Abbuoto is a red
Italian wine
Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted for ...
grape variety
This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
that is grown primarily in the
Lazio
it, Laziale
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region of central
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. Historically the grape was believed to be responsible for the
Ancient Roman wine
Ancient Rome played a pivotal role in the history of wine. The earliest influences on the viticulture of the Italian peninsula can be traced to ancient Greeks and the Etruscans. The rise of the Roman Empire saw both technological advances in and ...
''
Caecubum Caecuban wine (Latin: ''Caecubum'', Greek: ''Kaikoubos'') came from a small territory, ''ager Caecubus'', at Amyclae in coastal Latium (in the region known today as the Plain of Fondi). Around 70 BC, Varro already regarded this district as a place ...
'' that was praised by writers such as
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
and
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
but historians and wine experts such as
Jancis Robinson
Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...
and
Julia Harding
This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
note that connection is likely erroneous.
[J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 3, 196 and 940, Allen Lane 2012 ]
The grape is primarily used as a blending variety where it often contributes
body
Body may refer to:
In science
* Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space
* Body (biology), the physical material of an organism
* Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...
,
phenolics and high
alcohol levels
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
. As of 2000, there were 717
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...
s (1,772 acres) of the grape planted in Italy.
Some
ampelographer
Ampelography ( ἄμπελος, "vine" + γράφος, "writing") is the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines, ''Vitis'' spp. Traditionally this has been done by comparing the shape and colour of the ...
s suspect that the Lazio grape variety
San Giuseppe nero
San Giuseppe nero is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in central Italy where it is a permitted variety in the ''Indicazione geografica tipica'' (IGT) wines of the Lazio region. Some plantings of the grape can be found in southern Ital ...
may be related to (or possibly a
clone) of Abbuoto but so far
DNA analysis has not yet confirmed such suspicions.
Origins
![Piedirosso](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Piedirosso.jpg)
DNA profiling has not definitively revealed Abbuoto's origin though the grape is almost definitely
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
to central Italy. A 2010 study from an Italian research team suggested that Abbuoto is a
crossing of the
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campanian s ...
red grape varieties
Piedirosso
Piedirosso is a red Italian wine grape variety that is planted primarily in the Campania region. The grape is considered a specialty of the region, being used to produce wines for local and tourist
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; ...
and
Casavecchia, however addition results from the same 2010 research also posited that the relationship between Abbuoto and Casavecchia may actually be reversed with Casavecchia being a cross of Abbuto and
Malvasia Bianca di Candia
Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world ...
.
Caecuban wine (Latin: ''Caecubum'', Greek: ''Kaikoubos'', Italian: ''Cècubo'') was produced on a small vineyard in the low lying marshy region, south of
Terracina
Terracina is an Italian city and ''comune'' of the province of Latina, located on the coast southeast of Rome on the Via Appia ( by rail). The site has been continuously occupied since antiquity.
History Ancient times
Terracina appears in anci ...
(today's southern
Lazio
it, Laziale
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and northern
Campania
Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...
). The synonym ''Cècubo'' derived from the belief that Abbuoto was the variety used to provide the famous
Caecuban wine Caecuban wine (Latin: ''Caecubum'', Greek: ''Kaikoubos'') came from a small territory, ''ager Caecubus'', at Amyclae in coastal Latium (in the region known today as the Plain of Fondi). Around 70 BC, Varro already regarded this district as a place ...
mentioned in the odes of
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
and
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
.
However Caecuban was a white wine, which following a standard Roman practice was aged for a number of years, during which it changed gaining a color of the "flames". The vintage was destroyed in the middle of the 1st century and Caecuban never recovered, however the name became a generic term for wine with the characteristic color of the true wine. Small quantities of undistinguished red wine called ''Cècubo'' are produced in the district today. An Italian wine expert and connoisseur Mimmo Albano tells a story that in some of the marshy areas around
Lake Fondi
Lake Fondi ( it, Lago di Fondi, la, Lacus Fundanus, Lacus Amyclanus) is a brackish lake about to the southeast of Rome in the Province of Latina, Lazio, Italy, in the region called Sud or "South" Pontino, the western end of which is the Piana di ...
about 50 miles south of Rome, there were some old, neglected vines of a type that was thought to be the ancient Abbuoto. Cuttings were taken from these vines and nursed back to health. The healthy vines were definitely different from any other variety currently known, and the claim that they are the same as the ancient Abbuoto has remained unchallenged.
Viticulture
The Abbuoto vine tends to produces large dark colored berries with thick skins. The grape tends to
ripens in the middle of the
harvest
Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...
season (early to mid October depending on the
vintage
Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...
year) but can be prone to producing irregular and inconsistent
yields.
Wine regions
![Convolvolo verso Fondi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Convolvolo_verso_Fondi.JPG)
Abbuoto is found primarily in the Lazio region of central Italy where it associated with the villages of
Fiuggi,
Fondi
Fondi ( la, Fundi; Southern Laziale: ''Fùnn'') is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. As of 2017, the city had a population of 39,800. The city has experienced steady population ...
,
Formia
Formia is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, on the Mediterranean coast of Lazio, Italy. It is located halfway between Rome and Naples, and lies on the Roman-era Appian Way. It has a population of 38,095. Istat 2017
History
...
,
Monte San Biagio
Monte San Biagio ( Southern Laziale: ''Muntciegl'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, in southern Lazio (Italy). It is located on the slope of a hill part of the Monti Ausoni. Until 1862 it was known as Monticello.
History and m ...
and
Terracina
Terracina is an Italian city and ''comune'' of the province of Latina, located on the coast southeast of Rome on the Via Appia ( by rail). The site has been continuously occupied since antiquity.
History Ancient times
Terracina appears in anci ...
. There is also some plantings in Campania around
Sessa Aurunca where the grape is often blended with Piedirosso and
Primitivo
Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštel ...
. As of 2000, there were 717 ha (1,772 acres) of the variety planted throughout Italy.
DOC wines
Abbuoto is a permitted grape variety in several ''
Denominazione di origine controllata
The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine:
* ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”),
* ''Indicazione geografica tipic ...
'' (DOC) regions including the
Aprilia DOC where the grape can be produced as a
varietal
A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...
wine provided that the wine is composed of at least 95% of the grape. In the
Atina DOC
Atina is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio region of central Italy.
The economy is mostly based on agriculture (olive oil, wine – including Cabernet blanc, Cabernet – and beans).
History
Atina was a town of the Samni ...
, up to 15% Abbuoto with other local red grape varieties can be blended in the DOC red wine along with
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
(50-70% of the blend),
Syrah
Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...
(10-30%),
Merlot
Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...
(10-30%) and
Cabernet franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...
(10-30%). Abbuoto grapes destined for DOC wine producing in Atina must harvested to a yield no greater than 12
tonnes
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United States ...
/ha with the finished wine attaining a minimum alcohol level of at least 12%. A separate ''
Riserva
Reserve wine is wine of a higher quality than usual, a wine that has been aged before sale, or both. Traditionally, winemakers would reserve some of their best wine rather than sell it immediately, coining the term.
In some countries the use of t ...
'' bottling can also be produced provided the wine attains a minimum alcohol level of at least 12.5% and is
aged
Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In ...
at least two years prior to release.
[P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 121-205 Firefly Books 2004 ]
In the
Castelli Romani DOC, up to 15% Abbuoto with other local red grape varieties can be blended in the DOC red wine along with
Cesanese Comune
Cesanese Comune (more commonly known as just Cesanese) is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Lazio region. The grape has three ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) regions dedicated to it- Cesanese di Affi ...
,
Sangiovese
Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape i ...
,
Montepulciano
Montepulciano () is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits high on a limestone ridge, east of Pienza, southeast of Siena, southeast of Florence, and north of Rome b ...
,
Nero Buono
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
and Merlot. For the DOC red wines, the grapes must be harvested toa maximum yield no greater than 12 tonnes/ha with the finished wine needing to attain a minimum alcohol levels of at least 11%. In the
Genazzano DOC, up to 20% Abbuoto with other local red grape varieties can be blended in the DOC red wine along with Sangiovese (70-90% of the blend) and Cesanese (10-30%). Here on the southern slopes of
Monti Prenestini
The Monti Prenestini is a mountain range in the Lazio sub-Apennines, in central Italy to the east of Rome. It is of limestone formation. It is bounded by the Monti Tiburtini to the north, by the Monti Ruffi to the east, and by the valley of th ...
south of Rome, the grapes are harvested up to a maximum yield of 14 tonnes/ha with the finished wine attaining a minimum alcohol level of at least 11%.
In the large
Tarquinia DOC that expands across the
Viterbo
Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo.
It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history. ...
and
Rome province
The Province of Rome ( it, Provincia di Roma) was one of the five Provinces of Italy, provinces that formed part of the Regions of Italy, region of Lazio in Italy. It was established in 1870 and disestablished in 2014. It was essentially cotermin ...
, up to 30% Abbuoto with other local red grape varieties can be blended in the DOC red wine along with Sangiovese and/or Montepulciano which either separate or together must account for at least 60% of the blend and Cesanese which makes up to 25% of the blend. Grapes are limited to a maximum yield of 12 tonnes/ha with the finished wine needing to attain a minimum alcohol level of 10.5%. A ''
novello'' wine can also be produced with the same blending requirements and a minimum alcohol level of at least 11%.
Synonyms
Over the years Abbuoto has been known under a variety of synonyms including Aboto and Cecubo.
Vitis International Variety Catalogue
The Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) is a database of various species and varieties/cultivars of grapevine, the genus ''Vitis''. VIVC is administered by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding (''Institut für Rebenzüchtung Gei ...
(VIVC)
Abbuoto
'' Accessed: December 25th, 2012
References
{{reflist
Red wine grape varieties