Looking To Italy For New Winegrape Varieties

Professore Vittorino Novello of the University of Turin, President of the International Viticulture Group for Innovation, was impressed with how California winegrape growers are handling Italian varietals, but suggested they modify their pruning practices. (Photo credit: David Eddy)

Professore Vittorino Novello of the University of Turin, President of the International Viticulture Group for Innovation, was impressed with how California winegrape growers are handling Italian varietals, but suggested they modify their pruning practices. (Photo credit: David Eddy)

Growers in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada gathered recently to hear what Professor Novello had to say about their region.

That would be Professore Vittorino Novello of the University of Turin, who was invited by University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Lynn Wunderlich to tour foothill vineyards and share his thoughts.

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Growers in the region are finding success producing Italian grape varieties, owing in part to the ideal microclimate and soils the foothills provide.

Novello, who is currently President of the International Viticulture Group for Innovation, discussed production techniques for varieties such as ‘Barbera,’ ‘Nebbiolo,’ ‘Sangiovese,’ and ‘Vermentino’ while touring foothill vineyards. He concluded his visit with a lecture on what lesser-known Italian varieties might work out well for area growers. (See “New Cultivars For California” on the following two pages.)

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The visit was sponsored by the El Dorado Wine Grape Growers Association, the Amador Winegrowers Association, the El Dorado Winery Association, and the Amador Vintners.

Novello said he was impressed overall with the growers’ handling of the Italian cultivars, considering it is — in winegrowing years — a relatively new area.

“Growers here know very well how to grow these varieties,” he said. “The only concern I have is the pruning type. Spur pruning is not good for some of these varieties — they should be cane-pruned.”

In Italy, noted Wunderlich, growers routinely cane-prune these varieties because they are so vigorous.

Perhaps the most vigorous of all Italian white varieties is ‘Erbaluce’ — a grape often used to produce sparkling wines — which also happens to be Novello’s favorite.

“It has big vigor,” he said. “That’s why for me it is special.”

Of course, that “big vigor” will certainly test a viticulturist, Novello said.

“I took one student there (to the vineyard) and said ‘If you can prune ‘Erbaluce,’ you can prune anything.’”

Before getting into what lesser-known cultivars might work well in California, Novello had one other piece of advice for growers of Italian varieties: Don’t be so aggressive with leaf-pulling to get sunlight into the canopy.

“Focus on equilibrium — leaves produce grapes. This environment is very hot,” he added in his classic Italian accent: “Don’t expose too much the clusters, especially the white.”

NEW CULTIVARS FOR CALIFORNIA

 

Novello Italian Varieties - Albarossa

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Albarossa’ (Red)

Perhaps best known because viticulturists originally thought it to be a ‘Barbera’/’Nebbiolo’ cross, but the latter was later determined to be ‘Chatus.’ (‘Chatus’ [syn. ‘Nebbiolo di Dronero’] x ‘Barbera’)

Growing Characteristics
• breaking medium-late
(1st half of April)
• maturation medium-late
(1st third of October)
• medium vigorous
• cluster: medium or medium-small and compact
• constant and high yield
• needs good exposition on hillsides
• more sensible to powdery than downy mildew

Wines
• High alcohol
• High titratable acidity
• High phenols
• More anthocyanins
• Less tannins

 

Novello Italian Varieties - Montepulciano

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Montepulciano’ (Red)
“A very eclectic variety,” Novello says, “you can make many different kinds of wines.”

In Italy, plantings are increasing of this varietal, which yields about 4 to 6 tons per acre. While older vineyards are generally cane-pruned, newer vineyards are spur pruned.

Growing characteristics
• Leaves: medium-big, pentagonal, dark
green upper, greyish green lower
• Shoots: medium-good vigor, opened tip,
white-green apical leaves
• Clusters: medium, conical-cylindrical, often with wings
• Berries: medium, ovate
• Budbreak: mid-April
• Flowering: first half of June
• Ripening: mid-October

Wines
• High alcohol
• Good acidity and
phenolic content
• Wide range of styles

 

Novello Italian Varieties - NERO DI TROIA

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Nero Di Troia’ (Red)
Becoming very popular with consumers in Italy, it’s also grower-friendly in that
it’s quite resistant to powdery mildew.

Growing characteristics
• breaking medium-late (1st half of April)
• maturation medium-late (1st third of October)
• good vigor
• cluster: medium pyramidal and compact (15 to 20 cm)
• medium yield
• needs good exposition on hillsides
• more sensible to downy than powdery mildew
• sensible to ‘favonio’ (warm wind from South)

Wines
• High alcohol
• medium titratable acidity
• High phenols
• anthocyanins
• Less tannins

3 From Sicily

Editor’s Note: The following three varieties are from the southernmost growing region of Sicily, and may be of especially keen interest to growers in hot climates.

Novello Italian Varieties - NERO D’AVOLA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Nero D’Avola’ (Red)
Called ‘Calabrese’ by some, Novello says “It is the king of Sicilian grapes,” and is cultivated all over the island. It produces a wine that is “high alcohol, but good acidity, which is unusual for Sicily.”

Growing characteristics
• Leaves: big, circular, dark green upper, pale green lower
• Shoots: vigorous, opened tip,
light-pink, bronze apical leaves
• Clusters: medium, conical,
one wing
• Berries: medium, elliptic or obovate
• Budbreak: mid-April
• Flowering: beginning-middle May
• Ripening: first half of September

Wines
• High alcohol
• Good acidity and high phenolic content
• Wide range of styles
• Best wine is full-bodied, red; with intense bouquet of spices, hazelnut raspberry and other small fruits; velvety and smooth taste

 

Novello Italian Varieties - INZOLIA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Inzolia’ (White)
One of Sicily’s oldest grapes, it was consumed as a table grape in the past. Today, this low-acid variety is used as a white wine blend, and “participates in the construction of many white wines.”

• Vigor: high
• Habit: downwards shoot
• Pruning System: Guyot
• Propagation: good with the most important rootstocks
• Bunch Weight: high (200 to 400 grams)
• Berry Weight: high (2.5 to 3.0 g)
• Productivity: high
• Disease: sensitive to powdery mildew and downy mildew
• Bud Burst: medium-late (beginning-mid of April)
• Ripening: medium (mid of September)
• Must Characteristics: low acidity, high pH, oxidation problem due to catechins, norisoprenoid aroma (beta-damascenone).
• Cultivation Area: Western Sicily
• Number of Clones: 5

 

Novello Italian Varieties - ZIBIBBO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Zibibbo’ (White)
Presumably cultivated in Sicily since the time of the Phoenicians, like ‘Inzolia’ this grape was used primarily as a table grape as well as for raisins. It belongs to the ‘Muscat’ group, and was called by the ancients “Vitis Apianae” because it’s sweet and preferred by bees. “I couldn’t find a dessert wine in your area,” said Novello. “This could be the variety for it.”

• Vigor: medium
• Habit: upright shoot
• Pruning System: Guyot and spur
• Propagation: good with the common rootstocks
• Bunch Weight: high (200 to 500 g)
• Berry Weight: very high (5.5 g)
• Productivity: medium and
rather irregular
• Disease: slightly resistant to powdery mildew and downy mildew
• Bud Burst: early-medium (mid-March)
• Ripening: early (mid-August to beginning of September)
• Must Characteristics: terpenic aromatic compounds
• Cultivation Area: Pantelleria island and Western Sicily
• Number of Clones: No clones

 

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