Luglienga (also known as Lignan blanc and Seidentraube) is a white Italian wine and table grape variety that is grown across Europe. The grape has a long history of use, dating back to at least the 14th century in Piedmont but is today most seen a table grape that is occasionally used for home winemaking. [1]
The first written documentation of Luglienga dates back to 1329 where it was listed under the old synonym Luglienchis growing in the Piedmont wine region of northwest Italy. Ampelographers believe that the name is derived from the Italian Luglio which means July and could be a reference to the grape's tendency to ripen early in the growing season. The French synonym Jouanenc, derived from juin meaning June also seems to support the grape's reputation as an early ripening variety. [1]
In the early 21st century, DNA analysis confirmed what ampelographers such as Pierre Galet had long suspected--that the German/Swiss wine grape Siedentraube and the French wine grape Lignan blanc were in fact Luglienga. DNA also showed that Luglienga shares a parent-offspring relationship with the Valle d'Aosta wine grape Prié blanc with the older Luglienga likely being the parent variety. [1]
In 1929, Luglienga (as Siedentraube) was crossed with Gamay to create the white German wine grape Regner. [2]
Luglienga is an early ripening variety that can be very vigorous unless kept in check by wine pruning and leaf pulling. The vine has strong resistance to the viticultural hazard of winter frost but can very susceptible to developing botrytis bunch rot. The grape responds well to being trained in pergolas in front of houses or over gardens. [1]
As a table grape, Luglienga is grown across Europe but is rarely used in winemaking apart from the occasional home winemaker. [1]
Over the years, Luglienga has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Agliana, Agosenga di Aosta, Agostenga, Agostenga di Aosta, Agostinga, Augustaner weiss, Augustauer, Belle Alliance, Blanc de Bovelle, Blanc de Champagne, Blanc de Pagès, Blanc précoce de Kientzheim, Blussard weiss, Blussart weiss, Bona in Ca (in the Trentino wine region), Budazgoher, Buona in casa, Burchardt’s Amber Cluster, Busby’s Golden Hamburgh, Champion Dore, Charnu, Early Kientzheim, Early Leipzig, Early Green Madeira, Early White Malvasia, Fresa di Mensa, Frueher Grosser Malvasier, Frueher Grosser Gelber Malvasier, Frueher Leipziger, Frueher Orléans, Fruehweisse Zibede, Gelbe Seidentraube, Gosvabne Zhelte, Golden Hamburgh, Gros blanc, Grove End Sweetwater, Guštana (in Slovenia), Hedvábné žluté, Hodvábne žlté, Joannen Charnu, Joanenc, Joannenc, Jouanen, Jouanenc (in France), Jouannenc, Jouannene, Juanen, Julliatique blanche, Karmelitanka bijela, Kientsheim, Krim ai Izium, Krim ai Izyum, Krym ai Izyum, Krymskii Rannii Vinograd, Lignan, Lignan blanc (in France), Lignenga (in Piedmont), Lilanica, Limian, Linian, Linian belii, Linian Belyi, Linyan, Linyan Belyi, Lugiadega, Ligiana bianca, Lugliata, Lugliatica (in Piedmont), Luglienca, Luglienco bianco, Luglienga, Luglienga bianka, Luglienga bianca, Luglienga verde, Luglienchis, Lugliolina, Lugliota, Lulienga, Luigese (in Liguria), Madalénen, Madeleine Alb, Madeleine blanche, Madeleine verte de la Dorée, Madlen belii, Madlen Belii Rannii, Margit Fegher, Margit féher, Margit Korai Feher, Meslier, Précoce de Hongrie, Précoce du Vaucluse, Pulsar Belyi, Pulsart blanc, Ragusaner weiss, Raisin de la Saint-Jean, Raisin de Vilmorin, Ranka, Rognaneau, Rumamellas, Saint John‘s, San Jacopo, Santa Anna di Lipsia, Seidentraube (in Germany and Switzerland), Seidentraube Gelb, Selkovaia Kist, Shelkovaya Kist, St. Anna di Lipsia, Uva Buona in Casa, Uva Pastora, Uva di Sant'Anna (in Piedmont), Vert Précoce de Madère, Vigriega, Waelsch Gelb and Weisser Kilianer. [3] [1]
Carignan is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Mediterranean and around the globe. Along with Aramon, it was considered one of the main grapes responsible for France's wine lake and was a substantial producer in jug wine production in California's Central Valley but in recent years, it has been reborn as a flagship wine for many cellars in the south of France as well as in Catalonia.
Folle blanche, also known as Picpoule, Gros Plant, and Enrageat blanc, is a wine grape variety from southwest France. It was the traditional grape variety in Cognac and Armagnac production until the 20th century. Folle blanche is an offspring of Gouais blanc, with the other parent so far unidentified.
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Clairette blanche is a white wine grape variety most widely grown in the wine regions of Provence, Rhône and Languedoc in France. At the end of the 1990s, there were 3,000 hectares of Clairette blanche grown in France, although volumes are decreasing.
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Madeleine Angevine is a white wine grape from the Loire Valley in France that is also popular in Germany, Kyrgyzstan and Washington state. The early-ripening grape is a cross between Madeleine Royale and Précoce de Malingre grapes that grows well in cooler climates. Madeleine Angevine makes an attractive fruity wine with a flowery nose, similar to an Alsatian Pinot blanc. It is crisp, acid and dry and pairs particularly well with seafoods such as crab and oyster.
Madeleine Royale is a variety of white grape. It is mostly grown for table grapes or ornamental purposes, but is notable as a parent of Müller-Thurgau and Madeleine Angevine. It ripens extremely early, in some cases by the 22 July, the feast day of Mary Magdalene - hence the name.
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Bouvier is a white wine grape and table grape planted primarily in Central Europe—most notably in Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia, where it is also known as Ranina.
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Muscat d'Eisenstadt is a white variety of grape of French origin. It was first cultivated in 1842 by Auguste Courtiller (1795–1875), who created it by selecting seedlings from a Pinot Noir Précoce vine with open pollination. Courtiller worked in the Jardin des Plantes of the city of Saumur. Muscat d'Eisenstadt shows very early ripening, which is indicated by the term "précoce" in its name. This property has made Muscat d'Eisenstadt popular to use as a crossing partner for many other grape varieties, including Huxelrebe and possibly including Muscat Ottonel.
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.
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