunches. Produced from vines planted in 1992, the Pugnitello Toscano IGT was restyled as the first wine in San Felice’s new Vitiarium line.
Hardimos
Hatzidakis
12. Sigalas and Hatzidakis wineries – Mavrotragono
Hardimos Hatzidakis distinguished himself by being the first to bottle monovarietal wines of the rare Aidani (2000 vintage) and even rarer Mavrotragano (1997 vintage simultaneously with Domaine Sigalas.
Vineyard
of Bissonvini, growers of Cimixaa
13. Marco Bacigalupo - Cimixa
Here is an example of a variety saved from extinction by a single person at a verifiable time and place.
It was Marco Bacigalupo, a pastry chef from Cigana who, in the 1970s collected the very few remaining vines of Cimixa (aka Scimiscia, Scimixaa , Scimisaa or Cimixaa) and planted them in a single vineyard near Cassottana, Liguria. With the help of the San Colombano cooperative, the original vineyard was cleaned up and the remaining healthy vines identified. Finally in 1998 the research community got involved in studying Cimixa in earnest. They determined that the Corsican variety Genovese was in fact Cimixa and plantings existed in the Cinque Terre where it is also known as Frate Pelato. It is now grown in a quite widespread way in the Valle del Tigullio, the Val Graveglia and in the countryside around Chiavari. The wine is still ‘a real rarity’ (D’Agata).
14. Toni Gelabert – Giro Ros
Giro Ros or Roz is a pink grape also known as Giro Blanc. It is unrelated to the Giro of Sardinia (a red grape), nor is it the colour mutation of Garnacha which is also called Giro.
No, our Giro (‘Ros’, ‘Roz’ or even ‘Blanc’) is an indigenous Mallorquin variety recently rescued from virtual extinction by Toni Gelabert thanks to the 200 vines that another person, Juaquin Monserrat – a local grower with faith in the variety – had propagated from the few plants that remained on the island. ‘Wine Grapes’ also tell us that mutations have given rise to considerable variation in berry colour, hence the synonym Giro Roz/Ros.
There are now 6 ha of these vines planted on Mallorca. It took a 10 year campaign to get official authorization for the variety which it received in 2010.
Edgar
Brutler
15. Brutler and Lieb Vineyard, Beltiug, Romania – Gruenspitz
“The Brutler & Lieb vineyard is a well-known local representative of natural wines. There is one variety of wines that is capable of representing the true values of the viticulture region of Beltiug and this is our Grünspitz. Grünspitz is a variety of grapes that exists only in our region. There are no other vineyards based on this variety, so this could have vanished. A few years ago, we grafted this variety on new plants and started a new vineyard. So this is the only vineyard in the world with this variety.”
Connolly’s Wine Merchant website.
16. Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella - Rossetto
After a torrid struggle with the identity and name of this grape (Rossetto, Roscetto, Greco di Velletri, Greco Giallo or Greco Verde), D’Agata says we have too few examples to go by to decide what the true character of Rossetto is. ‘I’d be lying to you...if I told you what a Rossetto wine is really supposed to taste like.’ That’s a pretty amazing confession, perhaps unique in his survey of the hundreds of native wine grapes of Italy contained in his indispensible book.
Rossetto was close to extinction in the 1960s because of its low yields. ‘Wine Grapes’ tells us that ‘oenologists Riccardo and Renzo Cottarella have been influential in promoting this variety and showing its real potential from their vineyards in Montefiascone in Lazio...Their oaked Falesco Ferrantino is a rich but very well-balanced wine, reminiscient of a top-notch Saint-Aubin.’
17. Gregory Perez – Estaladina
Gregory Perez’s estate Mengoba is believed to be the only producer of Estaladina in the world.
Gregory Perez was a top oenologist in Bordeaux (Grand Puy Lacoste, Cos D'Estournel) before returning to Bierzo, his family's area in Spain. There he has made wines from Mencia, Godello, Alicante Bouschet, Dona Blanca as well as Estaladina.
18. Cati Ribot – Escursac
19. Carlo Zadra – Merera
The project of the rediscovery of the Merera vine has a history that began in the last century, when Carlo Zadra, the company’s historical oenologist, began to look for every vine grower with plants of vines that were different from the others. Almost every winemaker has in the field some strain with unknown origins which has always been there, perhaps planted by his grandfather and earlier and in the mass was vinified with others. Within a few years, Carlo collected several specimens, which he cultivated separately. Merera is one of these.
