Italy Flashcards
What is the general climate of Italy?
Hard to generalise as it is a long, thin country (35-47°N latitudes) with the appenines running down the centre, offering a range of sites.
Many regions are influenced by the sea surrounding the country, but some inland areas have continental climates (Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto, for example).
Many regions have a warm, Mediterranean climate suitable for viticulture.
What types of vine training and vineyard management were common in which areas before the second World War?
Pergola had been common in high volume areas in the North.
Mixed planting was common in Tuscany (vines in the same field as olive trees, vegetables and grain).
Bush vines common in the south.
What changes to vineyard management have taken place since the Second World War?
A complete shift from traditional to modern, specialist vineyards with vines on trellises.
Pergola and bush vines are still common in some areas. Eg, where the shade of pergola can be helpful and bush vines are adapted to hot dry climates in the south where producers are willing to do most of the work by hand.
What is significant about the varieties grown in Italy?
The sheer volume of native varieties. Conservative estimates range between 375-500 identified varieties. Far more than any other country.
Many of these varieties are strongly associated to a certain region, eg Nerello Mascalese in Sicily.
At the same time, some varieties, both black and white, are intensively planted in individual regions, or widely planted in multiple. Eg, Sangiovese and Trebbiano are widely planted, especially in Central, while nearly all Catarratto is planted in Sicily.
What are the top 10 varieties planted?
1) Sangiovese 55,000ha
2) Pinot Grigio 42,000ha
3) Trebbiano 37,500ha
4) Glera 32,500ha
5) Montepulciano 31,000ha
6) Catarratto 29,500ha
7) Merlot 27,500ha
8) Chardonnay 23,500ha
9) Primitivo 18,000ha
10) Barbera 18,000ha
Where did Italy draw its modern day winemaking from?
White winemaking from Germany (fermenting in stainless steel and temperature controlled).
Red winemaking from Germany (maturation in small new French oak barriques).
How were wines traditionally made in Italy?
Red wines were matured in large casks, 1000-5000L, often made from Slovenian oak and used for many years, enabling a slow controlled oxidation but not adding any new flavours.
How have winemaking trends changed since the 1980s?
Switching from Slovenian oak to ambitious winemakers using French oak barriques with Bordeaux varieties and some Italian, such as Nebbiolo and Sangiovese.
On the whole, the last two decades have seen a reversal of this trend in favour of old oak, large vessels, or alternatives such as concrete.
Now, though French oak continues to be used for high-quality Bordeaux blends and some local varieties (eg, high-quality Barbera), most wines made from Italian varieties no longer have pronounced new oak flavours.
Who introduced the first defined wine production area? Where was this?
Grand Duke Cosimo Ill de’Medici in 1716 attempted to define the geographical limits of Chianti, Pomino (Modern Chianti Rufina), Carmignano and Val d’Arno di Sopra.
Criminal penalties were imposed on any merchant or consumer buying wines falsely claiming to be from these areas.
It appears the law was never used, though the intention was to protect the good reputations of these wines and prevent fraud.
What is the essence of the DOC system? When was it introduced?
Italys wine law system, based on the model of the French appellation system, as later incorporated into European wine law.
Denominazione di Origine Controllata was introduced in 1967.
What was the alternative to the DOC system when it was introduced? In what situations was it used?
Vino da tavola.
This was used overwhelmingly for simple, everyday wines, but also occasionally for outstanding quality wines that didn’t qualify for a DOC, including:
• Wines made from areas that were not covered by a DOC, eg, the Super Tuscan Sassicaia grown on the coast at Bolgheri, not traditionally an area for high quality wine. The Bolgheri DOC was introduced in 1994 to accommodate Super Tuscans
• Wines that did not conform to the rules of a DOC as they were written. Eg Montevertine’s Le Pergole Torte. This estate is within the Chianti Classico defined region. However the wine was made with 100% Sangiovese at the time when the DOC required it to be a blend including white grapes. They made the decision to make it 100% Sangiovese, leave the Chianti Classico consortium and sell the wines as vino da tavola, and later, when the category was introduced, IGT.
When was the DOCG category introduced? What was its use case?
Alongside the legislation that introduced the DOC (1967) and required stricter rules (eg lower yields).
This category was eventually used in practice in 1980.
In general, the more prestigious appellations became DOCGs.
What do Classico, Superiore and Riserva stipulate? What wines can they apply to?
For DOC and DOCG wines.
Certain, legally defined labelling terms.
• Classico: Wines made exclusively from grapes grown within a defined historical area of DOC/DOCG.
• Superiore: Wines with a higher minimum alcohol level, typically an additional 0.5%.
• Wines submitted to a certain ageing period, at least two years for red and one for white. Some DOC/Gs specify this ageing, or some of it, must be in oak.
When was the IGT category introduced? What is its use case?
Indicazione Geografica Tipica. 1992.
Correspond with the French Vin de Pays, now PGI.
This is for wines from a defined but larger geographical area, with a wider choice of grape varieties and styles, and typically allows higher yields than DOC/G.
What is a key example of an IGT?
IGT Toscana, which includes a provision for a wide range of styles: white, red, rosé, dry, abboccato, frizzante, novello (wine make and intended to be drunk soon after harvest), passito, vendemmia tardiva.
Grapes can be grown in any suitable place in the whole of Tuscany, and growers may use any registered variety.
