Ep. 522 Pinot | Jumbo Shrimp Guide to International Grape Varieties

Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. I'm Rebecca Lawrence. And I am Yacupofan Chului, and we are the authors of the jumbo sharing guide to Italian wine series. This show or feature narrations of our second book in the series. The troubleshooting guide to Italian wine international grape varieties. We wrote this book for Curis white lovers. Especially those who enjoy the idea of having a lighthearted, entertaining crash course into this very broad topic. Joining us as we journey through the world of Italian wine. Thank you for listening to this episode of the jumbo shrimp Guide to Italian wine International Great varieties. The second and newest book in the jumbo shrimp series, we plan to continue bringing you more episodes each Thursday and remember, the kindle version of the book will soon be available on Amazon, and the paperback will likewise be available from positive press dot net. Also, rate our show wherever you tune in, find Italian wine podcast on Facebook and Instagram. Our Twitter handle is at ita wine podcast, check out at mama jumbo shred on TikTok. Are all pinot actually the same? Pino and wire, pinot blanc, and pinot grisot gris are great varieties that have often been speculated about in wine circles. Although they produce wines that are very different on a cellular level, They are incredibly similar. In this chapter, we dive a bit deeper into their origins and discuss whether they are truly an international variety or whether in reality we should be considering them to be Italian natives. Pino noir known as pinonero in Italy is usually a grape that prefers a cooler climate. However, in Italy, we find it all the way down in Sicily as early as eighteen hundred where it was known for its constant productivity and high sugar content. The only issue though was that rather than being made as a single grape variety, it was been a fight along with others. And so making a real assessment of its true qualities was tricky. This wasn't helped by the fact that down in these warm southern regions, it ripened so quickly that it was often subject to being eaten by birds or attacked by gray rot before it could be harvested. Having realized this when Feloxera struck. Many growers in the south gave up on the grape, leaving it to wineries in the north where it was more comfortable. This is why today, its largest quality production zone is concentrated in the where it is often identified as a sparkling wine. Small pockets are also found in Trentino, alto Adige, Frioli, and Eastern Veneto. Capitalizing on the cooler conditions to produce more elegant floral red fruited wines. But with good concentration due to the sunshine hours, pinot grisio or pinot gris, as it is often labeled outside of Italy, is the result of a mutation of pinot noir that was identified and replicated by wine merchant Johan Sega Ruland in seventeen eleven. The interest in this mutation is due to its ability to accumulate sugar more effectively than both pinot blanc and pinot noir. This means it is capable of giving more alcohol and riper flavors as well as being suitable for the production of sweet wines that require a late harvest such as due to its ability to produce very alcoholic and often sweet wines following the example of the Greek Malvasia, it is known as Malvoisie in Switzerland's Valle and Italy's Valosta. However, these wines are made from pinot grillo, not an actual manvazilla. It first found its place in Italy, entrentino, where it is documented as early as eighteen seventy one, known at this time as Borgonia Grijo, gray burgundy. It was used in this region as it was able to ripen where other varieties could not. Go sugar accumulation, but it had little luck here because despite ripening, it failed to be productive enough to excite winemakers. Instead, the first successful large plantings of Pino Grijo were in the Adice plains bordering Portsano and Trento. Where it still thrives today and has been accepted as a native. Pino Bianco is a mutation of Pino Nero that comes from an almost impossible series of circumstances. Indeed, it is spoken about as a chimerical mutation A mythical animal. This mutation is different from the one that originates from pinot grillo and is only actually clearly distinguishable after the grape has ripened. It is an ancient variety that has been cultivated for a long time in Germany and France and is now widespread throughout the world. Prefers to be grown in deep soils with a low limestone content. It expresses the best quality characteristics when grown at an altitude where ripening is slow and late to develop complex aroma characteristics. As you can see, these grapes all originate from pinot noir, which finds its birthplace in France. Thus, they are international varieties in Italy. However, I think you will find many producers working with these grapes that would consider them perhaps not native but more traditional and embedded in the culture of winemaking in their regions. Virietal spotlight on international grapes found in Italy. The border wines. The north of Italy shares borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. And as a result, some of the grapes found here are neither truly Italian nor actually international. Instead, they have crossed between borders and find themselves equally happy in either place. We thought it would be interesting to mention some of these as they are gaining in popularity, but occupy this strange gray area of neither truly international native, or even traditional. Tiburon. Rosese. This grape has wandered between northern coastal Italy and the south of France. In Italy, cultivation of Rosese is limited to a small section of western liguria where vines cling to steep mountain sides above the ligurian sea. The name came from rosso, in which refers to the berry's rich red color. The most famous example, rossez de Docciaqua, which is better quality and more widely cultivated and therefore the subject of this century. Whilst Rosese and Tiburon are genetically identical. Its original birthplace is undetermined. Rosese is less successful if planted too close to the sea. It is best in almost mountainous terrain and has a great ability to show terroir in the glass. It has a bright clear ruby red hue. This grape gives pretty fragrances of violets red currants, graphite, roses, and sometimes strawberries. The best examples of these wines have a distinct salinity. They have a vibrant acid and a dry mouthfeel. Rostese is graceful and charming and it's easygoing light to medium body delivery. Worth seeking out if you can find it. Oh, boy, does this grape get around? It can be found in numerous areas of Italy under a whole range of different names. However, it is also across the border and lives quite happily soaking up the sun in the south of France. Ralle, Vermentino, Faborita, and Pigato. Are genetically a single variety and yet any winemaker who works with them will tell you that they are distinctly different in both the vineyard and the glass. This situation is in fact analogous to the relationship that exists among the members of the Peno family as we've already touched on in the earlier chapter. This grape has many identities around Europe. In France, it is known as Role carveso Malvoisier Gogran Mavazia Grosa and Verlanta in France. It is found as Vermentino in Italy, liguria, Sardinia and Tuscany, but also as Pigato in Western liguria and as Faburita in Piamonte. This is a high quality variety capable of displaying a wide range of aromas and flavors, including musky aromatics, Acacia flowers, rosemary, thyme, citrus peach, apricot, apple, and tropical fruit. Some, especially those grown close to the coast, may have a saline finish. Nagurian Pigato stands out as it can be richer and creamier. But still with the Hallmark salinity. A high quality white variety with a long history of production and export. And indeed one that is growing in popularity as the trend of orange or skin contact wines takes over the wine bars of the world. This grape has traversed the border of Northern Italy as it is also found in Slovenia and Croatia. Numerous spelling variations exist and you can find it labeled as and not the same as the lesser quality or the of Amilia romagna. The best expressions of this grape are typically found in those grown on hillside vineyards as it tends to overproduce and can lose character elsewhere. High acidity and a hint of white pepper are hallmarks of ribo La jolla. Unless over cropped. Other flavors in aromas include flowers, buttercup, citrus fruit, lemon, and tangerine, and minerals. It does well with some skin contact and gives savory amberhude wines. Thank you for listening to this episode of the jumbo shrimp guide to Italian wine International Great varieties. The second and newest book in the jumbo shrimp series, we plan to continue bringing you more episodes each Thursday and remember the kindle version of the book will soon be available on Amazon, and the paperback will likewise be available from Positivepress dot net. Also, Ray R Show ever you tune in, find Italian wine podcast on Facebook and Instagram. Our Twitter handle is at ita wine podcast, check out at mama jumbo shrimp on TikTok.