Even whites know how to age: crash course about longest-lived Italian vines

- Waiter, bring us a white wine, drinkable and very fresh...

- Vintage? Are you trying to give us an old wine?

- But the latest, of course!

 

It seems like a joke, but still today, the great part of drinkers (in Italy but not only), believe white wines unable to age, or more likely the question has never been raised, given that this type has always and only associated the characteristics of freshness, immediate pleasantness and drinkability.

But as often happens in this world full of preconceptions and "false truths", reality - especially in some cases – is quite different.

And without disturbing the monumental and demanding (in all senses) Burgundy Chardonnay, or the miraculous and eternal Mosel Riesling, even in the deep Italic ampelographic heritage there are several vines capable of aging – or rather evolve over time – in a very good way.

But before before telling you about which are – in my modest but unquestionable judgment – the longest-lived Italian vines, what are the characteristics that make a "white able to defy time"?

Mainly the combination of three elements, which when found in large quantities and above all when are balanced within a white wine, provide it with theoretical aging potential: fruity concentration, acidity and alcohol content.

It’s also true that a white for aging must therefore be thought of by those who produce it, who - both in the vineyard and in the cellar - must follow precise technical dictates in terms of yield reduction, phenolic maturation practically perfect and absence (or almost) of oxidative phenomena during the vinification phase.

Therefore, it’that obtaining a long-lived white, which over time loses its more fruity and immediate character to gain in complexity, elegance and finesse, is not exactly the simplest thing in this world.

On the contrary, beyond a few sporadic cases, it’s almost impossible to "invent" a white featured by important longevity without the help of nature, as well as adequate programming.

Only some terroirs, mainly characterized by calcareous/marly soils and cold climates with high daily excursions, but above all only a few white grape varieties have the credentials to challenge and defeat the passage of time.

In Italy, country that until a few decades ago considered wine almost exclusively from a perspective of home and immediate consumption, there is not a great tradition of aging whites, even if it is beyond doubt there are some local grapes that - due to the characteristics highlighted above - are increasingly demonstrating important aging skills.

Among these three vines emerge in an overbearing way, clearly distancing the others: Timorasso, Fiano and Verdicchio.

I try to tell you about them briefly, trying to make understand - within the limits of my modest skills - characters and characteristics.

 

Timorasso

Timorasso is a native vine of the southeastern part of Piedmont, cultivated as exclusively in the hilly area around the city of Tortona, within an area where it finds a natural habitat thanks to the perfect combination of soil, long sunshine and position sheltered from the winds.

It’s a grape known to local farmers since ancient times, but only towards last decades and thanks to the impetus given by some enlightened producers – first of all Walter Massa - did they start planting again.

The results were excellent, to the point that in a short time a specific DOC was even obtained (Colli Tortonesi Timorasso).

It gives rise to structured wines with an important alcohol content, with a marked fruity character in youth and remarkable longevity.

Personally, during these years of enoic passion I tasted several Timorasso with more than a decade, which - beyond clearly more advanced notes - had practically lost none of their original gustatory grip.

Wines not of all, rustic in some respects and certainly not “monsters of elegance”, but with a power and a character that makes them particular and definitely appreciated, especially by more evolved drinkers.

My suggestion: Derthona - Walter Massa

A wine that some would define as "base" but which in reality is almost illuminating, since it expresses the characteristics of this terroir in an evident way. A belly wine, a powerful but at the same time very pleasant, an essential starting point to discover the potential of this grape variety.

 

 

Fiano

An absolutely great vine, grown in different areas of Campania but also - especially in recent years - in other areas of our country (especially Apulia and Sicily).

A grape that is well suited to the conditions in which it lives, but which has its best habitat in the cold and difficult Irpinia, where it gives life to one of the most important whites of our national panorama (and, if you really care, my favorite): Fiano di Avellino.

One of the few DOCGs in Southern Italy, testifying to its importance but above all to the quality of the wines that originate there.

Inside, beyond different production styles, we can further highlight three distinct sub-areas (Lapio, Summonte and Montefredane), which in turn give rise to wines with quite different nuances (and organoleptic characteristics), even if united by marked acidity, great minerality and excellent aging skills.

My suggestion: Fiano di Avellino - Ciro Picariello

A wine, as well as a producer, which has always been in my heart, probably the best known and most appreciated label of Summonte’s areal. Good right away (not exactly obvious inside this appellation), with delicate notes of hazelnut and fresh grass to accompany the classic notes of the vine, more and more mineral (sometimes sulphurous) with the aging, but without ever losing strength and harmony.

 

 

Verdicchio

Another great vine, probably - and beyond personal tastes – the most important of the white Italian grape varieties, for its widespread quality but above all for the density of high-level performers.

For too long, the notoriety deriving from the international success of the famous "amphora bottle" (created by Fazi Battaglia winery), which has outlined – especially among the medium drinker – a character of simple and easy drink wine.

But in reality it’s a grape of great potential, capable of expressing – if thought with quality view – remarkable wines, featuring during youth by fruity and floral aromas (as well as the inevitable bitter finish), but at the same time very structured and longevity.

It’s grown in different areas of the peninsula, but finds its best habitat of choice in the Marche’s inland, where it gives rise to two appellations of great interest: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Verdicchio di Matelica.

The first is usually more full-bodied and alcoholic, the second finer and more elegant, while both maintaining an important common matrix.

My suggestion: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Riserva Campo delle Oche - Fattoria San Lorenzo

Among the many high-level labels, I choose a Verdicchio produced by what I believe - rightly or wrongly - the best Italian winery about white wines (excluding the South Tyrolean cooperative wineries). A splendid wine, a “male” white like few others but also rich and harmonious. Rustic yet elegant at the same time, an inexorable and continuous “balance over madness”.