Marc Millon, VIA (Vinitaly International Academy) Italian Wine Ambassador, shares his takeaway thoughts on Italy’s numerous indigenous grape varieties, arising from Food Diversity Day.
In the global supermarket of seemingly endless choice, the real and genuine foods available to us are sadly getting fewer and fewer. If we are what we eat, then we should all be concerned that this diminuation of food and drink is impacting negatively the very quality of our lives, as well as making our planet poorer.
Dan Saladino, the award-winning journalist and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s acclaimed weekly Food Program, realised that many of the most delicious foods and drinks in the world are increasingly in danger, to the point even of extinction. Yet these endangered foods and drinks represent generations of tradition, culture and history and continue to exist not least because they offer unique flavours and taste experiences worthy of being safeguarded. Dan’s first book, Eating to Extinction, published by Jonathan Cape in 2021, was the result of this research and it has already won numerous awards and has been hailed as ‘an inspiring and urgent book, full of both loss and hope’.
To bring attention to food and drink diversity, as well as to celebrate it, Dan conceived and organised Food Diversity Day, a mainly online event that took place on 13th January, 2023. It brought together an extraordinary and widely embracing group of participants from all around the world to take part in panel discussions about all aspects of food and drink diversity – exploring issues relating to varieties of grains and seeds, breeds of livestock, fish and shellfish, vegetables and fruits, pulses, dairy products, how chefs can help to promote biodiversity, and all the various types of fermented beverages produced all around the world. The aim of the day was to explore ways that food and drink diversity can be increased, in essence a call-to-action to encourage us all to look to achieve greater diversity in what we eat, drink and enjoy.
I was part of the ‘Bottling Diversity’ group discussion that explored diversity in drinks. My fellow panellists were Sarah Abbott MW, who gave an inspirational overview of the Old Vines Project and why it is imperative to safeguard this vital and precious vinous patrimony (see www.oldvines.org). Chava Peribán, who joined us from Mexico City, gave an insight into the many varieties of agave cactus, the extraordinary and mind-altering spirits that result from it, and their importance in Mexican popular culture (see www.agaveroadtrip.com). Gabe Cook, an independent global expert on cider and perry, astonished us with a whirlwind overview of the incredible variety of cider apples and perry pears and made us all immediately want to drink and taste every single one (see www.theciderologist.com). John Letts, farmer, botanist and heritage grain expert, explained his motive for choosing to cultivate heritage grains and how he transforms his harvest into artisan small-batch alcoholic distillations (see www.theoxfordartisandistillery.com). This fascinating discussion was moderated by Pete Brown, an expert and prolific author on beer and other drinks (see www.petebrown.net).
My panel contribution was on biodiversity in wine and in particular Italian wine. There are possibly some 1,400 different varieties of Vitis vinifera sativa, the domesticated European wine grapevine, and Italy has almost half of them. Italy, in fact, can be proud of being one of the most biodiverse wine producing countries in the world. For indeed, if nearly a third of all wines produced globally are made from a diminishing handful of grape varieties, a dozen at most, Italy, by contrast can proudly boast some 600 official wine grape varieties that are still in use around the country.
The origins of Italy’s vinous biodiversity
How has Italy managed to maintain such heart-warming vinous biodiversity? The answer may in part be historical, due to the proud individualistic psyche of Italians, who simply refuse to be shoehorned into conformity, whether related to wine or anything else. The Italian Peninsula, after all, was only united for the first time, since the fall of the Roman Empire, as recently as 1861. Prior to unification, Italy was made up of a collection of duchies, principalities and kingdoms, with the Spanish ruling over all of southern Italy and Sicily; the Austro-Hungarian Habsburgs overseeing northeast Italy; the Savoia ruling the so-called Kingdom of Sardinia that extended even over the Alps into what today is French Savoie; the Papal States covering much of central and eastern Italy; a Grand Duchy in Tuscany; and various other duchies and principalities – some of which were surrogates to greater powers. There was no sense of Italian national identity, and indeed people’s loyalties lay mainly with their own community, not even with something so nebulous as a region. After unification, the statesman Massimo D’Azeglio famously was compelled to declare, “We have made Italy; now we must make the Italians.”
It is a task that may still be something of a work in progress, for Italy and Italians have clung stubbornly and beautifully to a sense of identity that often seems to go no further than the bell tower of the neighbourhood or rione of the town or city in which they were born. This is reflected in their language, culture, loyalty to a sporting team, and of course in their preferences for food and not least wine. It is no accident that the Slow Food movement, born to safeguard traditional foods, wines, food products and produce, even traditional dishes, could only have been born in Italy: the precision of local taste is extraordinary and one happy result of this campanilismo is Italy’s incredibly rich biodiversity in food and also wine.
