Verdello 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 for ...

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 Vit ...

that is grown mostly in the

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region of central Italy where it plays a minor role as a blending grape in several ''

Denominazione di Origine Controllata The following four classification of wine, classifications of wine constitute the Italy, Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English language, English: “designatio ...

'' (DOC) wines, including Orvieto. Despite similarities in their names, the Italian Verdello grape has no close genetic relationship with the

Portuguese wine Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans and other ancient Mediterranean peoples who traded with local coastal populations, mainly in the South. In pre-Roman Gallaecia-Lusitania times, the native peoples only drank beer and were unfam ...

grape Verdelho that is grown on the islands of

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and

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. However, like the Portuguese grape, Verdello's name likely comes from the dark green color of its berries before '' veraison''.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 1120-1121 Allen Lane 2012

History

Ampelographers believe that Verdello is indigenous to the Umbria region where it has been recorded growing in the Orvieto region since at least 1894. The grape's name is likely derived from the green color of the hard, immature berries throughout the

growing season A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Wh ...

before the period of ''veraison''. Despite the similarities in their names, Verdello has no known relationship with the Portuguese wine grape Verdelho. In Spain, the grape called Verdello is in fact the Portuguese Verdelho.

Viticulture

Verdello is a

late-ripening In viticulture, ripeness is the completion of the ripening process of wine grapes on the vine which signals the beginning of harvest. What exactly constitutes ripeness will vary depending on what style of wine is being produced ( sparkling, sti ...

grape variety that tends to maintain very high

acidity In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...

levels throughout

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most lab ...

. The grape tends to have moderate resistance to the

viticultural hazard This is a list of diseases of grapes (''Vitis'' spp.). Bacterial diseases Fungal diseases Miscellaneous diseases and disorders Nematodes, parasitic Phytoplasma, virus and viruslike diseases See also *''Ampeloglypter ater'' *''Ampe ...

downy mildew Downy mildew refers to any of several types of oomycete microbes that are obligate parasites of plants. Downy mildews exclusively belong to the Peronosporaceae family. In commercial agriculture, they are a particular problem for growers of c ...

but is much more sensitive to infection from botrytis bunch rot and powdery mildew.

Wine regions

In 2000, there were of Verdello planted in Italy which was nearly a 50% drop from planting totals in 1970. The vast majority of these plantings are found in the Umbria region though there are some isolated plantings in

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

where the grape is a permitted variety in the

Bianco di Pitigliano DOC Bianco di Pitigliano is a denominazione di origine controllata that is located close to the southern coast of Tuscany, in Italy. The DOC was created in 1966. Geography Bianco di Pitigliano encompasses a large area of Tuscany, stretching from the c ...

where it is blended with

Trebbiano Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it ...

. In Umbria, the grape is also often blended with Trebbiano and is used as a minor blending variety, contributing acidity, to the

Colli Amerini DOC Colli may refer to: Places of Italy ;Municipalities (''comuni'') *Colli a Volturno, in the province of Isernia *Colli del Tronto, in the province of Ascoli Piceno *Colli sul Velino, in the province of Rieti ;Civil parishes (''frazioni'') *Colli ( ...

and the ''

Indicazione Geografica Tipica ''Indicazione geografica tipica'' () is the third of four classifications of wine recognized by the government of Italy. Created to recognize the unusually high quality of the class of wines known as Super Tuscans, IGT wines are labeled with the ...

'' (IGT) wines of the region. It is also sometimes used as part of the pass for traditional method

sparkling wine Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While the phrase commonly refers to champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that term for products exclusively produced in the Champagne regi ...

. In the Orvieto DOC, the grape is a minor blending component (up to a maximum of 20-30% depending on the rest of the blend) in the white wine of the region that is based mostly on Trebbiano and Grechetto.

Synonyms

Over the years, Verdello has also been known under the synonym Verdetto.

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties