What is called appassimento?
Ripe bunches of grapes are harvested by hand, but instead of going to the press, they are put out to dry until mid-January or more, at which point they have lost up to 60% of their water content to evaporation.
The grapes are then taken to the winery and a long cold fermentation begins that lasts until March, April or even May. For most appassimento wines, fermentation is stopped by chilling the wine after the alcohol level reaches about 12%, which still leaves a considerable amount of residual sugar and produces a sweet wine called recioto.
If the carbon dioxide produced through fermentation is retained in a pressure tank, the wine can also be turned into a sparkling version.
Another variation is to let the wine ferment completely dry, which results in a wine of 15% to 16% alcohol. Amarone della valpolicella is the example of the use of this technique.
What sparkling wine DOCG exists in Lombardy?
DOCG Franciacorta
What are the main white varieties of Lombardy?
- Chardonnay
- Pinot bianco
- Erbamat
What region does DOCG Gavi belong to? What kind of wines do you make?
Piemonte
Make a fresh and floral white wine from the cortese variety
Which Veneto DOCG can only produce white wines based on the Friulano variety?
DOCG Lison
What are the two major sub-regions of Friuli located in the hills? What style do they create?
- Collio DOC
- Colli Orientali DOC
Premium, more concentrated white wines
What percentage of Veneto's production corresponds to IGT?
80%
To which region do DOC Valtellina Rosso and DOCG Valtellina Superiore belong? What variety are they made with?
Lombardy
Made with a minimum of 90% of the nebbiolo variety, here called chiavennasca
What is the ripasso technique?
Traditional production technique from Veneto that reuses the skin and lees of amarone or recioto.
Shortly before fermentation ends, the amarone drains from the skin. The skins remain unpressed and are added to a vat of valpolicella that has finished its fermentation. The yeasts, which are also transferred in this process, ferment the remaining sugar in the amarone skins, during which time the skins give more color, flavor and tannins to the wine to which they have been added.
Wines made using this method can be labeled DOC Valpolicella Ripasso and have medium to high body and tannins and flavors of red cherries and stewed plums.
With what varieties can wines be produced under the DOCG Roero?
Nebbiolo and arneis
What two Veneto wines are made with the passito method?
- DOCG Amarone della Valpolicella
- DOCG Recioto della Valpolicella
What is the main red variety of Friuli?
Merlot
What are the minor red varieties of Piemonte?
- Bonarda
- Vespolina
- Ruchè
- Pinot noir
What minimum aging requires a normal wine and riserva from the DOCG Barbaresco?
26 and 50 months, respectively
What kind of weather is there in Trentino-Alto Adige?
Moderate alpine climate, with cold winters and short summers with little rain
With which country does the Trentino-Alto Adige region border?
Austria
How much alcohol does amarone have?
Between 15% and 16%
What volume of alcohol does the recioto have?
12%
What are the three main rivers in the Veneto region?
Po, Adige and Piave
Which Italian region does DOCG Asti belong to?
Piemonte
What is the grape used in Veneto for sparkling wines?
Glera
To which region does the sforzato di Valtellina belong? With what variety is it produced?
Lombardy
Passito style wine made with 90% chiavennasca (nebbiolo)
Is nebbiolo an early ripening or late ripening grape?
Late
What are the minor white varieties of Piemonte?
- Erbaluce
- Chardonnay
The sparkling wines of the DOCG Asti are made from what variety?
100% moscato
What percentages of the barbera variety are required in the DOCG Barbera d’Asti and Nizza?
90% and 100%, respectively
What type of climate occurs in the Italian region of Piemonte?
Modest continental climate, with long, cold winters and summers that can be subject to storms, hail, and fog.
The mountains to the north provide a rain shadow protecting the region from north winds and rainfall.
What are the main red varieties of Trentino-Alto Adige?
Trentino
- Teroldego
- Merlot
Alto Adige
- Schiava
What region does DOCG Brachetto d’Aqui belong to? What kind of wines do you make?
Piemonte
Make a slightly sparkling sweet red wine from the Brachetto variety
Which region of Veneto produces the best known white wines?
