Recently, Italian scientists have made a new breakthrough in the study of the traceability of indigenous grape varieties.
Image from: Italian Wine Network
A joint team of experts from the Rural Development Agency of the Friuli Region (Ersa, Agenzia Regionale per lo Sviluppo Rurale del Friuli Venezia Giulia) and the Viticulture Research Center Crea (Centro di Ricerca per la Viticoltura e After years of intensive research, the joint team of experts from the Centre for Research in Viticulture (Centro di Ricerca per la Viticoltura e Enologia di Conegliano) has established that the Ribolla Gialla grape, widely grown in the Friuli region, shares a common ancestry with the international grape varieties Chardonnay and Riesling, both of which originate from the Gouais blanc grape. Gouais blanc grape.
Friuli Region is located in the northeast corner of Italy, north of Austria, east of Slovenia, south of the Adriatic Sea, with Italy"s Oriental Gate of the reputation. The yellow Lippola grape is a typical native grape variety of the Friuli region, such as Collio Goriziano DOC, and is often used to make orange wine, sparkling wine, etc. It is very popular among consumers and has a long history of cultivation. The wines made from yellow Lippola have also been repeatedly presented at Italian state banquets.
A common ancestor of yellow Lippola, Chardonnay and Riesling, the white Gauvis grape is less common today, but in the Middle Ages it was widely distributed throughout the European continent. This grape has a wide variety of descendants, including some of the world's most famous grape varieties.
Interestingly, the kinship between yellow Rebula and white Govis is also evident in their names. In Slovenia, right next to the Collio Goriziano Doc appellation, white Govis is called Rebula stara, which literally means old Rebola.
In addition to Yellow Lippola, the team of experts also carried out a detailed traceability of the Glera grape used to make Prosecco sparkling wine. According to genetic analysis, Glera originates from the Vulpea grape. The name Vulpea comes from the Romanian language, but it is assumed that the grape originated in Austria. The Vulpea grape is widely distributed and has many grape varieties descended from it, including both red and white varieties.
The Graila grape itself has developed a number of variants, one of which, Codelunghe, is related to the Garganega grape used to make Soave white wines. The Garganega grape is also one of the original Italian grape varieties, and one of its descendants, the Trebbiano grape, is the most dominant white grape variety in Italy, while another descendant, Catarratto, is one of the most valued and widespread white grape varieties in Sicily.
The team of experts also pointed out that the Refosco dal peduncolo rosso grape, a native variety of the Friuli region, is a relative of the Marzemino grape, which is widely grown in Trentino, disproving the previous assertion that it is a descendant of Marzemino.
