Pallagrello bianco is a white
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 in
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 grape has a long history in the region and was one of the varieties planted in 1775 by architect and engineer
Luigi Vanvitelli
Luigi Vanvitelli (; 12 May 1700 – 1 March 1773), known in Dutch as (), was an Italian architect and painter. The most prominent 18th-century architect of Italy, he practised a sober classicising academic Late Baroque style that made an eas ...
in the fan-shaped ''Vigna del Ventaglio'' vineyard created for
the royal palace of King
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I (12 January 1751 – 4 January 1825) was the King of the Two Sicilies from 1816, after his restoration following victory in the Napoleonic Wars. Before that he had been, since 1759, Ferdinand IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinand I ...
(Ferdinand IV of Naples) in
Caserta
Caserta () is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Camp ...
.
[Anna Russo ']
Il Pallagrello, eccellente e versatile vino regale
'' (Italian) Supereva. Accessed: June 30th, 2013 Following the
phylloxera epidemic
The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid waste to the wine industry. It was caused by an aphid that originated in North America and was carried across the Atl ...
of the mid-19th century and the economic devastation of the
World War
A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...
s of the early 20th century, plantings of Pallagrello bianco declined greatly and the variety was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered growing in an abandoned Campanian vineyard in the 1990s.
[J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 761–762 Allen Lane 2012 ]
Despite having similar names and both varieties originated in Campania, Pallagrello bianco is not a
color mutation
The propagation of grapevines is an important consideration in commercial viticulture and winemaking. Grapevines, most of which belong to the ''Vitis vinifera'' family, produce one crop of fruit each growing season with a limited life span for ind ...
of the red Campanian wine grape
Pallagrello nero
Pallagrello nero is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in Campania. The grape has a long history in the region and, like the similarly named Pallagrello bianco, was one of the varieties planted in 1775 by architect and engineer Luigi Va ...
though
DNA profiling
DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's DNA characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding.
DNA profiling is a forensic tec ...
has not determined yet if the two varieties are closely related. DNA analysis has ruled out a relationship with another white Campanian wine grape,
Coda di Volpe
Coda di Volpe is a white Italian wine grape variety that has been historically grown in the Campania region around the town of Naples. It is often confused with another white Italian wine grape, Emilia, that share many of the same synonyms as Cod ...
, which is known under the synonym ''Pallagrello'' and has similar looking "
fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, r ...
-shaped" grape clusters.
History and name
Ampelographers
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 ...
believe that Pallagrello bianco is likely native to Campania and originated in what is now the
province of Caserta
The Province of Caserta ( it, Provincia di Caserta) is a province in the Campania region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta, situated about by road north of Naples. The province has an area of , and had a total population of 9 ...
somewhere between the communes of
Piedimonte Matese
Piedimonte Matese () is a (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italy, Italian region of Campania, located about 82 km north of Naples and about 40 km north of Caserta.
Geography
Piedimonte Matese borders the following mun ...
and
Alife. The grape was traditionally made as a
straw wine
Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but is a much older process and suitable for warm climates. The technique dates back ...
with the name ''Pallagrello'' being derived from the
Italian word
Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 85 m ...
''pagliarello'' which refers to the straw mat that Pallagrello bianco were laid on after
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 ...
to dry out before
fermentation
Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...
.
The first written records of the grape date back to the late 18th century under the synonym ''Pallarelli''. Under another old synonym, ''Piedmonte bianco'', Pallagrello bianco was one of the varieties included in the fan-shaped ''Vigna del Ventaglio'' vineyard created in 1775 by architect Luigi Vanvitelli for King Ferdinand's royal palace at Caserta. Planted on sloping terrain in the
San Leucio
San Leucio is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Caserta, in the region of Campania in southern Italy. It is most notable for a resort developed around an old silk factory, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
It is located 3.5 km n ...
''
frazione
A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...
'' near the palace, the vineyard was planted in a
semicircle
In mathematics (and more specifically geometry), a semicircle is a one-dimensional locus of points that forms half of a circle. The full arc of a semicircle always measures 180° (equivalently, radians, or a half-turn). It has only one line of ...
design subdivided into 10 segments (or "fan blades") each planted to a different grape variety.
Like many Italian grape varieties, plantings of Pallagrello bianco sharply declined in the decades following the phylloxera epidemic of the mid-19th century and the economic devastation of the World Wars of the early 20th century. The variety was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1990s, along with Pallagrello nero, by a local winemaker growing in an abandoned Campanian vineyard.