An abundance of great grapes
Grape varieties – in many cases, outstanding, world-class and unique varieties – are quite simply grown in one locality and nowhere else. Verdicchio, one of the great white wine grapes of Italy and indeed the world, is only cultivated in two parts of Le Marche: Castelli di Jesi and Matelica. Why has it not been planted elsewhere? Vernaccia, possibly Tuscany’s best indigenous white grape variety, is cultivated only in vineyards around the town of San Gimignano, and no place else. Sagrantino, a red grape that makes dense, concentrated and highly tannic red wines, is found only in vineyards around the town of Montefalco, in Umbria. Corvina, the great grape of Valpolicella and Amarone, rarely – if ever – strays from the vineyards of Verona. Nebbiolo, one of Italy’s greatest red grapes, reigns supreme only in Piedmont, and in one tiny wine enclave in the high mountains of Lombardy’s Valtellina.
Across southern Italy, each region has its favourite grape varieties that are grown there and rarely anywhere else: in Sicily, Nerello Mascalese is found almost exclusively on the slopes of Mount Etna. Calabria has Gaglioppo and Greco, varieties that have ancient roots, extending deep in time to when southern Italy formed part of Magna Grecia. In Puglia, Negroamaro is cultivated on the Salento peninsula – the far southern heel of the Italian boot – but Nero di Troia is the preferred variety just a little further north. Montepulciano, a red grape capable of making both juicy, easy pizza wine, as well as complex and concentrated red wines that rank among Italy’s greatest, seems to thrive only on vineyards that rise above the Adriatic coast in Abruzzo and Le Marche. And there are countless other examples, almost too many to drink!
Italy’s vinous biodiversity is so rich and so rewarding for the intrepid and curious wine lover that it is easy to think that it just is, because it always has been. However, an important lesson to learn from Italy that may be applicable not only to wine growers elsewhere but also to growers of other edible crops, is that biodiversity must never be taken for granted. Indeed, Italy’s great biodiversity of wine grapes would be far less rich, and far less interesting if it were not for a handful of dedicated winegrowers who have toiled tirelessly to rescue grape varieties from near extinction and to champion them for us all to enjoy.
The grape dilemma and rediscovering ancient varieties
After the devastation of World War II that left much if not most of Italy’s wine country in ruins, some growers took the decision to replant vineyards, not with their own indigenous or local grape varieties, but with alternative varieties that were possibly more prolific, less prone to disease, and/or possibly more marketable. Who can blame them? But others resisted and kept faith in the traditional varieties that they and their families had always grown, across the generations, not necessarily for commercial reasons but simply because they were part of who they were, who they had always been.
Antonio Mastroberardino, whose family wine estate in inland Campania was founded in 1878 (www.mastroberardino.com), was one such post-war visionary winemaker. After the devastation of the war, when his vineyards and cellar were left in ruins, he chose to rebuild on a foundation based firmly on the ancient vinous patrimony of the area, which could be traced directly back to antiquity. Aglianico and Greco were both grape varieties that had probably been cultivated by the ancient Greeks and certainly the Romans. Another grape he managed to rescue almost from extinction was Fiano, a variety once prized but which had become virtually non-existent because it was difficult to grow, low-yielding, and so had been grubbed up and replaced by easier and more prolific varieties. Mastroberardino, however, believed that this ancient variety, possibly cited by Pliny the Elder in his Historis Naturalis, should not be allowed to disappear, so he carefully nurtured old vines and from them propagated new ones. In 1952, he was thus able to harvest 50kg of Fiano and made just 30 bottles. Today Fiano di Avellino is considered one of the great white wines of Italy.
Another example of dogged determination to rediscover and safeguard an historic grape variety can be found in Le Marche. Marilena Cocci Grifoni recently explained to me how her father Guido, at their wine estate in the southern part of the region around Offida, had long heard talk of a fabled wine grape that had once been highly regarded but, due to its low productivity, had been replaced with other more prolific varieties. In 1982, Cocci Grifoni somehow managed to track down one of the few remaining examples of this ancient vine, discovered somewhere around Arquata del Tronto, in the Sibillini National Park. He took some cuttings and made the first grafts to propagate the plant. He was patient and it was not until 1987 that he had sufficient to sow what is now known as the Pecorino Mother Vineyard. Today the Pecorino grape variety is widely grown across the southern Le Marche, as well as in neighbouring Abruzzo, though the finest examples still come from around Offida, where such wines are entitled to select DOCG status. Just think, if it hadn’t been for Guido Cocci Grifoni’s curiosity and dedicated efforts, none of us would ever have had the chance to taste the magnificent, compact and structured Pecorino white wines that are the result. (see www.tenutacoccigrifoni.it)
Elsewhere intrepid archaeologists of the vine have sought to discover and rediscover ancient varieties. Viticulture was once prevalent within the Venetian Lagoon, with vineyards planted even in the many campi of Venice itself. After the war, however, it made little economic sense to continue this activity when cheaper and more plentiful wines could so easily be sourced from vineyards on the mainland. The devastating flood of 1966 was the final straw and an agricultural activity that had existed for centuries and millennia had virtually ceased to exist. However, people still remembered the wine of Venice, and dreamed perhaps of one day tasting it again.
