D3 - Northeast Italy Flashcards
Examines the regions, grapes, method of production, and styles of Northeast Italy.
What is Alto Adige also known as?
Südtirol
What are seven key white grapes of Trentino?
- Pinot Grigio;
- Chardonnay;
- Müller-Thurgau;
- Pinot Bianco;
- Riesling;
- Sauvignon Blanc;
- Gewurztraminer.
What are 6 key red grapes of Trentino?
- Teroldego;
- Merlot;
- Marzemino;
- Cabernet Sauvignon;
- Cabernet Franc;
- Lagrein.
How much of Trentino’s wine production is made by co-ops?
70%
What is the climate of Trentino?
Moderate continental climate with cooling influences.
Name three climate influencers in Trentino.
- Mountains which protect the area from cold north winds;
- Lake Garda to the south which provides a moderating influence;
- Large diurnal range.
In Trentino, what two environmental factors help intensify grape flavors?
- Cold nights;
- Prolonged growing season (altitude and diurnal range).
What are the maximum yields for white and red grapes in Trentino?
White grapes = 100 hl/ha
Red grapes - 90 hl/ha
Where does the best Teroldego in Trentino come from?
What are the soils there?
- Teroldego Rotaliano DOC;
- Sandy, gravelly soils.
What appellation does Teroldego take if grown outside of Teroldego Rotaliano DOC?
Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT
In Trentino DOC, what subzone do the ripest Marzemino grapes come from?
How do they get so ripe, and what soils are there?
The Ziresi subzone – it gets full sun exposure and has rich calcareous/clay and basalt soils.
What is the warmest area in Trentino DOC (what is its climate)?
What white grape grows there?
- Valley of the Lakes;
- Nosiola.
Valley of the Lakes has a sub-continental climate.
What two styles of wine is Nosiola made into?
- Dry white with hazelnutty notes;
- Vino Santo, made with semi-dried fruits.
In what vessel are most white wines in Trentino fermented? At what temperature?
Some white wines are aged in this vessel.
- Stainless steel at (12–16°C/54–61°F) to retain primary fruit aromas;
- Some aged in oak.
What are the two styles that red wine is made into in Trentino?
How is each made?
- Fresh and fruity – skin maceration during alcoholic fermentation (5-7 days) at moderate temperatures (17– 20°C /63–68°F), aged in stainless steel or old, neutral wooden casks;
- Oak aged – post-fermentation maceration (1-2 weeks) at warm temperatures (26–32°C/79–90°F).
In the Trentino DOC, bottles labeled as single varieties must have a minimum of ___% of the stated grape.
85%
White wines from Trentino DOC labeled ‘Bianco’ must have a minimum ___% of these two grapes.
80% Chardonnay and/or Pinot Bianco.
Red wines from Trentino DOC labeled ‘Rosso’ must be a monovarietal or a blend of these four grapes.
- Cabernet Sauvignon;
- Cabernet Franc;
- Carmenère;
- Merlot.
Rosé from Trentino DOC can also be called one of these two words.
Rosato or Kretzer.
Select the correct answer.
The province of Trentino has:
a. Lots of small growers
b. Lots of large land owners
a. Lots of small growers
What is the largest co-op in Trentino?
How much wine do they make?
Cavit – they made ~60% of all wine in the province.
Cavit is a consortium of 11 co-operatives spread around Trentino.
What is the climate of Alto Adige?
Mild Alpine continental climate.
At what elevation are most vineyards in Alto Adige?
300-700m
What creates the good conditions in Alto Adige for ripening grapes that retain acidity?
- Mountains to the north protect the area from cold winds;
- 300+ days of sun;
- Large diurnal shifts;
- Warm air currents in the valleys.
Select the correct answer.
Rainfall in Alto Adige falls:
a. Only in the spring, which is problematic for flowering
b. Throughout the year, which is problematic for harvest
b. Throughout the year, which is problematic for harvest
Select the correct answer.
The soils in Alto Adige are:
a. Consistent
b. Varied
What are they?
a. Varied
- Volcanic porphyry;
- Quartz;
- Mica rock;
- Dolomitic limestone.
What vineyard practice is being reconsidered in Alto Adige with climate change?
Leaf picking.
Formerly a common practice but viticulturists need to be more careful now about leaf picking so as not to burn/dry out the grapes.
What are the two largest growing zones in Alto Adige?
- Bassa Atesina;
- Oltradige.
Bassa Atesina:
- Where in Alto Adige is it (north or south)?
- Is it warm or cool there?
- What is the one red grape not grown there?
- In the south;
- Warm;
- Schiava.
The grapes in Oltradige are grown in 3 distinct growing areas.
What are they, and which grapes are grown in each area?
- Lake Caldaro area: Schiava;
- In valleys: Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon;
- At higher altitudes: Pinot Noir and white varieties.
What is the German name for Schiava?
Vernatsch.
What grape is blended into Schiava in the Santa Magdalena DOC?
Up to 15% Lagrein.
Because most white wines of Alto Adige are focused on primary fruit aromas and flavors, how are they vinified?
- Must fermented at low to moderate temperatures (12–15°C/54–59°F);
- Selected yeasts;
- Stainless steel;
- Aged on fine lees 4-6 months.
Wines from Alto Adige labeled ‘Bianco’ must be a minimum percent of what grapes?
What other rule surrounds this designation?
- Minimum 75% Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco or Pinot Grigio;
- Two of these varieties must be present but no single variety can exceed 70% of the whole blend.
In the Alto Adige DOC, bottles labeled as single varieties must have a minimum of ___% of the stated grape.
85%
Lago di Caldaro DOC grows only this grape.
Schiava
The largest subzone in Alto Adige is ______.
Alto Adige Valle Isarco
The maximum yield for white wines in Alto Adige is ___ hL/ha.
90 hL/ha
Co-ops in Alto Adige account for ___% of total production.
70%
This is the same percentage as Trentino’s co-op production
___% of the wines produced in Friuli are white.
76%
Describe the two areas where the vineyards in Friuli are planted.
- Flat plain near the Adriatic Sea – warm maritime climate;
- Low hilly areas – less fertile soils.
- Name two important DOCs in Friuli that are on the flat plain.
- What is their soil type?
- Important DOCs:
- Grave del Friuli DOC;
- Friuli Isonzo DOC.
- Alluvial soil
- Name two important DOCs in the eastern hilly areas of Friuli-Venezia Giulia known for making premium, concentrated white wines.
- What is the soil type here?
- Important DOCs:
- Collio DOC;
- Friuli Collio Orientali DOC.
- Calcareous marl and sandstone
What soil type is ponca?
Where is it found?
Compacted marl that has excellent drainage and is found in Friuli.
What are the three grapes in which Friuli specializes?
- Friulano;
- Ribolla Gialla;
- Refosco.
Ribolla Gialla is grown only in these two DOCs in northeast Italy.
- Collio DOC;
- Friuli Collio Orientali DOC.
How are the orange wines of Friuli generally made?
Long skin maceration (8 days up to 6–8 months) followed by long aging (2–6 years) in large format oak barrels.
What are the basic tenets of orange wine production?
- Organic vineyard work;
- Local varieties;
- Long skin maceration;
- Ambient yeasts with no temperature control;
- Long maturation in large format oak;
- No fining or filtration
- Low or no added SO2.
What are the four principal grape varieties planted in Collio DOC?
hint: they’re all white grapes
- Pinot Grigio;
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Friulano;
- Ribolla Gialla.
- What are the two sweet wine appellations in Friuli and what are their respective grapes?
- How are the grapes prepared for fermentation?
- Sweet wine appellations:
- Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit DOCG – Picolit grape variety;
- Ramandolo DOCG – Verduzzo grape variety.
- Both grapes are air dried.
Veneto
- What is its climate?
- What is its rainfall?
- Warm and moderately continental;
- Moderate rainfall.
What are the cooling influences of the Veneto?
- Altitude (large diurnal range);
- Breezes off of Lake Garda (they cool the western side of the region).
Why are disease and rot more prevalent on the flat plains of the Veneto?
What do growers do to combat this pressure?
- Moist air and fog comes off the River Adige;
- The Pò River valley is broad and open (and flat);
- They have to spray often.
Why is there a big range in quality in both the Soave and Valpolicella DOCs?
- Both appellations are large and extend from the plains (alluvial, fertile soils) to the hillsides (better drainage and poorer soils);
- plus, the maximum yields are somewhat high so wines from the plains can have a diluted, or unconcentrated, profile versus wines made from the hillside fruit.
Select the correct answer.
