Vermentino

Vermentino is a late-ripening white grape originating in Spain or Madeira, or perhaps Portugal, and now widely planted in Corsica, Sardinia, and the coastal arc running from Tuscany through Liguria and into southern France, around Nice (where it is known as Rolle). It is thought to be related to the Malvasia variety and to have been brought to Italy in the fifteenth century during the period of Spanish domination.

The leaves are dark green and pentagonal. The grapes are amber-yellow and hang in pyramidal bunches.

The vines are often grown on slopes facing the sea where they can benefit from the additional reflected light.

Wines

The most famous wine made from Vermentino is probably the DOCG Vermentino di Gallura (and Vermentino di Gallura superiore) which is produced in the province of Olbia-Tempio, in the north of Sardinia. The grape is said to have been cultivated in this part of Gallura, often under the name arratelau, since the fourteenth century.^[1] Elsewhere on the island the grape is used for a variety of white wines, including sweet and sparkling variants.

Patrimonio, located in the north of Corsica, in the Saint Florent gulf, was the first region of the island to attain AC status (in 1968). Its white wine is 100% Vermentino.

In Provence, close to Nice, the grape is used for the AOC white wines of Bellet.

The grape was introduced to California in 1993 by Tablas Creek Vineyard and approved by the BATF for use on American wine labels in 2001.

In Australia the first commercial plantings were established at Chalmers Vineyard in the Murray Darling region in 2000. The first Australian Vermentino wine was released by the Chalmers family in 2004 [www.chalmerswine.com.au].

Italian DOC wines include :

• Riviera Ligure di Ponente Vermentino (Provinces of Imperia and Savona, Liguria)
• Colli di Luni Vermentino (province of La Spezia in Liguria and the adjacent Tuscan province of Massa-Carrara)
• Candia dei Colli Apuani (province of Massa-Carrara, Tuscany)
• Bolgheri Vermentino (province of Livorno, Tuscany)

Wines made from this grape are best consumed fresh, complementing traditional seafood dishes of the regions in which they are grown.

Synonyms

Carbesso, Favorita, Fourmentin, Garbesso, Malvasia, Malvasia Grossa, Malvoisie à gros grains, Malvoisie précoce, Pigato, Rolle, Valentin, Varlentin, Varresana Bianca, Vennentino, Vermentini, Vermentinu.

References

Further reading

• Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson, The World Atlas of wine, Octopus (2001). ISBN 1-84000-699-4

External links

• (Italian) Italian DOC and DOCG wines using the vermentino grape from the website of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
• (Italian) Italian IGT wines using the vermentino grape from the website of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
• (English) History, viticulture, winemaking and flavors of Vermentino from the Tablas Creek Vineyard website
• (Italian) Tigullio Vino :: Vermentino

The article draws on material from the German-, French- and Italian-language Wikipedias:

• de:Vermentino
• fr:Vermentino
• fr:Rolle
• it:Vermentino
• it:Denominazione_di_Origine_Controllata#Liguria

it:Categoria:Vini_DOC_e_DOCG_prodotti_con_uva_Vermentino and pages linked from this category