Ep. 1358 Marco Gandini Narrates Pt. 13 | Italian Wine Unplugged 2.0

By now, you've all heard of Italian wine Unplugged two point o. The latest book published by Mamma jumbo shrimp. It's more than just another wine book. Fully updated second edition was inspired by students of the Vin Italy International Academy and painstakingly reviewed and revised by an expert panel of certified Italian wine ambassadors from across the globe. The book also includes an addition by professor Atilio Shenza. Italy's leading vine geneticist. The benchmark producers feature is a particularly important aspect of this revised edition. The selection makes it easier for our readers to get their hands on a bottle of wine that truly represents a particular grape or region to pick up a copy, just head to Amazon dot com, or visit us at mama jumbo shrimp dot com. For all the super wine geeks out there, we have a special new series dedicated to you. We are reading excerpts from our new addition of Italian wine unplugged two point o. Wine lovers tune in for your weekly fix only on Italian wine podcast. If you want to own a copy of this new must read Italian wine textbook, just go to amazon dot com or visit us at mama jumbo shrimp dot com. Native traditional and international varieties. Great varieties can be divided into three categories. Native also called autochtinous, or indigenous, traditional, and international, known as eloctopus or foreign. Native grape varieties, are those born in a specific locality or grown there for thousands of years rarely travel out of the place and are not commonly found anywhere else? Thiano, for example, is a native Italian grape that originated around La Pio, a small town located east of Avilino in the company region. Today's day, Fiano remains closely associated with the area. Varieties that originate elsewhere but become closely associated with a particular place over a long period of time can be called native. Between the native and international categories, we find traditional varieties. These are international grape varieties that have been grown long enough in a particular place to become an interesting part of that agricultural tradition. Most experts agree that any variety grown regularly for at least three hundred years is traditional to that area. It follows that varieties such as cover name, Frank, and Merlo, which have been grown in Italy's Venetto and Ferulio, Vanessa, regions, since at least the eighteenth century are traditional to those areas. Carbonese avignon and chardonnay are much later arrivals to friuli. So they are technically considered international varieties in that region rather than traditional. International Greek varieties are found almost everywhere in the world. Having been planning relatively recently in new locations in an effort to replicate the success of French wines. Well known varieties such as chardonnay and carbonet sauvignon are native to France and are used to produce some of the world's most famous wine. Such grapes, have become the ultimate international varieties and are also now found in Italy. Although this book focuses on Italy's native varieties, we recognize the importance of international grapes and their ever growing importance in many prominent Italian wines. Bulgaria, along the southwestern coast of Tuscany, is an example of the value added to famous wines of Italy, by international varieties such as Cabernet sauvignon and Merlo. And where will the sparkling wines of Franca Corta, be without Chardonnay, and pinot noir? With this in mind, we published the jumbo shrimp guide to international grape varieties in Italy, Positive Press twenty twenty one. The Via Italian wine Ambassador course has also expanded its practical tasting sessions to include Italian wines that feature international varieties to expand and increase our students' knowledge and understanding of how these grapes function in the Italian wine sector. Great varieties in Italy are listed in an official database called, the national registry of grape varieties, maintained by Italy's Ministry of Agriculture and updated annually the registry contains a catalog of more than five hundred varieties and have undergone a lengthy administrative process to be certified as being suitable for cultivation in certain parts of Italy. Grapes continue to be discovered or recovered in Italy, so we always suggest that serious students of Italian wine keep up to date directly with the registry. What's in the name? At first glance, the names of individual grape varieties can seem haphazard. However, there are few linguistic clues that help decode some of the ways Italian grapes are named. For example, words like verde, green, or yellow, refer to color. More clues include suffixes that indicate size, all referred to something small or diminutive. Dolceto is a good example of this with meaning sweet and the suffix creating a name which translates as little sweet one. The suffix one refers to something large, Amaroni's name stems for