Sagrantino is an
Italian grape variety that is indigenous to the region of
Umbria
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in Central Italy. It is grown primarily in the village of
Montefalco
Montefalco is a historic small hill town in Umbria, Italy, with a population of 5,581 in August 2017. It has been settled since pre-Roman times, and retains many of its historic buildings. From 1446 to 1861 it was part of the Papal States. Montef ...
and the surrounding area, with a recent rapid increase in planting area from in 2000 to by 2010 dedicated to the grape, in the hands of about 50 producers.
History
The origins of the variety are unclear and poorly documented, but the first written record of it is in Umbria in the late 16th century as a communion wine, although
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 '' ...
mentioned red wines from Montefalco that may have been Sagrantino. The name itself is also of uncertain origin, possibly from ''sagra'' (feast) or ''sacrestia'' (communion wine).
Historically Sagrantino was used primarily for making sweet ''
passito
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 ...
'' wines, partially drying the grapes to yield a thick, syrupy wine with raisin and blueberry qualities, much like a ''
Recioto della Valpolicella
Valpolicella (, , ) is a viticulture (wine), viticultural zone of the province of Verona, Italy (wine), Italy, east of Lake Garda. The hilly agricultural and marble-quarrying region of small holdings north of the Adige is famous for wine producti ...
''. Since the 1970s however, the wines have been made principally in a dry ''secco'' style, with typically bold extraction and complete fermentation.
Viticulture
![Sagrantino wines from Italy and Australia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Sagrantino_wines_from_Italy_and_Australia.jpg)
Sagrantino is a vigorous, relatively disease-resistant yet low-yielding vine. Although it flowers early, and reaches veraison early to form thick dark skins and large pips, it requires a long hot season to ripen, producing small slightly conical winged bunches, late in the season; in Umbria usually late October.
The grape has one of the highest tannic levels of any variety in the world.
Its wines contain more tannin than those made from
Aglianico
Aglianico ( , ) is a black grape grown in the southern regions of Italy, mostly Basilicata and Campania. It is considered with Sangiovese and Nebbiolo to be one of the three greatest Italian varieties. Aglianico is sometimes called "The Barolo ...
or
Tannat
Tannat is a red wine grape, historically grown in South West France in the Madiran AOC, and is now one of the most prominent grapes in Uruguay, where it is considered the "national grape".
Tannat is also grown in Argentina, Australia, Brazil ...
, and twice the level of
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' ...
or
Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo (, ; pms, nebieul ) is an Italian red wine grape variety predominantly associated with its native Piedmont region, where it makes the ''Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita'' (DOCG) wines of Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero, G ...
wines. It creates wines that are inky purple with an almost-black center. The bouquet is one of dark, brooding red fruits with hints of plum, cinnamon, and earth.
Italy
Almost all of the world's Sagrantino is grown in Umbria, to make
Montefalco Sagrantino
Montefalco Sagrantino (also Sagrantino di Montefalco before 2009) is a style of Italian wine made with 100% Sagrantino grapes in and around the comune of Montefalco in the Province of Perugia, Umbria. The wines gained DOC status in 1979 as part ...
and
Montefalco Rosso wines. Granted
DOCG
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 tipi ...
status in 1992, Montefalco Sagrantino must be made entirely from Sagrantino grapes and requires a minimum of 37 months ageing before release, 12 of which must be in
oak barrels
Oak is used in winemaking to vary the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture of wine. It can be introduced in the form of a barrel during the fermentation or aging periods, or as free-floating chips or staves added to wine fermented in a v ...
. With production still relatively limited, the wine is not widely known outside Italy. Montefalco Rosso is a
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 ...
-dominant
DOC
DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to:
In film and television
* ''Doc'' (2001 TV series), a 2001–2004 PAX series
* ''Doc'' (1975 TV series), a 1975–1976 CBS sitcom
* "D.O.C." (''Lost''), a television episode
* ''Doc'' (film), a 1971 Wester ...
red wine that requires between 10-25% of the blend to be Sagrantino.
Australia
Sagrantino was first brought into
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 1998 by the Chalmers Nursery, and the first wine to be produced in Australia was the Chalmers 2004 vintage from their vineyard in Euston,
New South Wales
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. Figures are hard to obtain for such a small segment of the Australian wine industry, but one source estimated about of Sagrantino vineyards in 2010. Sagrantino is grown in small lots right across Australia; wines are made in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
by Lou Miranda,
d'Arenberg
d'Arenberg is an Australian wine company founded in 1912. All of its vineyards are located in South Australia's McLaren Vale wine region, although some of the wines they make are produced from grapes sourced from the Adelaide Hills wine reg ...
, Olivers Taranga and Mitolo, in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
by Pizzini, Andrew Peace and Chalmers, and as far north as the
Granite Belt
The Granite Belt is an area of the Great Dividing Range in the Darling Downs region of Queensland and the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The Granite Belt is centred on the town of Stanthorpe. The cool, high country of the gra ...
region of Queensland by Symphony Hill and Balancing Rock. Australian Sagrantino wines tend to be more immediately approachable and "fruit-driven" with less ageing used, and winemakers employing various techniques to moderate the high tannins present in the grape.
United States
Sagrantino is being grown in small areas in the United States mainly in California, but also in Washington, Texas and North Carolina.
Producers such as DaVero, Benessere, Clesi, Raffaldini, and Messina Hof are growing and vinifying Sagrantino as a result of trialling grape varieties that handle hotter and drier conditions than
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' ...
and other traditionally grown varieties.
References
External links
Sagrantino producersSagrantino Passito
{{wines, selected=grapes
Red wine grape varieties
Wine grapes of Italy