Bigolona is a white Italian wine grape variety from the Valpolicella region of northeast Italy where it has been growing since at least the early 19th century. The wine has traditionally been used in the production of late harvest and botrytized dessert wines with the grape's synonym ''Smarzirola'' being derived from the Italian ''marcire'' meaning "to rot".J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 107-108 Allen Lane 2012

History

Bigolona was first documented growing in the Valpolicella region in the early 19th century. By the 1970s, the grape was on the verge of extinction until viticulturalists at the Istituto Sperimentale per la Viticoltura in Conegliano and Verona began

propagating cuttings The propagation of grapevines is an important consideration in commercial viticulture and winemaking. Grapevines, most of which belong to the '' Vitis vinifera'' family, produce one crop of fruit each growing season with a limited life span for i ...

to preserve the endangered vine. While the grape was not yet listed on the official register of Italian grape varieties in time for the 2000 census, producers within the Veneto '' Indicazione geografica tipica'' (IGT) zone have begun making wine from these revived plantings.

Viticulture

Bigolona is a mid-ripening grape variety that lends itself well to the production of late-harvest and botrytized wines. The synonym ''Smarzirola'' is derived from the Italian word ''marcire'', which means "to rot", and highlights the grape's affinity for being infected by ''Botrytis cinerea''. Among the viticultural hazards that wine growers of Bigolona have to be mindful is the vigorous nature of the vine and the tendency to produce large, leafy canopy as well as high yields if not kept in check by pruning or

green harvest Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

ing.

Wine regions

Today Bigolona is cultivated almost exclusively in the Valpolicella region and around the commune of Illasi in the

province of Verona The Province of Verona ( it, Provincia di Verona) is a province in the Veneto administrative region of Italy. On its northwestern border, Lake GardaItaly's largestis divided between Verona and the provinces of Brescia (Lombardy region) and Trenti ...

. There the grape is often used in the production of late-harvest dessert wines, including vin santo and '' passito'' style wines. While the grape can be made as a varietal under the Veneto IGT designation, it is most often blended with other local white grape varieties such as Garganega.

Synonyms

Over the years, Bigolona has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Bigolara, Bigolona bianca, Bigolona Veronese, Sampagna and Smarzirola. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC)
Bigolona
'' Accessed: April 24th, 2014

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties