Nasco is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in Sardinia around the city of

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...

. The grape has a long history on the island and is described by wine expert

Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...

as "ancient".J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 125 Oxford University Press 1996 There is a special '' Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) designation, ''Nasco di Cagliari'', for varietal wines that are 95–100% Nasco.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 186 Firefly Books 2004

History

While the grape was once widely planted throughout Sardinia, vineyards were devastated by the phylloxera epidemic of the 19th century and Nasco's numbers have been slow to rebound. Today there are less than 40 hectares (100 acres) of the vine planted on the island.

DOC wines

The DOC zone for Nasco extends south and west of the

Gennargentu Gennargentu (; sc, Ghennarghentu ) is a large massif in central-southern Sardinia, Italy, encompassing the provinces of Nuoro and Ogliastra. It includes the highest peaks on the island, such as Punta La Marmora (), Monte Spada (), Punta Erba ...

mountains and includes the broad Campidano plain.Joseph Batianich & David Lynch Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy" pg 426 Clarkson Potter Publishers Here Nasco can be produced in dry (''secco''), sweet (''dolce'') and

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''face ...

(''liquoroso'') styles. Nasco grapes that are destined for DOC wine production must be harvested to a yield no greater than 10 tonnes/hectare. The finished wines must reach a certain minimum alcohol level based on the style of the particular wine ranging from 13.5% for ''dolce'', 14.5% ''secco'' and 17.5% for ''liquoroso'' wines. A separate '' Riserva'' bottling can also be produced provided the wine is aged a minimum of two years prior to release with at least one of those years being spent in oak.

Synonyms

Over the years Nasco has been known under a variety of synonyms including Basco Bianco, Nasco Bianco, Nasco di Sardegna, Nascu, Nasko Sardinskii, Nusco, Ogu de Aranna and Resu. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC)
Nasco
' Accessed: October 12th, 2012

References

{{Authority control White wine grape varieties Wine of Sardinia