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Autocthonous: a disputed
adjective
Autocthonous is a Greek word for
“native”. In a literal meaning we should consider autochthonous only a
vine whose first specimen came from a seed germinated in that “terroir”.
Actually the idea of autochthonous vine is wider, owing, if nothing else,
to the practical impossibility of verifying the subsistence of this
condition. In the XIX century all the French varieties we use to call
“international” and many foreigner “border” varieties were still grown in
Italy, though in small areas. Therefore we must refer to more distant
times to give a correct meaning to the word autochthonous. Anyway, the
necessity to plant again the vines destroyed by the phylloxera at the
beginning of XX century marked a very important moment in the history of
European viticulture and of its biodiversity: in fact it caused a
simplification due to the big loss of ancient varieties or, at least, of
their limited survival.
Biodiversity, old growers’
gift
Thousands of “accessions”
are present in Italian collection vine fields, while more than 300 grapes
are listed in the “National Grape List”, about twice than in France. This
disconcerting number is in conflict with the above assertion: the
simplification after the phylloxera. Actually many growers, while planting
vineyards with the most interesting grapes for the market, consciously
kept many old varieties, even those with little oenological interest (for
that time) and reducing the number to few plants. They were induced to do
this as a form of respect towards something that had been handed down to
them by former generations, and that they considered a mission to hand
down, in their turn, to their children and grand-children. One doesn’t cut
an old tree still giving fruits, before reproducing it by graft. Italy is
in the centre of the Mediterranean sea and has always been the crossing
“plaza” of all the ancient commerce and migrations: this position can well
explain its extraordinary vine biodiversity.Anyway, the three grapes we
are going to describe are not “minor” varieties, but they are largely
cultivated in the South of Italy and have a great oenological
interest.
The
origin of cultivated vines
The Vitis
vinifera L. has two subspecies, Vitis v. sativa and Vitis
v.silvestris (wild vine). European vines derive from the tillage of
wild vines. If compared with its ancestor, the European cultivated vine
shows some different characteristics: first of all it is a plant (with few
exceptions) with hermaphrodite flowers, that is each flower has a
masculine and a feminine apparatus, while wild vines are generally
dioecius, i.e. masculine and feminine flowers belong to separate
specimen.
It is thought that, before the last big glaciation, the
family of wild vines was widely spread all over Europe and probably in
part of Asia and that the above mentioned glaciation pushed it towards
southern Europe. The wild vine is still largely spread in Europe and in
western Asia.
According to Vavilov’s theory (the famous Russian
biologist), the cradle of all cultivated vines could be the region north
of Caucasus mountain range, more or less modern Georgia, the ancient
Colchide of the Greek myth of Argonauts, and maybe the first home of the
Dyonisus religious cult. This “orientalist” theory was based on some
evidences, like the enormous genetic variability to be fond in that area,
the great abundance and variety of wild vines, the traces of a very
ancient production of wine, that may be dated back to 5000 years B.C.;
this means long time before the most ancient evidences of the best known
civilizations (Egypt, Mesopotamia). But it is likely enough to imagine the
Middle East as the place where the vine was first cultivated, as this
region is considered the cradle of agriculture.
Other more “western”
theories (Levadoux and others) later argued that many
varieties of vine in western Europe should derive from the tillage of
local wild wines, while others should derive from the crossing of local
vines with eastern vines. The modern DNA analysis gave more certain
answers about this matter, even if many questions are still unanswered.
There is no doubt about the eastern origin of the tillage of vine and
production of wine, but the origin of European varieties is mostly local.
The modern vines cultivated in Europe seem mostly to derive from local
crossing, and their genotype refers both to eastern and western ancestors,
with great variability among the grapes. We must consider that once vines
were often propagate by seeds; also the commerce of raisin by sea may have
had some importance in spreading seeds towards western countries. Wild
vines produce big amounts of pollen and this helps the crossed
pollination.
First the Phoenician and then the Greeks spread the
cultivation of vines in Mediterranean countries, while it was above all
during the Roman Empire that this cultivation reached the interior of
Europe: France, Germany, Spain. In eastern Europe, along very uncertain
borders, the two lines of spreading met: the first from Caucasian and
middle east regions, the second from European countries (that had already
been tributary to eastern vines by sea).
The study of DNA reveals at
time unsuspected relations that have interestings aspects for historians.
In fact they join distant regions and, as Attilio Scienza observed, it is
not rare for genetic affinities between cultivated plants to keep up with
linguistic affinities among distant peoples: this may help to enlighten
some dark corner of history.
Italian autocthonous vines
Once
classifying varieties was done on the basis of morphology that is of the
outward appearance of leaves, of the vegetative tips, of the bunch, of the
single berry. Later other methods of a biochemical type (isoenzymes) were
added; at last molecular genetics. The DNA mapping permits the creation of
a bank whose data can be read by all the researchers in the world, while
on the morphological analysis different opinions and interpretations are
possible, and there are the environment and vine management effects on the
shape of leaves and berries. Anyway employing different methods of
research, both traditional and new, created and still creates some
confusion in the traditional knowledge. How to discover, for example, that
Falanghina is not one, but two; that people from three different
regions call a grape Bonarda meaning three different grapes; that
Pigato, Vermentino and Favorita are, on the contrary, the
same variety! This can also have unpleasant consequence on the market,
because some producers cannot use any more a name they have traditionally
employed. For instance, this happened in Piemonte with a grape called
Brachetto in
the region of Roero, different from the “official” Brachetto giving name
to a famous DOCG wine in the Acqui district: the classification didn’t’
make scientists popular with Roero wine growers!