20. Maria Carme – Morenillo
In choosing the name of Templari for this small estate, its owners Maria Carme Ferrer and Manuel Sanmartín paid tribute to their great-great-grandmother (born in 1828), who taught her son Rafael how to make wine. In 1889, he started to build a small cellar in the very buildings where the wine is still made today. Maria Carme has always had a deep respect for this family heritage, but also the ambition to improve on what her forefathers transmitted to her. At the end of the 80’s, she started to bring her old vines into order and planted new varieties. Maria Carme rehabilitated an old and long forgotten grape, the Morenillo, which she uses for her Templari.
Morenillo is not to be found in 'Wine Grapes.’ It does get a mention in Galet of interest to ampelographers but that mention does not say anything about its provenance or history.
21. Nino Barracco and Corrado Dottori – Parpato
Halara is a collaboration between Nino Barraco, Corrado Dottori of La Distesa and a handful of friends who happen to be some of Italy’s most talented winemakers. The idea is simple: to restore abandoned vineyards in the hills outside Marsala and produce wines that speak of this incredible place – the sun, the soil, the wind and most importantly, the sea.
For now they are working with two hectares of thirty five year old vines planted with Catarratto and Parpato, a mysterious grape thought to be an ancient relative of Grenache.”
Tutto Wines website.
Parpato is not listed in ‘Wine Grapes’ or ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’ nor even Galet.
22. Familia Torres – Pirene
More than forty years ago, Familia Torres embarked on a project to recover ancestral varieties in an act of archaeology that aims to restore a shared heritage…
We had heard about the Torres programme to revive almost extinct varieties and had always wanted to taste some of the wine made with them. They have counted more than 50 such varieties. After Forcada and Moneu there is Garró, Querol and as here, Pirene. Bottles of these wines are made in very small quantities so far and are expensive.
23. Joszef Szentesi – Tihany Kek
As a child, József Szentesi showed little interest in working in his father’s 1ha vineyard in Budaörs, 10km from Budapest. But, in 1998, he decided to make his own wine, training himself and gaining inspiration from winemakers in Burgundy. Currently, he manages 16ha on the slopes of Lake Velencei, 50km from Hungary’s capital, at an altitude of 175m. He grows 30 different grape varieties – including 20 that are extremely rare.
"In an old publication written in 1880, I read about the ancient first-, second-, and third-class grape varieties. I was surprised that I hadn't even heard about many of the first-class ones. I have chosen 10 red and 10 white varieties; I purchased the rooted grafts from the Winery Research Faculty of University of Pécs, and Dr Pál Kozma (grape breeder) helped with the grafting.
The reds are Tihanyi Kék, Tarcali Kék, Csókaszőlő, Kékbajor, Feketefájú Bajor, Hajnos Kék, Kékszilváni, Purcsin, Laska, Feketemuskotály. The whites are Szerémi Zöld, Balafánt, Kovácsi, Kolontár, Lisztes, Fehér Gohér, Hamvas, Sárfehér, Vörösdinka, Piros Bakator. I see a big potential in the reds, because only Kékfrankos (Blaufrankisch) and Kadarka have survived the phylloxera plague from the native red grape varieties. From eight of the reds I already made wine several times. From the whites, I see potential in Szerémi Zöld. In addition, I make a blend of Lisztes Fehér and Zöldszilváni.
24. Antonio Arena and Yves Canarelli – Biancu Gentile
Biancu Gentile was rediscovered during a viticultural census of the Island of Corsica. Interest in the variety revival in the 1990s was thanks to Antonio Arena in Patrimonio and Yves Canarelli in Figari. The total vineyard area was just 6 ha in 2008.
25. Thierry Navarre – Ribeyrenc
Also known as Rivairenc or Aspiran Noir, this variety was widely planted in the Herault and the Gard in Southern France before phylloxera struck the region in the late 19th century. It is now very hard to find...Some vines found their way to Algeria. Thierry Navarre in St. Chinian may be the sole producer of a varietal wine of this grape.
(With thanks to ‘Wine Grapes’)
26. Lino Carparelli and colleagues – Minutolo
Minutolo or Fiano Minutolo was rescued from the brink of extinction in 2000 by Lino Carparelli and colleagues who discovered old vines in some old vineyards in the Valle d’Itria in Puglia. Carparelli had heard of the variety and its fine wine potential and had always wanted to make wine with it. He knows the vineyards and varieties of his native region like few others. In 2000 he set out with local old-timers and farmers to search for remaining vines of Minutolo and the spurred researchers to better characterize an aromatic variety that he realized could not be a Fiano… Nowadays Minutolo is found mainly in the Valle d’Itria. The success of this variety here has been such that plantings are on the increase all over the region: Minutolo is now grown in the provinces of Brindisi and Taranto too.
Pepe
Mancini (right)
27. Pepe Mancini and Alberto Barletta – Pallagrello Bianco, Pallagrello Nero and Casavecchia.
‘Completely forgotten by everyone until the early twenty-first century, these Pallagrellos are now on an absolute roll and are considered two of Italy’s most exciting varieties. In 1995 there was not a single producer of a pure Pallagrello wine. The varieties have come back to national prominence thanks to the passion of Pepe Mancini and Albero Barletta who created the Vestini Campagnano estate and began production of Pallagrello Bianco and Nero in commercially significant numbers and in the process resurrected a third wine-worthy native, Casavecchia.
Casavecchia owes its name (“old house”) to the discovery of an unknown centenary vine by a farmer Prisco Scirocco, at the end of the nineteenth century, outside the ruins of an ancient Roman home near the town of Pontelatrone, in northern Campagna’s province of Caserta. At first nobody could have cared less...but eventually, the variety was taken to heart by local farmers who propagated it, often ungrafted, and continued to make wine for local consumption.
With thanks to ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’ by Ian D’Agata.
28. Georgi Natanadze - Akhaltsikhuri-tetri, Chitiskverstkha-tetri, Udis-tetri, Tskhenis dzudzu tetri, Meshkuri Sapere, Meskuri Kharistvala, Meshkuri Tetri.
I have spent much of the past decade traipsing through mountain forests in search of ancient vines growing the way nature intended - up trees. I have found some vines that are more than 100 years old and one that I reckon is more than 400 years old. I have uncovered 40 rare grape varieties in the forests in the south of the country, near the border with Turkey.
29. Pierre Goigoux – Damas Noir
The story of Damas Noir emphasises the hard work involved in bringing a variety back from extinction. Pierre Goigou worked on the revival for 15 years and now is the sole producer of wine from this grape.
30. Johann Seger Ruland – Rulander aka Grauburgunder, Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio. 1709, Speyer, Rhein Pfalz.
In 1709, the German merchant and pharmacist Johann Seger Ruland (1683-1745) bought the overgrown garden of the assessor at the Imperial Chamber Court Johann Heinrich Seuffert in Streichergasse in Speyer (Rhineland-Palatinate). There are two variants on the origin of the spread of the Grauburgunder. According to the better-known first variant, Ruland received vines unknown to him from Burgundy or perhaps even brought them from there himself and planted them in the newly acquired garden. According to the more likely second variant, the previous owner Seuffert had already introduced vines from Champagne and planted them in his garden. Ruland then found these in the overgrown garden and made a wine from them. He is said to have presented this to his prince-bishop, who liked it. According to his description, the wine was "sweet and lovely". Encouraged by this, Ruland increased the number of vines from 1711 onwards and sold the "hundred at 8 to 10 guilders". This marked the beginning of the widespread distribution of Pinot Gris (Pinot Gris) in Germany, which was later named after him as "Ruländer" or also as "Speyerer" after the place of origin.
31. Arrufiac
One of the chief winemaking enterprises in Gascony is the co-operative,
Producteurs Plaimont which has contributed much to the revival of interest in
white wines from Gascony; they produce quite a spectrum of wines, many
including Arrufiac as a key element. Indeed, they may be said to be mainly or
even wholly responsible for saving Arrufiac from virtual extinction
Andre
Manz
32. Jampal
Discovering Jampal
Former Brazilian soccer player André Manz bought an abandoned vineyard in Cheleiros, Portugal to make wine for himself and his friends. A commercial project was far from his ambitions at the time. On the first visit to the vineyard with an oenologist and agronomist, 200 vines of a variety were discovered which nobody was able to identify… with the help of technicians from the Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho (Vine and Wine Institute) the variety’s name was identified: Jampal.