Viticulture and relationship to other grapes
Pallagrello bianco is a
mid to late ripening grape variety that has a natural tendency to be very
low yielding. The grape has good resistance to many
viticultural hazards
This is a list of diseases of grapes (''Vitis'' spp.).
Bacterial diseases
Fungal diseases
Miscellaneous diseases and disorders
Nematodes, parasitic
Phytoplasma, virus and viruslike diseases
See also
*''Ampeloglypter ater''
*''Ampe ...
including to
botrytis bunch rot
''Botrytis cinerea'' is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant species, although its most notable hosts may be wine grapes. In viticulture, it is commonly known as "botrytis bunch rot"; in horticulture, it is usually called "grey mould" or ...
which lent itself well to the production of
late harvest wine
Late harvest wine is wine made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. ''Late harvest'' is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. Late harvest grapes are often more similar to raisins, but have been ...
s.
Clusters of Pallagrello bianco tend to resemble the bush tail of a fox, larger at the top and tapering down to a point. This is a trait shared by another Campanian wine grape, Coda di Volpe, whose name means literally "fox tail". At one point the two grapes were thought to be the same variety but DNA analysis in the early 21st century conclusively demonstrated that the two varieties are distinct and unrelated. DNA evidence was also able to distinguish Pallagrello bianco from the
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 ...
grape
Pignoletto (which is often confused, itself, for the
Orvieto wine grape
Grechetto
Grechetto () or Grechetto bianco is a white Italian wine grape variety of Greek origins. The grape is planted throughout central Italy, particularly in the Umbria region where it is used in the ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) win ...
). Pignoletto is grown in Campania under the synonym ''Pallagrello di Caserta'' but has no known relationship to Pallagrello bianco.
Even though both varieties likely originated in the same part of Campania and the two grapes have historically been linked by synonyms and association, ampelographers have determined that Pallagrello bianco is not a color mutation of Pallagrello nero (in the same way that, for example,
Pinot blanc
Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produces white ...
is a color mutation of
Pinot noir
Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
) though DNA profiling has yet to determine exactly how the two grapes may be related.
Wine regions
Today Pallagrello bianco is grown almost exclusively in the Campania region, particularly in the province of Caserta where it has a long historical association with. While plantings of the grape have only recent been revived, some hectares of Pallagrello bianco can be found in a few communes along the
Volturno
The Volturno (ancient Latin name Volturnus, from ''volvere'', to roll) is a river in south-central Italy.
Geography
It rises in the Abruzzese central Apennines of Samnium near Castel San Vincenzo (province of Isernia, Molise) and flows southeas ...
river,
Caiazzo
Caiazzo (also Cajazzo) (Campanian: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta (Campania) in Italy. It is located on the right bank of the Volturnus, some northeast of Capua.
History
The ancient Caiatia was already in the hands of the ...
,
Castel Campagnano
Castel Campagnano (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples and about northeast of Caserta.
Castel Campagnano borders the municipalities of Caiazzo a ...
and
Castel di Sasso
Castel di Sasso is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about north of Naples and about northwest of Caserta.
Castel di Sasso borders the following municipalities: Caiazzo, Capua, Liberi ...
.
Styles
According to
Master of Wine
Master of Wine (MW) is a qualification (not an academic degree) issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom. The MW qualification is generally regarded in the wine industry as one of the highest standards of professional knowle ...
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 ...
, Pallagrello bianco tends to make wines with a similar profile to the
Rhône wine
The Rhône wine region in Southern France is situated in the Rhône valley and produces numerous wines under various ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) designations. The region's major appellation in production volume is Côtes du Rhône ...
grape
Viognier
Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 754 Oxford University Press 2006 Outside of the Rhôn ...
with
aroma notes
The aromas of wine are more diverse than its flavours. The human tongue is limited to the primary tastes perceived by taste receptors on the tongue – sourness, bitterness, saltiness, sweetness and savouriness. The wide array of fruit, e ...
of peaches and apricot along with moderate
acidity
In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...
and high potential
alcohol level
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 ...
s. While often blended the grape can be made in 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. ...
style that is produced both in unoaked or stainless steel tanks of
barrel fermented like
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 ...
.
Synonyms
Over the years, Pallagrello bianco has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Pallarelli, Pallagrella bianca, Pallagrello di Avellino, Pallarella and Piedimonte bianco.
References
{{reflist
White wine grape varieties
External links
Reference site in English