Coda di Pecora is a white

Italian wine Italian wine () is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine in the world, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, as well as the List of wine-producing regions#Countries, world's ...

grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, Zante currant, currant, sultana (grape), sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimp ...

that is grown in the

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

region of southern Italy, particularly in the

province of Caserta The province of Caserta () is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Caserta, situated about by road north of Naples. The province has an area of , and a population of 907,442. The Palace of Caserta is located nea ...

. The name ''Coda di Pecora'' means "goat's tail" in the local dialect and for many years was thought to be a

clonal variation Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical genomes, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction; this reproduction of an organism by itself without ...

of another white Campanian variety,

Coda di Volpe Coda di Volpe is a white Italian wine grape variety that has been historically grown in the Campania region around the town of Naples. It is often confused with another white Italian wine grape, Emilia (grape), Emilia, that share many of the same ...

, whose name means "foxtail".J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 254 Allen Lane 2012

History

Coda di Pecora has long been presumed to be a synonym or clonal variation of the white Campanian variety Coda di Volpe. While the name ''Coda di Volpe'' means "foxtail" in the local Campanian dialect, the name ''Coda di Pecora'' translates to "goat's tail" and is considered to be a reference to the characteristic shape of the grape's clusters. However, in 2005,

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

showed that the two varieties were distinct and not closely related with Coda di Pecora potentially being related to another Campanian variety, San Pietro, that is also grown in the province of Caserta.

Viticulture

The name Coda di Pecora (or "goat's tail") is thought to be derived from the characteristic shape of Coda di Pecora's clusters as they hang on the vine. The variety is known to be a reliable crop that tends to produce neutral flavored wines.

Wine regions

As the grape is still widely confused for Coda di Volpe, an exact count of plantings of Coda di Pecora is not known. However, ampelographers believe that of the of Coda di Volpe plantings reported in 2000 agricultural census, the majority of those found in province of Caserta around the extinct volcano of

Roccamonfina Roccamonfina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about northwest of Caserta. In the communal territory is the extinct volcano of Roccamonfina. The fos ...

are likely true Coda di Pecora. The communes of

Conca della Campania Conca della Campania (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about northwest of Caserta. Conca della Campania borders the following municipalit ...

Galluccio Galluccio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about northwest of Caserta. It is at the feet of the southern slopes of Monte Camino. History Prehistoric ...

Mignano Monte Lungo Mignano Monte Lungo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about northwest of Caserta. Mignano Monte Lungo borders the following municipalities: Conca de ...

and Tora e Piccilli also have a long tradition associated with Coda di Pecora plantings.

Synonyms

For most of its history, Coda di Pecora was assumed to be a synonym of Coda di Volpe (also known as Guarnaccia). As of 2014, the

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 G ...

(VIVC) still only officially recognizes Coda di Pecora as a synonym and not as a distinct variety.

(VIVC)
Guarnaccia
'' Accessed: March 12th, 2014

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties