Abbuoto

Last updated
Abbuoto
Grape (Vitis)
Color of berry skinBlack
Species Vitis vinifera
Origin Italy
Notable wines Lazio
VIVC number 7

Abbuoto is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Lazio region of central Italy. Historically the grape was believed to be responsible for the Ancient Roman wine Caecubum that was praised by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Horace but historians and wine experts such as Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding note that connection is likely erroneous. [1]

Contents

The grape is primarily used as a blending variety where it often contributes body, phenolics and high alcohol levels. As of 2000, there were 717 hectares (1,772 acres) of the grape planted in Italy. [1]

Some ampelographers suspect that the Lazio grape variety San Giuseppe nero may be related to (or possibly a clone) of Abbuoto but so far DNA analysis has not yet confirmed such suspicions. [1]

Origins

Piedirosso, one of the grapes believed to be a parent of Abbuoto. Piedirosso.jpg
Piedirosso, one of the grapes believed to be a parent of Abbuoto.

DNA profiling has not definitively revealed Abbuoto's origin though the grape is almost definitely indigenous to central Italy. A 2010 study from an Italian research team suggested that Abbuoto is a crossing of the Campanian red grape varieties Piedirosso and Casavecchia, however addition results from the same 2010 research also posited that the relationship between Abbuoto and Casavecchia may actually be reversed with Casavecchia being a cross of Abbuto and Malvasia Bianca di Candia. [1]

Caecuban wine (Latin: Caecubum, Greek: Kaikoubos, Italian: Cècubo) was produced on a small vineyard in the low lying marshy region, south of Terracina (today's southern Lazio and northern Campania). The synonym Cècubo derived from the belief that Abbuoto was the variety used to provide the famous Caecuban wine mentioned in the odes of Horace and Pliny the Elder. [1] However Caecuban was a white wine, which following a standard Roman practice was aged for a number of years, during which it changed gaining a color of the "flames". The vintage was destroyed in the middle of the 1st century and Caecuban never recovered, however the name became a generic term for wine with the characteristic color of the true wine. Small quantities of undistinguished red wine called Cècubo are produced in the district today. [2] An Italian wine expert and connoisseur Mimmo Albano tells a story that in some of the marshy areas around Lake Fondi about 50 miles south of Rome, there were some old, neglected vines of a type that was thought to be the ancient Abbuoto. Cuttings were taken from these vines and nursed back to health. The healthy vines were definitely different from any other variety currently known, and the claim that they are the same as the ancient Abbuoto has remained unchallenged. [3]

Viticulture

The Abbuoto vine tends to produces large dark colored berries with thick skins. The grape tends to ripens in the middle of the harvest season (early to mid October depending on the vintage year) but can be prone to producing irregular and inconsistent yields. [1]

Wine regions

Abbuoto is planted throughout the Lazio region, including around the commune of Fondi (pictured). Convolvolo verso Fondi.JPG
Abbuoto is planted throughout the Lazio region, including around the commune of Fondi (pictured).

Abbuoto is found primarily in the Lazio region of central Italy where it associated with the villages of Fiuggi, Fondi, Formia, Monte San Biagio and Terracina. There is also some plantings in Campania around Sessa Aurunca where the grape is often blended with Piedirosso and Primitivo. As of 2000, there were 717 ha (1,772 acres) of the variety planted throughout Italy. [1]

DOC wines

Abbuoto is a permitted grape variety in several Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) regions including the Aprilia DOC where the grape can be produced as a varietal wine provided that the wine is composed of at least 95% of the grape. In the Atina DOC, up to 15% Abbuoto with other local red grape varieties can be blended in the DOC red wine along with Cabernet Sauvignon (50-70% of the blend), Syrah (10-30%), Merlot (10-30%) and Cabernet franc (10-30%). Abbuoto grapes destined for DOC wine producing in Atina must harvested to a yield no greater than 12 tonnes/ha with the finished wine attaining a minimum alcohol level of at least 12%. A separate Riserva bottling can also be produced provided the wine attains a minimum alcohol level of at least 12.5% and is aged at least two years prior to release. [4]

