Ep. 316 -ENGLISH- Rebecca as Scienza on Verdicchio

Italian wine podcast. Chinchin with Italian wine people. Hello. My name is Monty Walden, and this is the Italian wine podcast. I'm pleased to welcome again, Professor Atilio Shenza, esteemed Vine Genetics Scholar, and also Vinitally International Academy. Chief scientist. Today, we're talking about another iconic white wine and grape variety from Italy, verdicchio. Now, we already broached the subject of verdicchio wines with Henry Duvard. Finiti International Academy faculty member. And now we're gonna go deeper into the grape variety. This episode is part of our special educational series called Italian Wine Essentials. You will now listen to the English translation of the original episode recorded in Italian with Professor Chienza. Thanks Rebecca for your hard work in recording the English version. Don't forget that the full transcript in English is also available on our website. Welcome, Professor Shenza, the Sterre Connoi, Perunatro, Episurdio, the Italian wine podcast. Good morning to all our listeners. I'm glad to chat with you again, Monte. The topic that we will discuss today is the Vodicchio grape variety, the emblem of Central Italy and of the Marquay region. Let's start with the origin of the name Vodicchio. What does it mean? As is the case with many other grape varieties, The name Vadicchio is linked to the color of its berries, which are always characterized by a light green color even when fully ripe. There are other vines in Italy whose name is connected to the green color of their berries. Verdicchio or verdello, which is cultivated near the Vedicchio area. Another Vedicchio, all these varieties indicate the characteristic green color. Let's talk about the historical sources related to Vedicchio. And the history of its circulation and arrival in the Marquay region. It is a vine cited in very ancient historical sources. The first one belongs to Bachi. Bachi was a papal who at the end of the sixteenth century talks about a vine, not yet calling it with the name Vadricchio. It wasn't so common to name grape varieties then. Wines were named after their production areas, but very rarely after the vines from which they originated. Bache's description is perfect from a morphological point of view and an illogical aptitude. There are also later documents, more or less stated around the end of the sixteenth century in the beginning of the seventeenth century, where this vine is closely linked to the Marquay territory. The Marquay region is the place of origin of this vine, even though probably this vine wasn't born in Marquay, but was brought there from other territories a few centuries earlier. Around the middle of the fifteenth century through the migration of a group of farmers from the Veneto in Lombardy who moved to the Marquay region to repopulate those countryside areas following a terrible plague epidemic. The famous Black Death that hit Europe from the end of the thirteen hundreds and the beginning of the fourteen hundreds, and which had given origin to a lot of migratory phenomena, including the one that brought the Vedikyu vine from Veneto to Marque. It is a vine that was accurately described by the first nineteenth century amplographers in descriptions which especially highlighted its quality. It was a vine, apart from the green hue of its berry, which had aptitude for both productivity and quality. In the various areas of the market, Vadicchio also had different names. Vadicchio Bianco, Vadicchio Verde, Vadicchio Jalo, vericchio vero vericchio marino, vericchio stretto, peloso, Prizello, Prizello comes from Verza, which in Italian means to avoid cabbage, hence, the name refers to the color of the cabbage. In umbria, it is called Vedone or Vedicchio Dolce or Vedelo or Vedeto. In the area of Castelli Romani, Vedicchio was also known as Trebiano Verde. And was an important vine in the making of Castelli Romani wines before the post Voloxera reconstruction. It is called Machar Latino in the area of Macharatta and also in an internal part of the Marque region, the Metellica area, where they produce a wine that is a little bit different from the Vedicchio of Yeezy or those areas closer to the sea. In recent years, DNA analysis has uncovered some important relationships. It was discovered that the Vadicchio grown in the Marque region is almost the same as the Trebiano de Luggana, which spawned Luggana and Trebiano Diswave. The latter used to be mixed with Garganaga to give rise to suave. And to a minor vine from Trentino called Peverella. The name Peverella comes from the spicy flavor of the wine obtained from this variety just like a bit of pepper. In the book, San Giovanni, Lamrosco, and Othervine Stories, you wrote that the concept of Ortokknee in vines is not only linked to place of origin, but also where cultivated vines best express their qualities. Can you explain how Vadicchio found its foothold in the Marquae and why it expresses its best qualities in this region. Vadicchio certainly grows best and expresses its best characteristics in the Marquae. Here, it is cultivated in two zones that are pedagogically and climatically very different. The zone overlooking the Adriatic sea displays the morphological structure of a territory closed by valleys orientated in an east west direction. These fluvial valleys were created by more recent geological processes than the more internal parts of the Marquay region. Their soils generally belong to relatively recent geologic phases of the earth. The end of the tertiary era, the pleistocene, and the start of the quaternary era. These lands were formed under the sea and they emerged were uncovered when the sea levels dropped in the geological phase between the tertiary and the quaternary. Thus, these are alluvial soils. They have a clay structure. Very often, they are also rocky in the areas of active erosion, and in accumulations within the valleys that descended towards the sea, quite calcareous mild limestone. This means Vadikeo can express a very important quality that is determined by the late maturation and conservation of high acidity allowing the wine to age well. The climatic conditions are those termed Alto Colonari. Or high and hilly with an average rainfall around seven hundred to eight hundred millimeters per year and an average temperature below fourteen degrees Celsius. The winkler index is sixteen hundred to seventeen hundred degree days. A range that would define a viticultural zone as ideal for the production of quality white wines. There is also another more internal area where verdeciro is grown between the Umbro Marquay Appanines and the pre Appanines of the Marquay. The only valley positioned parallel to the Adriatic. While the other valleys of the region run east west, the Matellica valley runs in a north south orientation. This valley is positioned at a certain elevation between four hundred and seven hundred meters high, and it has a very interesting geologic origin because it is one of the few fault lines in Italy. We don't have many fault lines in Italy. I mean, deep fractures in the earth's crust resulting from the movement of tectonic plates. This fault formed during the pliocene in marine conditions, meaning this fracture, this furrow opened up under the sea, and it collected lots of sediment deposits during the last part of the quaternary era. These deposits are termed terrigenus because they are not of marine origin, but terrestrial origin. And they slide down and accumulate in this trench in the sea floor. Normally, they are called fleece and they are composed of alternating layers of Marl and Sandstone. Naturally then, when the sea receded, it left these deposits in the fault, this depression. The association of this Marl and Sand that derives from the weathering of Sandstone coupled with a very particular climate gives rise to a verdicchio that is completely different from that produced inside Yeezy. The Matellica Valley climate is continental with large temperature swings, strong rains, and less breeze. While that of Yeezy is more typically marine. It is a climate that has no marine influence, and this is very interesting because the altitude, up to seven hundred meters, the Marley soils, and the abundant rainfall, make this almost a continental wine, more like a nordic wine than a marine wine. In fact, the descriptors are very different between the two wines. The freshness is very different above all, and recognizable between wines produced near the sea and those produced on the Appenae mountain chain. Let's get back to the characteristics of the vine itself and the particulars of its cultivation. It's a plant that doesn't vary much morphologically. It doesn't present many variations. This vine is rather uniform in its morphology and in its production. It produces large, heavy clusters of grapes. The vine itself is fairly vigorous with a semi upright habit. It loves clay soils in the hills that are somewhat late ripening because these climates go hand in hand with the fruit's tendency to mature progressively. It's a late ripening variety that, unfortunately, because of the time it takes to mature, makes it susceptible to pretritus. Still, it is a vine that is well positioned to adapt to a change in climate. It has reacted positively to rises in temperature because it has not changed its two phenological phases. Thus, the time from budburst to ripening has remained relatively constant. And this has allowed the fruit to avoid suffering during the heat of the summer that is linked to ripening. As I said, Vidicchio can sometimes suffer from botitis. It is very susceptible to fungal infections of the woods such as Eska. And this can keep plants from reaching old age. Disease can hit plants of a certain age and, as such, the grower is forced to eliminate them. Historically, Vadicchio has also been grown in mixed cultivation. Due to its vigor, those farming in a sharecropper system raise the vine along with other plants while they also practiced other activities such as raising meat, cereal, and olive oil production. This mixed production allowed the vine to manifest all of its vigor and show great productivity. From the vine to the bottle, what are some of the key characteristics of verdicchio wines from the Marquay region? Ideally, it is vinified as much as possible in reductive conditions because its aromatic descriptors are essentially linked to development in low oxygen environments. This imparts some chemical compounds very characteristic of the grape variety that then allow the wines age very well in the bottle. It is one of the few Italian grapes that has this gift to be able to improve over time in the bottle. The two primary verdicchio zones, that of Yazy and that of Matellica, are differentiated in their pedological and climatic characteristics and produce two very different types of wines. Wine be consumed in the same year of their production have a strong yellow color with green reflections, floral descriptors dominate. Acacia flower in particular, with some citrus sensations and a very precise almond flavor. Through the aging process, these evolve substantially towards tertiary descriptors that typically define other important wines such as kerosene flint, mineral stone, and that are composed of chemical compounds that belong to the isopronides. These become through the phenomena of hydrolysis in the wine, chemical compounds born of calatines called Vitice virins and TDNs. This is very important because carotenes are products that form inside the grape given ample light. This is also why Vadekiya relies on very bright environments in order to produce these descriptors deriving of carotenes and that naturally allow the wines to last a long time. Of course, VINification is performed as for a white wine and hyper reduction, as they say, avoiding all contact with the air or oxygen. Such a production process maintains the chemical precursors that later become important in the aging of wine, even for very long periods of time. Verdicchio daZ and Verdicchio D metellica, to very diverse market territories. Let's hear the main differences between them. Perhaps if we had to distinguish between the two wines, we could say that in those from Metellica, freshness and acidity prevail. Along with floral vegetable and citrus notes that are essentially linked to thiols and to descriptors of minerality. Meanwhile, in the wines from Yeezy, we tend to find bitterness, dried fruits, tropical fruits, and a certain spiciness. They might be a bit less ideal for prolonged aging, those that come from Yazy, because of this fundamental difference in their aromatic precursors. In Mediterranean vedicios that come from coastal areas, We value descriptors of fruit, flowers, and youthfulness. While in those from inland areas, we prefer some descriptors that will potentially become more significant with prolonged aging in the bottle. Well, since we are in Italy, we can't help. But talk about some food and wine pairings for Vadicchio. I'd say that this variety is presently undervalued by the consumer for its qualitative gifts. It could really become the quintessential Italian white wine along with Verintino. These are probably two of the great varieties that best represent the white wines of our country. They adapt well to a Mediterranean diet. They go great with appetizers. They are good with fish and they compare with elegant refined dishes. They can even accompany the elegant cured meats typical essential Italy such as prosciutto or certain salami. And naturally, those wines prepared from late harvest grapes go well with aged cheeses, even pastries, dried sweets, cookies, and such. Very well. Thank you, Artilio, for another fascinating lesson that will surely prove invaluable to those working in the sector or specializing in Italian wines. Grazimile to Professor Atilio Shenza, and we look forward to the next time. Thank you for your attention, and I invite you to our next installment. 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