Soave
What is the main variety of DOC Valpolicella?
Corvina
Which region of Veneto produces the best known white wines?
Garganega
At what altitude are the vineyards of the DOCGs Barolo and Barbaresco planted?
- DOCG Barolo, 300-500m, mainly south facing
- DOCG Barbaresco, 200-400m, so they ripen earlier than in Barolo and are slightly more fruity
In which Italian region are the DOCG Ghemme and Gattinara located? What variety predominates?
Piemonte
Nebbiolo
In which Italian region is DOCG Roero located?
Piemonte
What region is the nebbiolo variety characteristic of?
Piemonte
What region does DOCG Ramondolo belong to? What kind of wines do you make?
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Sweet white wines based on the verduzzo variety
Which sparkling wine DOC do the Veneto and Friuli regions share?
DOC Prosecco
What is the Trentino-Alto Adige region called in German?
Südtirol
What minimum aging requires a normal wine and riserva from DOCG Barolo?
38 and 62 months, respectively
What region does the DOC Collio Goriziano belong to?
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Which Veneto DOCG can only produce red wines based on the raboso variety?
DOCG Piave Malanotte
In which Italian region is DOCG Barbera d’Asti located?
Piemonte
What percentage of the Piemonte production corresponds to IGT?
None. All Piemonte wines belong to DOCs or DOCGs
What is the first variety to mature in Piemonte?
Dolcetto
What type of climate occurs in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region?
North zone: moderate continental
South zone: warm maritime
By what other names is the nebbiolo variety known?
- Spanna (in Gattinara and Gemme, in Piemonte)
- Chiavennasca (in Lombardy)
To which Italian region do the Langhe and Monferrato hills belong?
Piemonte
What are the main white varieties of Piemonte?
- Cortese
- Moscato bianco
- Arneis
Of Collio and Colli Orientali, which is also noted for its red wines?
Colli Orientali DOC
What are the main red varieties of Piemonte?
- Nebbiolo
- Barbera
- Dolcetto
- Brachetto
- Freisa
- Grignolino
What is the main white variety of Alto Adige?
Pinot Grigio
What is the synonym for Soave's Trebbiano variety?
Verdicchio
What are the main red varieties of Lombardy?
- Pinot nero
- Chiavennasca (nebbiolo)
When should you harvest to make wines with the passito method?
The harvest must be early, to retain acidity
What three styles of sparkling wines are made at Asti?
Asti is famous for its sparkling wines made with moscato bianco (small grain muscat):
- DOCG Asti produces sparkling wines made using the charmat method. Traditionally semi-sweet to sweet. Since 2017, Asti Secco can be produced.
- The DOCG Asti Metodo Classico allows the production of sparkling wines with fermentation in the bottle using the classic method.
- The DOCG Moscato d’Asti makes frizzy wines (slightly sparkling) using a partial fermentation method, sometimes called the Asti method.
What minimum nurture does the DOCG Barolo require?
38 months
What minimum alcohol and barrel aging does DOCG Amarone require?
14%
20 months of barrel aging
What lake on the western side of Veneto moderates temperatures?
Lake Garda
Is Trentino north or south of Alto Adige?
Trentino is south of Alto Adige
What region is the barbera variety characteristic of?
Piemonte
What is the main white variety of Friuli?
- Pinot grigio
- Friulano (native grape)
What are the main DOCs of Trentino-Alto Adige?
The main DOCs are:
- Alto Adige
- Trentino
- Trento (for traditional method sparkling wines)
- and General Valdadige
What percentage of the nebbiolo variety does the DOCG Barolo or Barbaresco require?
100%
What Italian river forms the southern boundary of the Veneto?
Po
What minimum aging times on the lees do the different types of Franciacorta have?
- Without vintage, minimum of 18 months
- With vintage, minimum of 30 months
- Riserva, minimum of 60 months
- Sàten, blanc-de-blancs made only with 5 atmospheres of pressure, minimum of 24 months
What are the primary red grapes of Veneto?
- Corvina
- Corvinone
- Rondinella
- Molinara