Marzemina bianca
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Marzemina bianca is a white
Italian wine Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted fo ...
grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
that is grown in the
Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...
region of northeastern Italy. Ampelographers believe that the grape is a natural crossing of the Trentino wine grape
Marzemino Marzemino is a red Italian wine grape variety that is primarily grown around Isera, south of Trentino. The wine is most noted for its mention in the opera ''Don Giovanni'' of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ("Versa il vino! Eccellente ''Marzimino''!"). ...
and the Soave wine grape
Garganega Garganega (, ; meaning "from Gargano") is a variety of white Italian wine grape widely grown in the Veneto region of North East Italy, particularly in the provinces of Verona and Vicenza. It is Italy's 6th most widely planted white grape. It for ...
. This parent-offspring relationship between Marzemina bianca and Marzemino makes the variety distinct from grapes like
Pinot blanc Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produces white ...
and
Grenache blanc Grenache blanc (also known as garnatxa blanca in Catalonia) is a variety of white wine grape that is related to the red grape Grenache. It is mostly found in Rhône wine blends and in northeast Spain. Its wines are characterized by high alcohol ...
which are other
color mutation 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 (vine), growing season with a lim ...
s of Pinot noir and Grenache, respectively. DNA analysis has confirmed that the Veneto grape Raboso Veronese is the offspring of Marzemina bianca and Raboso Piave.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 229-230, 392, 604-605 Allen Lane 2012 Despite having the synonyms ''Champagna'' and ''Champagne''
Vitis International Variety Catalogue The Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) is a database of various species and varieties/cultivars of grapevine, the genus ''Vitis''. VIVC is administered by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding (''Institut für Rebenzüchtung Gei ...

Marzemina bianca
, accessed April 23rd, 2013
Marzemina bianca is not grown in the
French wine French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and Amer ...
region of
Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...
and is not used in the production of
Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...
nor does the grape appear to have any known relation to the traditional Champagne wine grapes of Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier. While the grape is usually used as a blending component in still wines and
late harvest Late harvest wine is wine made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. ''Late harvest'' is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. Late harvest grapes are often more similar to raisins, but have been ...
''
passito Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but is a much older process and suitable for warm climates. The technique dates back ...
'' style wines, one producer in the Veneto does make a lightly sparkling ''frizzante'' version of the grape under the synonym ''Sampagne'' that is classified as a ''
vino da tavola Table wine (rarely abbreviated TW) is a wine term with two different meanings: a style of wine and a quality level within wine classification. In the United States, the term primarily designates a wine style: an ordinary wine which is not fortifi ...
''.


History

For many years the exact origins of Marzemina bianca were unknown. The grape was first mentioned in 1679 when the Italian writer Giacomo Agostinetti described Marzemina bianca growing around the town of Breganze in the
province of Vicenza The Province of Vicenza ( it, Provincia di Vicenza) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Veneto region in northern Italy. Its capital city is Vicenza. The province has an area of 2,722.53 km², and a total population of 865,082 (as o ...
in Veneto. It was speculated by early ampelographers that the grape may have originated in the
Burgundy wine Burgundy wine ( or ') is made in the Burgundy region of eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here, and those commonly referred to as "Burgundies," are dry red win ...
region and found its way to Italy via
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and Switzerland. However, in 2008 DNA evidence showed that there was a parent-offspring relationship between Marzemina bianca and the Trentino grape Marzemino. As Marzemino was first documented growing in the Veneto in 1553, more than a hundred years before Marzemina bianca, ampelographers now believe that Marzeminia bianca is the offspring with further DNA profiling showing that the Soave grape Garganega (described by the Italian writer
Pietro de' Crescenzi Pietro de' Crescenzi ( 1230/35 – c. 1320), la, 'Petrus de Crescentiis', was a Bolognese jurist,Robert G. Calkins, "Piero de' Crescenzi and the Medieval Garden", in ''Medieval Gardens'', ed. Elisabeth B. MacDougall, Dumbarton Oaks, 1986: 155 ...
in the 13th century) likely being the other parent.


Viticulture and winemaking

Marzemina bianca is a mid-ripening variety that is often allowed to hang on the vine long after
sugars Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
have fully accumulated to allow water from the grapes to evaporate and make
sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketone ...
late-harvest wines. To further concentrate the sugars, after harvest the grapes are laid out on straw mats or hung in well ventilated drying rooms to produce the
straw wine Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but is a much older process and suitable for warm climates. The technique dates bac ...
style known as ''passito''.


Wine regions

Marzemina bianca was once widely planted throughout the Veneto region but its numbers took a toll when the phylloxera epidemic hit Italy in the late 19th century. In 2000, there were 83
hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...
s (205 acres) of the grape reported in Italy, most of it in found in the
Padova Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
, Vicenza and Treviso provinces. It is a permitted grape variety in the ''
Denominazione di origine controllata The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipi ...
'' (DOC) wines of Breganze in the Vicenza province where it is blended with Vespaiola in late-harvest ''Torcolato'' wines. In the province of Treviso it is used in the ''passito'' wines of the Colli di Conegliano DOC where it is blended with Glera,
Verdiso Verdiso is a white Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in province of Treviso in the Veneto wine region of northeast Italy.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 20 Oxford University Press 1996 It is a permitted varie ...
and
Verdicchio Verdicchio (, also , ) is a white Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in the Marche region of central Italy.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 195 Oxford University Press 1996 The name ''Verdicchio'' derives from ' ...
.


Styles

Though Marzemina bianca is most often used in the production of sweet late-harvest wines, it can also be produced as dry
varietal A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...
or slightly-sparkling ''frizzante'' wine. These wines are usually produced as ''vino da tavola''. According to
Master of Wine Master of Wine (MW) is a qualification (not an academic degree) issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom. The MW qualification is generally regarded in the wine industry as one of the highest standards of professional knowle ...
Jancis Robinson, wines made from Marzemina bianca tend to be body (wine), light bodied with aroma notes of hay and apple that can sometimes have a slightly bitter aftertaste.


Relationship and confusion with other grapes

In addition to the parent-offspring relationship with Marzemino and Garganega, DNA evidence has shown that Marzemina bianca likely crossed with the Veneto grape Raboso Piave to make Raboso Veronese. Marzemina bianca has several synonyms such as ''Champagne'' and ''Champagna'' that would suggest some relationship to the French wine region or the grapes used to make the notable French sparkling wine of the same name. But currently DNA evidence has shown no such relationship nor is there a historical connection to the region and its grape varieties. Marzemina bianca is also sometimes confused with Chasselas which originated in Switzerland but is grown in many European wine regions and has the name ''Marzemina bianca'' as a synonym. However, there is currently no evidence to suggest a relationship between the two varieties.


Synonyms

Over the years Marzemina bianca has been known under various synonyms including: Berzemina di Breganze, Champagna, Champagne, Sampagne and Sciampagna.


References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties