Biancame is a white Italian wine

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 in the

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

and

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

regions of Italy. Here it is an important component in the '' Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) wines of Bianchello del Metauro and

Colli di Rimini Colli may refer to: Places of Italy ;Municipalities (''comuni'') *Colli a Volturno, in the province of Isernia *Colli del Tronto, in the province of Ascoli Piceno *Colli sul Velino, in the province of Rieti ;Civil parishes (''frazioni'') *Colli ( ...

.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 102 Allen Lane 2012

History

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 believe that Biancame likely originated in the Marche region of east-central Italy. The origins of the name Biancame is not yet known but the grape may have also been known as ''Morbidella'' in the past and has been frequently confused with other grape varieties that share similar synonyms and features.

Viticulture

Biancame is a mid to late-ripening grapevine that can be vigorous and prone to produce large canopies of leaves that need to be managed in the vineyard.

Wine regions

In 2000, there were of Biancame planted in Italy. The majority of plantings are found in the Marche provinces of

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...

Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ''comune'' in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is around 46,000 but the urban area of the city has more than 93,000. Geo ...

and Pesaro and Urbino as well as the Emilia-Romagna province of Forlì-Cesena.

Wines

According to Master of Wine

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 ...

, Biancame tends to produce delicate white wines with fruity flavors and floral aromas. The grape is the primary component in the Marche DOC wine of ''Bianchello del Metauro'' produced in the province Pesaro and Urbino. While the wine can be 100% varietal Biancame, up to 5% of

Malvasia bianca Lunga 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. ...

(known locally as Malvasia Toscana), can also be included. Likewise, Biancame can be a varietal or blending component in the white DOC wine of Colli di Rimini produced in the province of Rimini in Emilia-Romagna. Here Biancame must make up at least 85% of the blend with Pignoletto,

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

Riesling Italico Welschriesling is a white wine grape variety, unrelated to the Rhine Riesling, that is grown throughout Central Europe. Origin The descendance of Welschriesling is uncertain. The German name ''Welschriesling'' literally means ' Romanic Riesling' ...

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

, Pinot blanc and

Müller-Thurgau Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety (sp. ''Vitis vinifera'') which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine R ...

permitted to collectively fill in the remaining 15%.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pg 149 Firefly Books 2004

Synonyms and confusion with other grapes

Over the years, several varieties have been known under the synonym of ''Biancame'' including Malvasia di Sardegna, Trebbiano Toscano and Albana.

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)
Albana
'' Accessed: February 17th, 2014 In addition to being confused with these varieties due to the naming similarities, Biancame has also been confused for the Marche grape Passerina as well as Trebbiano due to similarities in the grapevine's appearances. While there are no official synonyms for the Biancame grape of Marche and Emilia-Romagna listed in the

(VIVC), wine experts Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz note that ''Morbidella'' has been possibly used as a synonym for Biancame in the past.

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties