Teroldego (, ) is a red Italian grape variety grown primarily in the northeastern region of

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol ( ; ; ), often known in English as Trentino-South Tyrol or by its shorter Italian name Trentino-Alto Adige, is an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy, located in the ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Description

Wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

has been produced since ancient times in Campo Rotaliano, an alluvial plain between the rivers

Adige The Adige is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the province of South Tyrol, near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland, and flows through most of northeastern Italy ...

(Etsch) and Noce. Teroldego may take its name from its traditional method of cultivation, trained on a system of ''tirelle'' or wire harnesses, an explanation that's more likely, albeit less pretty, than its legendary association with German dialect for "gold of the

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

". Another theory, put forth in the book ''Wine Grapes'' credits a northern Italian village called Teroldege, or Teroldeghe, where documents dated in 15th century refer to the sale of Teroldego wine. It has recently been discovered to be a full sibling of the

Dureza Dureza is a dark-skinned French wine grape variety from the Ardèche department of south central France in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. The grape is most widely known for being the father vine of Syrah—a discovery that confirmed that the ...

variety from France, which is one of the parents of

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...

. The grapes ripen around the last week of September or the first week of October.

Cultivation and winemaking

The wine Teroldego Rotaliano, which is made with this grape in

Trentino Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...

, has had DOC status since 18 February 1971. It is planted on about 400 hectares and is cultivated by over 300 producers. In Australia the variety is sparsely planted and has found homes in warmer and coastal climates such as McLaren Vale, Margaret River, Alpine Valley and Langhorne Creek. Teroldego is similar in style to Lagrein, with dark colors and its hint of spice. There is something purplish and velvety about the wine. Unlike Lagrein, it is soft – it does not finish with bitterness, and its tannins are round .

References

{{reflist 4. https://theknow.denverpost.com/2020/09/10/teroldego-wine-colorado/245037/

External links

"Kobrand Wine" profile of the teroldego grape
Red wine grape varieties Wine grapes of Italy