The flat plains of the Veneto – with alluvial soils and notorious fog – is home to which of the following styles of wine?
a. Inexpensive, high volume, simple and fruity
b. Mid- to premium priced, lower volume, more structured
a. Inexpensive, high volume, simple and fruity
What are the two distinct parts of Soave?
- Foothills in the north;
- Flat plains in the south.
What are the soil and elevation features of the northern hills in Soave?
What effect do they have on the wine?
- Soils are limestone, clay, and basalt (less fertile, cool soils);
- Higher in elevation;
- The cool soils + elevation slow down ripening = fuller flavor, higher acidity.
What is the key white grape in Soave?
Garganega
Garganega
- Early or late ripener?
- What is it sensitive to?
- How is it typically fermented when made as a dry white wine?
- Late ripener;
- Sensitive to mildew, botrytis, and winter cold;
- Fermented cool 16–18°C (61–64°F) with a few months of lees aging.
- What are the three appellations for DRY Soave?
- What is the one appellation for Soave made with semi-dried grapes?
- For dry:
- Soave DOC;
- Soave Classico DOC;
- Soave Superiore DOCG;
- Recioto di Soave DOCG (semi-dried grapes).
This rule applies across all Soave DOC/Gs:
Garganega must be a minimum ___%.
What are the other two grapes allowed in Soave DOC/Gs?
- Min. 70% Garganega;
- Maximum 30% Chardonnay and/or Trebbiano di Soave.
What is a synonym for Trebbiano di Soave?
Verdicchio
The maximum yield for white grapes grown in Soave DOC is ___hL/ha.
105 hL/ha
Soave DOC can be released to market very soon after it’s made.
What is that date?
Soave DOC can be sold after December 1st the same year of harvest.
What are the maximum yields allowed in Soave Classico, Soave Superiore, and Recioto di Soave?
Soave Classico: 98 hl/ha
Soave Superiore: 70 hl/ha
Recioto di Soave: 36 hl/ha
Select the correct answer.
- Soave is a region of small growers and large bottlers.
- Soave is a region of large growers and small bottlers.
- Soave is a region of only estate grown and bottled wine.
- Soave is a region of small growers and large bottlers.
What is the largest co-op in Soave?
Cantina di Soave.
It bottles nearly half of all the wine made in Soave.
Name two quality producers of Soave.
- Pieropan;
- Inama.
How is the Soave Consorzio attempting to raise credence of Soave wines?
After a study evaluating soil, aspect, and elevation, they approved 33 single vineyard sites across the region (most in the Classico zone) in 2020.
Valpolicella has two distinct areas for growing grapes. What are they?
- Foothills in the north;
- Flat area in the south.
Describe the Valpolicella foothills area in the north (soil, temperature, elevation).
What sort of wines do they produce?
- Poorer soils of limestone, clay, and volcanic rock;
- Cooler than the south;
- Some elevation (hills);
- Wines have greater concentration and higher acidity due to slower ripening, altitude, poorer soils, and cooler growing environment.
Describe the Valpolicella flat area in the south.
What sort of wines do they produce?
- Warmer soils of gravel and sand;
- Fruity, lower acid wines and lower concentration.
What are the four key grapes in Valpolicella?
- Corvina Veronese;
- Corvinone;
- Rondinella;
- Molinara.
Which Valpolicella grape is being described here:
Dries well; adds red cherry fruit flavors; does not ripen uniformly; adds tannins; prone to downy mildew.
Corvinone
It has big clusters and must be picked over bunch by bunch at harvest.
Select the correct answer.
Inexpensive Valpolicella is meant to be drunk:
a. Fresh and fruity, in its youth
b. Oxidative and tertiary after several years of bottle age
a. Fresh and fruity, in its youth
How are young, fresh and fruity Valpolicellas typically made?
- Short maceration (5-7 days);
- Warm-ish fermentation temperature to retain fruity aromatics 20–25°C (68–77°F);
- Short aging, 6-8 mos in stainless steel or large neutral oak.
The appassimento method creates a wine style called _____.
Passito
Describe the appassimento process.
What effect does it have on the wine?
- Grapes are picked at 11–11.5% potential alcohol;
- Grapes are stored 3–4 months in drying lofts;
- Grapes reach a semi-dried state before being crushed;
- Wines concentrate in flavor;
- Alcohol, tannins, sugars, color, and acidity all increase;
- More glycerol is produced, which gives a softer, fuller mouthfeel.