In the Castelli Romani DOC, up to 15% Abbuoto with other local red grape varieties can be blended in the DOC red wine along with Cesanese Comune, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Nero Buono and Merlot. For the DOC red wines, the grapes must be harvested toa maximum yield no greater than 12 tonnes/ha with the finished wine needing to attain a minimum alcohol levels of at least 11%. In the Genazzano DOC, up to 20% Abbuoto with other local red grape varieties can be blended in the DOC red wine along with Sangiovese (70-90% of the blend) and Cesanese (10-30%). Here on the southern slopes of Monti Prenestini south of Rome, the grapes are harvested up to a maximum yield of 14 tonnes/ha with the finished wine attaining a minimum alcohol level of at least 11%. [4]

In the large Tarquinia DOC that expands across the Viterbo and Rome province, up to 30% Abbuoto with other local red grape varieties can be blended in the DOC red wine along with Sangiovese and/or Montepulciano which either separate or together must account for at least 60% of the blend and Cesanese which makes up to 25% of the blend. Grapes are limited to a maximum yield of 12 tonnes/ha with the finished wine needing to attain a minimum alcohol level of 10.5%. A novello wine can also be produced with the same blending requirements and a minimum alcohol level of at least 11%. [4]

Synonyms

Over the years Abbuoto has been known under a variety of synonyms including Aboto and Cecubo. [5]

Related Research Articles

Trollinger Variety of grape

Trollinger, Schiava, or Vernatsch, is a red German/Italian wine grape variety that was likely first originally cultivated in the wine regions of South Tyrol and Trentino, but today is almost exclusively cultivated on steep, sunny locations in the Württemberg wine region of Baden-Württemberg. It is primarily known under the synonyms Trollinger in Germany, Vernatsch in South Tyrol and Schiava in other Italian regions. As a table grape the variety is sometimes known as Black Hamburg, which is commonly confused with the similar synonym for Black Muscat—a variety that is actually a cross of Trollinger and Muscat of Alexandria.

Roman Castles

The so-called Roman Castles are a group of comunes in the Metropolitan City of Rome. They are located a short distance south-east of the city of Rome, at the feet of the Alban Hills, in the territory corresponding to the Old Latium.

Lizzano, Apulia Comune in Apulia, Italy

Lizzano is a comune of 10,175 inhabitants (2013) in the province of Taranto in the Apulia region of southeast Italy.

Capalbio Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Capalbio is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in Tuscany region of Italy, located about 150 kilometres (93 mi) south of Florence and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) southeast of Grosseto. Capalbio borders the following municipalities: Manciano, Montalto di Castro, Orbetello.

Olevano Romano Comune in Latium, Italy

Olevano Romano is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of Rome.

Solopaca Comune in Campania, Italy

Solopaca is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northeast of Naples and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of Benevento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,134 and an area of 31.0 square kilometres (12.0 sq mi).

Montepulciano (grape) Variety of grape

Montepulciano is a red Italian wine grape variety that is most noted for being the primary grape behind the DOCG wines Offida Rosso, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane, Rosso Conero and the DOC wine Rosso Piceno Superiore.

Verduzzo is a white Italian wine grape grown predominantly in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. It is also found in significant plantings in the Piave Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) of the Veneto region, though some of these plantings may be of the separate Verduzzo Trevigiano variety. Verduzzo Friulano is used in varietal and blended wines, many of which fall under DOC as well as vino da tavola designations, that range in style from dry to late harvest wines. According to wine expert Oz Clarke, most of the sweeter examples of Verduzzo can be found in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia with the grape being used for progressively drier styles of the wine the further west into the Veneto.

Bombino bianco is a white Italian wine grape variety planted primarily along Italy's Adriatic coast line, most notably in Apulia. The vine is prone to high yields and often produces neutral flavor wines. The grape is known under many synonyms throughout Italy including Debit and Pagadebit, names which came from the grape's reputation for being a high yielding and reliable crop for vineyard owners to grow that would assure them that on each vintage they could pay off their debts.

Perricone is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in Sicily. In the late 20th century there was around 1000 hectares/2,500 acres of the grape planted throughout the island. According to wine expert Oz Clarke in Sicily Perricone is used to make full bodied, deeply colored, highly alcoholic wines.

Abrusco is a red Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in the Tuscany region where it is a minor blending component permitted in the wines of Chianti. The grape has long history in the region and was mentioned in 1600, under its synonyms Abrostino and Colore, in the posthumously published work by Italian agronomist Giovan Vettorio Soderini Trattato della coltivazione delle viti, e del frutto che se ne può cavare. There Soderini notes that the grape was often used to add deeper, more red color to Tuscan wines.

Bombino nero is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in southern Italy, particularly the regions of Apulia, Basilicata, and Lazio, as well as on the island of Sardinia. It is a permitted grape variety in the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) wines of Castel del Monte and Lizzano. The grape is primarily a blending grape but it can also be used as a varietal for red and rosé wines. Though DNA evidence has shown that Bombino nero is not a dark-berried color mutation of the similarly named Bombino bianco, ampelographers still believe that the two varieties are related in some way.

Pecorino (grape) Variety of grape

Pecorino is a white Italian wine grape variety that grows in the Marche, Abruzzo, Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio regions of Italy. Ampelographers believe that the grape is likely native to Marche, where the soil destined for this cultivation increases every year. This grape variety is used to produce the DOCG wines, like the Offida Pecorino DOCG, and the DOC wines, like the Falerio dei Colli Ascolani, the Colli Maceratesi and the Falerio dei Colli Ascolani.

Pollera nera is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Liguria wine region and northwest Tuscany. Ampelographers believe that the vine has a very long winemaking history but it is rarely seen today. It is believed to have been descended from the Chianti wine grape Mammolo and the Corsican wine grape Sciacarello which would make it a half-sibling of Colombana nera.

Colli di Luni

Colli di Luni is an Italian Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) located in both Liguria and Tuscany in northwest Italy. The DOC produces both reds and white wines made primarily from Sangiovese and Vermentino with a varietal Vermentino also being produced in the DOC.

Pascale di Cagliari is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in Sardinia.

Neyret is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the mountainous Valle d'Aosta wine region of northwest Italy though most plantings are in the slightly less mountainous terrain of southeast Aosta Valley bordering the Piedmont wine region. DNA profiling has confirmed that the variety is a Vitis vinifera crossing of Mayolet and Roussin.

Negrara is a red Italian wine grape variety grown in north east Italy including the Veneto region where it is a permitted variety in the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) wine Amarone. While the grape was once more widely planted in the region its numbers have been steadily declining for most of the late 20th and early 21st century.

Abruzzo (wine)

Abruzzo (Abruzzi) is an Italian wine region located in the mountainous central Italian region of Abruzzo along the Adriatic Sea. It is bordered by the Molise wine region to the south, Marche to the north and Lazio to the west. Abruzzo's rugged terrain, 65% of which is mountainous, help to isolate the region from the winemaking influence of the ancient Romans and Etruscans in Tuscany but the area has had a long history of wine production.

Barbera del Sannio is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Campania region of southern Italy. Despite the similarities in name and appearance, the grape has no close genetic relationship with the Piedmont wine grapes Barbera or Barbera bianca or the Sardinian wine grape Barbera Sarda and is, instead, more closely related to the Campanian varieties Casavecchia and Catalanesca and the Apulian grape Nero di Troia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours pgs 3, 196 and 940, Allen Lane 2012 ISBN   978-1-846-14446-2
  2. ↑ Robinson, Jancis (1999). The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford: Publisher: Oxford University Press. pp. 216, 217. ISBN   978-0-198-66236-5.
  3. ↑ "Associazione Gaetavola". Mimmo Albano. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 P. Saunders Wine Label Language pp. 121-205 Firefly Books 2004 ISBN   1-55297-720-X
  5. ↑ Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) Abbuoto Archived 2014-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Accessed: December 25th, 2012
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.