the word amaro, meaning bitter, adding the suffix oni creates a name that defines the wine as big and bitter wide. In general, Italian grapes can be grouped into five primary naming categories according to the following traits. First, category attributes, such as color, aroma, and flavor, verdicchio, a white grape of marque, is named for its green color or verde in Italian. Italian wine podcast brought to you by mama jumbo shrimp. Two, physical attributes, such as the shape of the grape bunch and or the berries. Pignol is named after the shape of its grape bunch, which is similar to a pine cone or pigna in Italian. Three, Vitocultural or organoleptic characteristics of the wines made from the variety, Cartarato, takes its name from the Italian word, Katarate, or waterfalls. A reference to the waterfall like shape of the bunch, as well as the high yields of which this grape is capable for, perceived origin of the variety. The name Malvasia is bestowed on many Italian varieties and is a reference to the Greek city of Monim Vasia, an island location, which is believed to be the original home of this family of grapes. Five, names of people, saints, or other religious reference. Trier, a native grape of aosta valley, takes its name from the French word to pray. Great names are important in Italy because they directly affect white labeling. In Italy, as in France, and other wide producing nations, whites are labeled in a number of different ways. The following criteria are most frequently used. Focus on varietal name. Focus on the name of a specific place. Focus on a fantasy name, which can be the producer's family name, or something along the lines of the name of a flower whose color resembles the color of the wine. Or the name of a bird that frequents a vineyard where the grapes grown and so on. A combination of all the above can be included on more complex labels. To emphasize the complications that can arise, Consider that in Italy, the names San Giovanni indicate both the name of the wines and the grape varieties they are made from. Alternatively, wines such as Bernelo de Montecino and Barolo made with hundred percent sangiovese and Nebiolo grapes respectively take their names from very specific areas of production. These names reflect a specific terroir in a which these grapes are grown. Wines with place names are common as some areas of the country are particularly suited to specific grape varieties. In theory, wines made with grapes grown in those specific places tend to be better than those made with the same grapes grown elsewhere. Producers that own vines in historically famous wine growing areas have a specific interest in including the place name and the name of the wine. Their wine will likely be perceived as superior due to the geographical specificity and the historic legacy of the terroir naming wines with specific place names as opposed to variety of labeling is typical of countries where wine has been made for a long time. In France and Germany, for example, there are many vineyards that are historically famous due to their long association with high quality wines. That's why when discussing burgundy wines, people will refer to Mussigny or a chablis instead of a pinot noir or a chardon a y. This reference to a specific place is beginning to characterize new work by making countries, such as the US and Australia, where it is becoming increasingly commonplace to refer to American pinot noirs as coming from Russian River or Santa Barbara. Or to a shirah as hailing from Marosa or the hunter valley in Australia. In Italy, as in France, where wine making has been taking place for centuries This site specificity is taken to extremes, identifying wines, not only by large areas, Ches Sicily or Tuscany, but also by small towns such as Casteniole Mufferato, or Montepulciano. This type of terroir driven labeling is becoming increasingly common in the rest of the winemaking world as well. Today, people refer to an napa carbonet as coming from Rutherfordford or from Centelina, a new trend for twenty first century labeling. The multiplicity of Italian native grapes may seem hard to comprehend at times, yet a deeper look into the diversity is rewarding. For wine enthusiasts and professionals alike. Not least because it leads to a fuller appreciation of Italian wine and its culture. Among white grapes, the most well known include names such as Friulano, Rigula, Gerganica, Fiano, Greco, Valentino, and Arnese. Among red grapes, the most well known include Nibiolo, San Jose, Alianico, Barbara, Delcito, Lagrine, and Aside from these better known names, many more high quality Italian grapes exist that are increasingly used to make wonderful food friendly wines. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, EmailIFM, and more. Don't forget to subscribe and break the show. If you enjoy listening, please consider donating through Italian wine podcast dot com. Any amount helps cover equipment, production, and public costs. Until next time.