“It is an autochthonous Portuguese variety, characteristic here in the region, but it was abandoned because it was not profitable… very sensitive, it requires a more expensive pruning and produces little quantity… we might as well just bet on the reds and forget about it”. André replied that he did not need much wine and that he would like to experiment vinifying this variety. Thus began the journey…
Since the discovery of 200 Jampal strains in 2007, MANZWINE has been multiplying materials and planting new vineyards, betting on the perfect combination between Cheleiros terroir and this variety to produce what is still today the only wine in the world certified as 100% Jampal. Production has been increasing little by little with the increase of the planted area, without compromising quality and personality!Depending on the harvest, production can vary between 5000 and 9000 bottles, carefully distributed in the 26 countries where it is sold, almost always in top restaurants and wine cellars, for a client who likes unique and differentiated wines.
Manzwine.
33. Resi/Reze
Chanton has re-established this variety in a vineyard above Visp, planted in
1990. Once, Rèze was grown widely here, but in more recent times has
suffered serious decline with less than a hectare remaining in commercial
production around Sierre and in the alpine vineyards of Visperterminen.
Various factors have conspired to cause this - it's hard to grow, has limited
yield and lesser examples can be thin, acidic and uninspiring. Much of the
production from around Sierre is used to make a base wine for the sherry-like
Vin des Glaciers, a highly sought-after rarity. The Resi from Visperterminen
is of a higher quality.
Antonio Longanesi 1921-
2020
34. Uva Longanesi
This grape Uva Longanesi is native of Boncellino (Bagnacavallo, in the
province of Ravenna), where the mother plant was discovered by the
Longanesi family (known as Bùrson) on their farm. They still produce wine
made of this grape. The vine was found climbing around an oak tree, and
initially it was thought it was a biotype of Negretto. Uva Longanesi, the
Longanesi’s grape was officially recognized within the National Register of
Grapevine Varieties in 2000, and its cultivation has since then expanded
rapidly in the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena and Bologna. Uva The grape
Uva Longanesi gives a ruby red wine with violet hues. The scent is fruity with
notes of red berries and the taste is slightly bitter, fresh, tannic and well-structured.
Oriolo
tower - 1467 - from where Centesimino is said to have spread.
35. Savignon Rosso/Centesimino
The Centesimino variety is thought to have been brought back to life in the
1960s, from just a single vineyard. The man responsible for the grape's
salvation was Pietro Pianori, a keen gardener from Oriolo dei Fichi, a hamlet
in the Colli di Faenza hills. All existing Centesimino vines are descended from
the cuttings Pianori took during that time. These particular vines, of a then undocumented variety, had remained safe from phylloxera in Pianori's walled
garden, and are among the few ungrafted vinifera vines left on Earth
The variety was finally added to Italy's Registro Nazionale delle Varietà di
Vite (national register of grape varieties) in 2004. In honour of its saviour, it was
officially named Centesimino (Pianori's nickname). Despite this, the variety is
more often marketed under its synonym Savignon Rosso. This has been the
source of some confusion, not only because of the spelling (remarkably
like Sauvignon), but also because it is entirely unconnected with any form of
Sauvignon grape. One could easily be forgiven for assuming that this is a red#berried mutation of Sauvignon Blanc.
Alfonso
Soranza
36. Alfonso Soranzo and Veneto Agricoltura. Bastarda, Cavrara or Cavarara, Corbinone, Pattaresca, Recantina and Turchetta
Cavarara or Cavrara is listed in 'Wine Grapes' and is described as a 'virtually
extinct red of the Veneto' variety but Pattaresca is nowhere to be found.
Alfonso Soranzo and friends at Monteforche together with Veneto Agricoltura
are working to resuscitate 'heritage' varieties.
At Monteforche, Soranzo grows Bastarda Cavrara/CavararaCorbinone Pattaresca
Recantina Turchetta
Alfonso Soranzo, musician by passion, winemaker by vocation.
Graduated in French horn at the Padua Conservatory, for over 10 years he has
led the family business, Monteforche, located in Zovon di Vo in the heart of
the Parco Euganeo. The production is characterized by the strong prevalence
of native grapes recovered thanks to the work conducted by Alfonso
as part of a project promoted from Veneto Agricultura.
Antonio
Ognibene
39. Negretto.
The grape is also locally called Negrettino. Its parentage is unknown, but it is
only planted in the Emilia-Romagna region. After phylloxera struck in the late
19th century, a lot of Negretto was planted because of its increased disease
resistance. It was not often a single varietal wine but used as a blending
partner or for bulk wine because of its blue-black colour, hence its name.