For all Valpolicella-related DOC/Gs, Corvina and/or Corvinone must be ___ - ___% of the blend.
45–95%
What are the four Valpolicella DOC appellations?
- Valpolicella DOC;
- Valpolicella Classico DOC;
- Valpolicella Valpantena DOC;
- Valpolicella Ripasso DOC.
What are the rules surrounding the Superiore term in Valpolicella?
- Wine must be aged for one year after January 1st of the year after harvest;
- Wine will have a slightly higher alcohol level.
These wines have greater concentration than basic Valpolicella.
Select the correct answer.
Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG is:
a. A sweet red wine made from botrytized grapes
b. A sweet red wine made from semi-dried grapes
c. A sweet red wine made from grapes frozen on the vine
b. A sweet red wine made from semi-dried grapes
How long must grapes must be dried OFF the vine to make Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG and Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG?
100–120 days
After drying and pressing semi-dried grapes for Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG and Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, what is the final maximum yield?
48 hl/ha
Recioto dell Valpolicella DOCG
- What is the minimum abv?
- Approximately how many grams of residual sugar per liter is common?
- Minimum 12% abv
- ~50 g/L RS
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
- What is the minimum abv?
- What is the maximum grams of residual sugar per liter?
- Minimum 14% abv (though most are >15% abv);
- Maximum 9 g/L RS.
What are the aging requirements for Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG and Riserva?
Normale: Minimum 2 years;
Riserva: Minimum 4 years.
How is Valpolicella Ripasso DOC made?
Fresh, just-fermented Valpolicella DOC wine is poured over drained but unpressed skins left over from Amarone or Recioto production (which still have some natural sugar) where a secondary alcoholic fermentation occurs, giving the Valpolicella Ripasso more color, flavor, structure and richness.
Pinot Grigio delle Venezie was elevated from IGP to DOC in 2017.
What are the DOC requirements?
- Grapes must be grown in the Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and/or the southern Trentino province;
- Maximum yield 126 hL/ha.
Bardolino DOC and Bardolino Superiore DOCG are Corvina-based like Valpolicella, but they are allowed to use other grape varieties to boost color and alcohol, which isn’t allowed in Valpolicella.
Give an example of a grape Bardolino can use that Valpolicella cannot.
Merlot
What is the rosé from Bardolino called?
Chiaretto
What are the white grapes allowed in Bianco di Custoza DOC?
- Trebbiano Toscano;
- Garganega;
- Friulano;
- Cortese.
What is the key grape in Lugana DOC?
Turbiana
It’s similar to, but not the same as, Verdicchio
Lugana DOC
- Which two regions does is straddle?
- In which region are most of the vineyards found?
- In which region does most of the bottling take place?
- Veneto and Lombardy;
- Most vineyards in Lombardy;
- Most bottled in Veneto.
In terms of production, what are the 3 largest DOCs in northeastern Italy?
- Prosecco DOC;
- Friuli DOC;
- Delle Venezie DOC.
What are the permitted yields in Friuli DOC?
98hL/ha (high)
What are the permitted yields of Collio DOC?
77hL/ha
Select the correct answer.
What is Bardolino’s proximity to Lake Garda?
a) immediately adjacent to Lake Garda and receives its moderating influences
b) far away from Lake Garda and receives zero moderating influences
Immediately adjacent to Lake Garda and receives its moderating influences
How many named subzones for red wines were introduced to Bardolino in 2021?
3
Select the correct answer.
The Bardolino appellation makes only these colors of wine:
a) white and rosé
b) white and red
c) red and rosé
Red and rosé
Note on the map how the area for Bardolino actually overlaps Bianco di Custoza DOC – this means that any red wine that’s made within the Custoza DOC is bottled as Bardolino.
Bardolino DOC wines are blends.
What are the percentages allowed for each grape variety?
- 35-95% Corvina;
- 5–40 % Rondinella;
- Up to 20% other authorized red varieties (10% maximum for any single variety with the exception of Molinara which may be up to 15%);
- In practice, this means that Merlot can be used to boost the red fruit character and to reach the minimum alcohol level of 10.5% (DOC).
see p.252 in the newest edition of the D3 reading materials released August 2024. This information is different from the D3 materials released in August 2023.
Why has Lugana DOC has seen a doubling in production and sales in the last ten years?
- Partly driven by the large local tourist market;
- Exports have increased (now 60% of production).