Actually the method
we follow, to decide whether two grapes are different or are the same, is
conventional. The Italian “National Catalogue of the Varieties of Vines”
at Ministero delle Politiche Agricole is still based on the morphological
method integrated with the isoenzymes method, but it will be soon updated
with the DNA analysis. The proposal of Acovit (association of Italian
genetic vine constitutors, chairman Franco Mannini) suggests 6 describers
referring to the fingerprinting technique applied on six microsatellites
(stretches of DNA). In practice two “accessions” are considered to belong
to the same grape if they have the same sequences of DNA in a certain
number of sites. This doesn’t mean they are completely identical,
but sufficiently to be considered members of the same limited family of
the variety.
Inside this family a certain degree of variability is
usually to be found and this sometimes causes the definition of secondary
families called biotypes that may be distinct also owing to their
geographic locations. For instance, let us mention Nebbiolo, with its
biotypes Michet and Lampia (Barolo and Langhe area), Chiavennasca
(Valtellina), Picotener (Northern Piemonte and Val d’Aosta). Or Aglianico
with the biotypes of Taburno, Vulture and Taurasi regions.
The last
division, and we come to the clone, that is a group of identical plants.
All the clones referring to a variety come from the same mother plant:
they acquired different characters through the phenomenon of somatic
mutagenesis. In some varieties (perhaps more ancient?) we can find
more variability and the difference between clones is high: among them
Nebbiolo, Pinot noir, Fiano, Falanghina. In other grapes the clonal
variability is smaller. We are speaking of shape differences, because, at
the present state of the research, it is difficult to identify genetic
differences between the clones. This fact has important practical
consequences, for instance it is impossible to register a trade mark from
the constitutor. The present trend for vines with a large diffusion is to
select the clones intended for an area from the old vineyards and the
biotypes of that area.
Three
Italian varieties suitable for warm climate
The three grapes we are going to describe are very good vines
for the Southern Italy: they all can give very good wines in purity. The
climate of this areas can be compared with warm climate wine areas of
Australia, like Hunter Valley, in term of degree days, though rather more
continental. The warmest is eatern Sicily, where Nero d’Avola is grown,
the coolest is Irpinia, in Naples Hinterland, where thy produce Fiano up
to 600 meters of altitude. The difference between these two areas is about
150 DD. All these vines are late ripening, and keep a good level of
acidity while ripe. This fosters fresh flavours in the wine and good time
resistance.
Fiano (white)
A
grape called Fiano was first mentioned in 13th century: in a
register of the purchases of the Court of the Emperor Frederic II (Norman
kings were been ruling in south of Italy at that time) there was an order
of three “salme” (old measure unity): one of Greco, one of Grecisco and
one of Fiano. Little later, about the end of the century, the King
of Sicily Charles II Anjou orders the commissioner Guglielmo de Fisoni di
Cava to find 16.000 vines to be transported to Manfredonia (Puglia) to
plant the king’s vineyard.
Nowaday the vine Fiano is
recommended in all the provinces of Campania and Puglia and also in the
provinces of Ancona, Macerata, Ascoli Piceno and Potenza. It had been
always appreciated for the quality of the wine, but, after the phylloxera
destruction, the hectares cultivated with Fiano have been drastically
reduced and almost disappeared.It had been cultivated in Puglia since XII
century; before the phylloxera it had slowly spread all over that region
with different names (Latina Bianca, Minutola, Fiore Mendillo). But the
Fiano from Puglia is quite different from the one from Campania. Its berry
is round and its taste is so aromatic that it might even suggest a
different vine.
It was present also in Basilicata with the name Santa
Sofia but it has almost disapperad.
Its best zone is therefore
Campania, especially Irpinia, on the hills east of Avellino, where a DOCG
(denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) wine is produced, Fiano
di Avellino. Here it has come to the heights of its fame thanks to the
work of the family Mastroberardino. Its cultivation is strongly increasing
also in Beneventano (DOC Sannio Fiano). And above all in Salerno area.
The plant
The Fiano has medium-high vigour and it is usually cane pruned.
The bunch is rather small, quite loose, pyramid shaped, with a well
developed wing. The berry is elliptical, middle sized, golden-yellow with
some amber-coloured spots on its sunlit side and scantily waxy. Its thick
skin gives it a particular resistance to Botrytis, granting delayed
vintages. The harvest period is the beginning of October in
Irpinia.
The wine
From the ancient authors up to our time, Fiano has always been
considered one of the noblest white wines of the Italian peninsula. The
combination between the climate of the production area and the grape
offers a white wine of great delicacy at the nose: the main descriptors
are the apple, the pear, the hazelnut and honey. A good, well balanced
acidity and a good body make Fiano a long-lived wine. New wine
making techniques were experienced in the recent years (the fermentation
in oak barrels, the production of raisin wines), but without remarkable
improvements.
In traditional areas (Lapio) some farmers, still
employing ancestral methods of filtration, obtain a sweet wine, pleasantly
sparkling.
Falanghina
(white)
The Falanghina is one of the oldest
widely employed vine in the viticulture of Campania. Like may other
varieties that reached the “Campi Flegrei” region, Noth of Naples, this
vine could have arrived with the first Greek settlers (7th
century B.C.) and later have spread all over the region. The name
“Falanghina” seems to derive from a Latin noun falangae, that are the
stakes they used that time to support the vine. Strangely for so
ancient a grape the word hasn’t undergone big linguistic contaminations
through the centuries. We find F. mentioned with the same name in the XVI
and XVII century both in “Le Muse Napolitane” by Basile and in the
agronomic inventories. The old authors already considered the existence of
different types of Falanghina: recent DNA analysis confirmed we have two
distinct grapes, the Falanghina flegrea (area of Campi Flegrei), and
Falanghina beneventana (northern).
Diffusion
Falanghina is a
variety recommended in all the provinces of Campania, in Molise and in the
province of Foggia. After its success in ancient times and in XIX
century Falanghina Flegrea was almost destroyed by phylloxera and it took
time to regain the previous importance.
In Massico district, in 1970,
Francesco Avallone rediscovered this vine and increased its growing. At
the same time the family Martusciello started again from the few
centenarian ungrafted stumps they found near lake Averno and spread
its cultivation in the Flegrea region. At present Falanghina flegrea is
the most cultivated white grape in the province of Naples and Caserta and
the main grape for the DOC wines Falerno del Massico bianco, Galluccio
bianco and Campi Flegrei Falanghina. It may also be blended with different
percentages in many other DOC wines.
The plant
Falanghina vine prefers volcanic and tuff soils, with expanded
trellis systems and cane pruning, while it is vigorous. The bunch have an
average size (150-250 g) with a cylindrical, or, eventually, conical
shape, sometimes with a wing. The berry is spherical, average size,
yellow-grey in colour, rich in pruine wax on the skin, that is rather
thick. In the biotypes Falanghina bastarda or piccola the bunch and the
berry are smaller and the crop lower. The ripening is rather late, between
the end of September and the beginning of October in the Flegrea region.
It supports overripening and keeps always a rather high
acidity.
The wine
The wine obtained by Falanghina has a good alcoholic content
and good acidity; its colour is pale yellow or golden. Its flavour recalls
the “Annurca” apple (a local apple variety) with scents of spices and
vanilla that do not derive from the fining in oak barrels but from the
vine itself. In Caserta zone it is more savoury and easy to age, while in
Campi Flegrei is more mineral and fresher.
Nero
d’Avola
(Black of Avola)
History
We don’t have any historical
exact information about the most representative, noble and important
black-berry grape vine of the Sicilian production.
First of all we
must specify that the Nero d’Avola appears in the vine history of Sicily
with a different name, Calabrese, and this is the name which was also
registered in the “National Catalogue”. This word doesn’t derive from the
near region of Calabria, but from the Sicilian dialectal word “calavrisi”
which means “grapes from Avola”. From the small village of Avola near
Siracusa this vine was cultivated as afar as the areas of Noto and
Pachino, and, from there, all over Sicily. Before becoming the best known
of Sicilian red wines to age, the Nero d’Avola had a considerable success
in the production of fresh and young wines.
Up to some years ago it
was almost exclusively employed for blending to improve other wines and
was exported in big quantities, often by sea, both in Italy an abroad. In
France it was known as “le vin médecin” probably because it could improve
or strengthen some light wines. Nero was recently rediscovered by the best
known wine firms an d became the banner of Sicilian best wines in the
world. It strengthen the image of the island as a basis of autochthonous
vines of an extraordinary quality level.
Diffusion
Its Siracusan origin have never been betrayed, because, up to
today, in these zones, the Nero still reach a very high production.
Actually there is no land in Sicily without some traces of this grape that
can generally comply with the different climatic conditions of the terroir
where it is grown. Its cultivation, though, stoops at the lava sprouts of
Etna mountain, where it has never been successful. As it is a variety
recommended in all Sicilian provinces, it appears in the composition of
many DOC wines.
The plant
The bunch is average size, conical, winged and rather tight.
The berry is middle-sized, elliptical with a skin not too thick and almost
blue. If the grape is squeezed it gives very sweet juice of a red-violet
colour and good acidity. The crop is regular. It prefers short, spur
pruning, and compact trellis system. The classical shape is the low
head-pruned bush-vine. In eastern Sicily the full ripening of the grapes
is usually reached after mid September.
The wine
In the past the Nero was often blended with other varieties
(Frappato, Nerello Mascalese and others). Nowadays many famous producers
prefer to employ the pure Nero. They obtain a very good ageing wine, of a
red cherry colour, with a complex and strong scent of red fruit, earth,
spices. If tasted, it is a full-bodied wine, warm and dry, with a delicate
tannin weft.
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