L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano Italy's Native Wine Grapes: A Random Itinerary I n his excellent book entitled "Venice is a Fish", Venetian poet Tiziano Scarpa urges visitors to La Serenissima to throw away their street maps and find the real Venice by wander- ing the city's calli and campielli. It is the ultimate itinerary: avoid the usual street signs, follow the labyrinth, get lost in order to dis- cover the unique and real. When it comes to enjoying wine, specifically wines made from Italy's native grape vari- eties, I shall give you no differ- ent advice: ignore the familiar "signs" suggesting a walk down Chardonnay Street, an evening s troll through Cabernet Sauvignon Lane. Instead, I, too, propose you wander – no, get lost, in fact – among the plethora of Italy's native wine grapes, a path of exploration sure to lead you to a destination of uncom- mon pleasure and discovery. The diversity of native Italian wine grapes is stunning, actual- ly. At a recent educational con- ference w ith V initaly International Academy, experts note the current count of Italian w ine grapes at ~548. That's more than France, Spain, and Greece combined 1 . And plenty more of Italy's native wine grape varieties - researchers estimate JOEL MACK as many as 500 - are hidden away in countryside nooks and crannies , perhaps grow ing anonymous ly in abandoned vineyards, awaiting discovery. To give it all a bit of global context, of the approximately 1,368 vine varieties us ed to make wine commercially world- w ide, nearly 30 percent are native to Italy 2 . Let's approach the point from another direction: fewer than fifteen wine grape varieties account for 90 percent of wine grapes grown in the United States and France 3 . To help you to get started with a little random wandering of your ow n, I s ugges t you entrust yourself to the care of three native Italian varieties that are sure to reward a bit of ran- dom meandering: Grign olin o – N ative to Italy's Piedmont, this red grape variety is an excellent translator of terroir yet represents just 1% of the Piedmont vine surface area 4 . Go figure. Stylistically somewhere between a rosato and a full-on red wine, Grignolino makes abs olutely charming light-ish reds with magical aro- mas of fresh flowers, small red berries and a typical hint of white pepper. Refreshingly high acidity and crisp tannins make Grignolino great company at table. Look for G rignolino d'Asti DOC or Grignolino del The diversity of native Italian wine grapes is stunning WINE NEWS TRENDS PROFILES Monferrato Casale DOC. C arrican te – This s outh Italian native loves the high alti- tudes and volcanic slopes of Sicily's Mount Etna. Generally low in alcohol and high in acidi- ty, Carricante makes white wines scented of white flowers, lemon, orange peel, apricot, underlined with delicious minerality and a lick of salt. Carricante can age w ell, too, w ith older w ines expressing that petrol note for which good, cellared Riesling is famous. Seek out Carricante Etna Bianco DOC or Carricante Etna Bianco Superiore DOC. Picolit – Typical of Italy's Friuli Venezia Giulia, Picolit is a native variety with a pedigree dating back to 1682 when it was served at the wedding banquet of Alvise Contarini, doge of Venice 5 . Picolit makes luminescent, golden-colored s w eet w ines made from air-dried grapes . You'll find aromas / flavors of peaches in syrup, honey-soaked apricots and perky orange-citrus notes. Dessert all by itself or as an accompaniment to your favorite dolce. Ask for Colli Orientali Friuli Picolit DOCG. It is, of course, the pleasure of enjoying Italy's wines at table that is the main event. But, even just a bit of knowledge about the native Italian grape variety you're drinking can increase that pleasure by connecting you with a unique story of land, history and tradition, capable of illumi- nating an even deeper under- standing of one's own ties to Italian culture and local customs. When it comes to Italian wine, one might even say that is … the ultimate itinerary. Cascina 'Tavijin Grignolino d'Asti Pretty pale rose color with a commingle of cherry, berry and spice, scents of rose. Dry palate, vibrant acidity. Finishes with good, grippy tannins and a pleas- antly bitter cherry-almond note. A true artisan effort. 1,2,3,4,5 from Native Wine Grapes of Italy, by Ian D'Agata, 2014

• Cover