Negretto began to decline in the 1960s when industrialisation and
international varieties started trending in viticulture and it was nearly extinct
until Antonio Ognibene, of Gradizzolo helped rescue Negretto from
oblivion. He tells the following story;
“I had three vines of Negrettino in an old Pignoletto vineyard dating back to
the 1930s. My grandfather and my father Luigi often spoke to me about this
grape and how it was once widespread in our area. So my curiosity was born to try to make grafts
by taking the material from these old vines. About [twenty-two] years ago I
created some rows and, after carrying out some microvinifications, I slowly
created a vineyard. Today I am in my [seventeenth] year of bottling.”
Leonardo
Pietrafesa and Valentina Buscicchio
38. Tamurro Nero
Tamurro Nero, originally known as Coll d'Tamur, is a rare grape variety that is
currently used in purity only by Le Querce Estate. It was probably brought from
France by Duke Philibert of Savoy.
Tamurro was thought to be extinct but was re-discovered by Leonardo Pietrafesa, the owner of Tenuta Le Querce after an extensive search. He re-activated the variety on his estate.
Made by the Buscicchio Pietrafesa family of Basilicata and Primrose Hill.
43. Temarina Nera
There is a dessert wine from Podere Pradarolo in Emilia Romagna made from Temarina Nera.
D'Agata rightly praises Alberto and Claudia Peretti for deciding to take up
making wine from this variety after what seems to have been a long period of
neglect.
Pierpaolo
Lorieri
44. Vermentino Nero
Pierpaolo Lorieri writes
‘The Vermentino Nero grape, exclusive grape from the Apuan area, was
abandoned by the makeshift wine=makers of the post-war-period, but
always remembered by their fathers and grandfathers. My father told me
about it, and I did not listen. In 1987 my friend Fucigna asked me to produce
the Vermentino Nero in purezza. But I, sceptical, became curious and due to
the promise I really did produced it in 1989.
This is how Vermentino Nero was born. I started travelling to find
possible synonymous that do not exist; I started studying about making of
red wines in the soil of whites, about long-living wines in area of fast wines.
And the continued contradiction of a culture which wants to mix together
the grape in the vineyard and in the winecellar. Avant-guard of new ideas.
Today, after having selected some biotypes in the farm, I start to harvest the
fruits in the vineyard. The wine making of Vermentino Nero is easy: perfect
grape, low yield per hectare, maximum of concentration, long maceration
with the skins, long ageing in kegs, continued control of taste, bottling,
refinement in bottle. Nearly academic. But that's the way it is.
A simple method, precisely for a long-living product, almost 13 years (in
September 2003 I opened a bottle from 1990) with a bouquet of
undergrowth, colour... black, warm taste, full, smooth. In short: a wine
makes you eat and drink with the same glass.’
45. Dorona
The story of the revival of Dorona begins when Gianluca Bisol, President of winemakers ‘Bisol 1542,’ discovered that the Venetian islands had had an important viticultural tradition and had always contained many vineyards until 1966, the year of the great flood that destroyed the vineyards, causing all traces of this millennial tradition to be lost. The research he began led to the rediscovery of an indigenous variety, Dorona di Venezia, that had adapted to the salty conditions of the lagoon over the centuries. Thanks to a team of agronomists and experts in lagoon history, the last 88 vines that survived the flood were found. In the course of their research the experts met Gastone, a farmer who produced a small amount of wine for his family and used the traditional winemaking methods of the lagoon, including the long skin maceration that give Dorona its impressive longevity.
Subsequently, enologists Roberto Cipresso and Desiderio Bisol were inspired to produce a white wine with the body and structure of a red. A few years later, Gianluca Bisol’s dream became a reality when he found an estate on the island of Mazzorbo located just steps away from the island of Burano. It is a small estate surrounded by medieval walls and a 14th-century belfry located in the vineyard. The property, surrounded by water on all sides, is crossed by a canal and has its own fishery. The land is what can only be referred to as extreme, and agronomists did not advise planting vines there because of its high salt content.
Despite that advice and the risk that flood waters could destroy the vineyard, as was the case in 1966, Gianluca Bisol decided to replant the ancient variety, encouraged by the history of the estate, which was planted with vineyards from the 1300s on and also became a winery in the 1800s and continued to produce wine until the 1966 flood. Augusto Scarpa, who owned the winery between the late 1800s and early 1900s, was one of the first Italian enologists. The first vintage names ‘Venissa’ was introduced in 2010
