Avanà 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 fo ...

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

Piedmont wine Piemonte wine is the range of Italian wines made in the region of Piedmont in the northwestern corner of Italy. The best-known wines from the region include Barolo and Barbaresco. They are made from the Nebbiolo grape. These wines are ideal for ...

region of northwest Italy. Historically, the grape has also been grown in the

Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...

and

Savoie wine Savoy () is a wine region situated in the Savoy region in eastern France, and is sometimes referred to as the country of the Allobroges. It is the only alpine wine region in France, and is known for grape varieties rarely grown elsewhere, includin ...

region of eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

where it was known as Hibou noir and in the

Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the S ...

region of Switzerland. The grape is most often used as a blending variety in the ''

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 tipi ...

'' (DOC) zones of Pinerolese, with

Barbera Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano). It produces good yields and is known for deep color, full body, low tannins and high level ...

, Persan,

Freisa Freisa is a red Italian wine grape variety grown in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy, primarily in Monferrato and in the Langhe, but also further north in the provinces of Turin and Biella. Freisa is a vigorous and productive vine whose rou ...

and Neretta Cuneese, and Valsusa, with Barbera,

Dolcetto Dolcetto ( , , ) is a black Italian wine grape variety widely grown in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The Italian word ''dolcetto'' means "little sweet one", but it is not certain that the name originally carried any reference to t ...

, Neretta Cuneese and other local red Piemontese varieties.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 69 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 the first written mention of Avanà was under the synonym ''Avanato'' in the 1606 work of Italian

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the ...

Giovanni Battista Croce on the grapes of the Piedmont region. In the early 21st century, DNA analysis revealed that the Hibou noir grape was historically grown in what is today the Savoie region of France and Valais region of Switzerland was, in fact, the same Avanà grape that is still grown in the Susa Valley of Piedmont. From 1418 to 1713, Piedmont, Savoie and Valais were all part of the Duchy of Savoy and it is likely during this time that Avanà was introduced to each region though today the grape is mostly only found in Piedmont. DNA analysis also revealed that Avanà has a close parent-offspring relationship with the Savoie wine grape Cacaboué. The Swiss wine grape

Amigne Amigne is a white Swiss wine grapeAmigne
,

Viticulture

Avanà is an early to mid-ripening grape variety that is known for given very highly irregular harvest yields from

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 ...

to vintage. Among the

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'' *'' Am ...

that the grape is most susceptible to is the fungal infection of

powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, a ...

Wine regions

Today, Avanà is found almost exclusively in the Susa Valley region of Piedmont that links the city of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

to the French wine region Savoie across the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

. In 2000, there were of the grape variety in cultivation where it has been a permitted grape variety in the red blends of the Pinerolese (since 1996) and Valsusa (since 1997) DOCs.

DOC regulations

In the red wine only DOC of Pinerolese located in the provinces of

Cuneo Cuneo (; pms, Coni ; oc, Coni/Couni ; french: Coni ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in ...

and

, Avanà grapes destined for DOC wine production must be limited to a harvest yield of 10 tonnes/hectare with the finished wines needing to attain minimum

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 ...

of at least 10.5%. Wines labeled as just Pinerolese must contain a minimum of 50% of Barbera, Bonarda Piemontese,

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 ...

and Neretta Cuneese with Avanà and other local red Piemontese varieties permitted to fill in the remainder of the blend.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pgs 191 & 212 Firefly Books 2004 Uva Barbera - Giorgio Gallesio

For Pinerolese Ramie, Avanà must make up a minimum of 30% of the blend with

Avarengo Avarengo is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Piedmont wine region of northwest Italy where it is a permitted blending component in the ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) wines of Pinerolese. Here the grape is usuall ...

and Neretta Cuneese required to make up an additional minimum of 15% and 20% of the blend, respectively, with other red wine grapes permitted to account up to a maximum of 35%. Additionally, 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 of Avanà can be produced within the of the DOC provided that the grape makes up at least 85% of the wine. The red wine only Valsusa DOC covers Avanà grown within 19 small rural communities between the villages of Almese and

Exilles Exilles ( Occitan: ''Eissilhas''; nonstandard Occitan: ''Isiya''; Piedmontese: ''Isiles''; Latin: ''Excingomagus'' or ''Scingomagus''; Italianization under Italian Fascism: ''Esille'') is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Ital ...

in the Susa Valley in the province of Turin. In 2000, there were only of grapes in production within the DOC. Here grapes are limited to a maximum harvest yield of 9 tonnes/ha with the finished wines needing to attain a minimum alcohol level of at least 11%. The blend for the DOC wines must contain a 60% minimum collectively of Avanà, Barbera, Dolcetto and/or Nebbiolo with other local red grape varieties permitted to fill in the remainder.

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, as a

, Avanà tends to produce light-bodied wines with moderate

acidity levels The acids in wine are an important component in both winemaking and the finished product of wine. They are present in both grapes and wine, having direct influences on the color, balance and taste of the wine as well as the growth and vitality of ...

and low

tannins Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', f ...

that are meant to be consumed young rather than cellared.

Synonyms

Over the years, Avanà has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Alvana di Susa, Avana, Avana de Susa, Avana di Susa, Avana nero, Avanale, Avanas, Avanato, Avanè, Avane, Avenà, Avena, Avenai, Bibou, Davana, Eyholzer Roter, Guibou, Havana, Hibou, Hibou noir (in the Isère and

Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,220 ...

departments of France), Hivernais, Hyvernais, Luisant, Palofrais, Polafrais, Polofrais, Pometre, Promeche, Promere Raisin Cerise, Ribou and Vermaglio (in the town of

Saluzzo Saluzzo (; pms, Salusse ) is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, in the Piedmont region, Italy. The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc. are fo ...

in Piedmont).

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)
Avanà
' Accessed: March 24th, 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avana Red wine grape varieties