Gianluca Bisol, a visionary winemaker from the Prosecco wine hills of Valdobbiàdené, believed that it could be possible to restore viticulture to the Venetian lagoon. He began to search islands for any remaining ancient grape vines and eventually discovered some of the last surviving examples of a vine the old Venetians remembered as Dorona, unique to the Venetian Lagoon because it evolved and adapted over centuries to its unique, watery environment – a vine that’s remarkably able to even survive regular flooding with the brackish waters of acqu’alta. Again, the few discovered vines needed to be patiently propagated to reproduce sufficiently to be able plant a vineyard. A site was found on the island of Mazzorbo, and the wonderful and exciting Venissa project was born. (see www.venissa.it/en/wine/)
More than digging up the past
Preserving biodiversity is not just living in the past. Italian winemakers have brought modern sensibilities and technologies to ancient, sometimes forgotten vines. In Roero, near Alba, in Piedmont, a white grape called Arneis was often found amongst vineyards mainly planted with Nebbiolo – a row here, a row there, whereby the red grapes mixed with a little white and were all harvested together to make a field blend – the white softening the sometimes harsh tannins of the red to produce a more supple and easy-drinking wine. Bruno Ceretto, however, considered that Arneis had the capacity to make a great white wine in its own right and out of nowhere and from no tradition, he planted a vineyard of Arneis and created an ultra-modern winery with the latest technologies to produce the sleekly beautiful and elegant Arneis Blangé, which is one of Piedmont’s most outstanding whites (see www.ceretto.com).
Across Piedmont’s wine hills to the Colli Tortonesi, Walter Massa has done something similar with another previously unheard of variety, Timorasso. Massa’s rediscovery and championing of this ancient and almost lost variety has resulted in an extraordinary white wine that has an ability to evolve with age, in the process gaining richly textured, concentrated and complex flavours and aromas. Other winegrowers in the area have followed suit, and the resulting Derthona wines have been hailed as the region’s ‘white Barolo’. (see www.vignetimassa.com)
Sometimes the risk to biodiversity can come through state bureaucracy. In Friuli, the Nonino family, seeking ancient native grape varieties to distil into grappe, discovered that some of the most representative and traditional of them, namely Schioppettino, Tazzelenghe, and Pignolo, had not been inserted in the European Community list of viticultural varieties allowed to be cultivated in Friuli. The Noninos worked tirelessly to gain recognition for these traditional grape varieties, thus vitally preserving the biodiversity of their corner of Italy and resulting in grapes that are today widely grown to produce some of the region’s most distinctive wines. As a bonus for lovers of strong alcoholic distillations, the vinacce or grape pomace left after the winemaking process is sent to the Nonino artisan distillery to be crafted into magnificent mono-varietal grappe. (see/www.grappanonino.it/en/)
In some cases, preserving biodiversity is also a means of preserving ancient ways of life. In central Sardinia, tending low-yielding old vines had become an activity that was no longer commercially viable or capable of supporting families, so many vineyards were being abandoned as families moved to cities in search of work and a better life. The Bentu Luna project has sought to revalue an ancient patrimony at risk of being lost by bringing life back to these vineyards and restoring communities that had almost died, with a new generation of young people now returning to their family farms. Today, working in partnership with some 25 families, Bentu Luna is reaping a precious harvest from old vine grape varieties, such as Bovale, Monica and Cannonau to produce a range of wines that are uniquely individual and of the highest quality. (see www.bentuluna.it/)
The effects of climate change
Will climate change hinder biodiversity, or can it even help it? Those who make wine and those who drink wine are in no doubt whatsoever of the realities of climate change, for the increase in average temperatures is having great impact on wine regions around the world. It seems that the genetic material of ancient grape varieties may be proving vital in adapting to climate change. Italy’s Franciacorta, an area of Lombardy around the beautiful Lake Orto, has long been considered the country’s premier wine zone for the production of quality sparkling wines made by the classic method of secondary fermentation in the bottle. These stylish sparkling wines, produced mainly from Chardonnay, with some Pinot Noir and Pinot Bianco grapes, are Italy’s answer to Champagne – prestige wines for special times and celebrations. But as average temperatures continue to rise, the very character of Franciacorta is at risk – earlier ripening, especially of Chardonnay, can result in examples that are rich in flavour and complexity but lacking in that necessary backbone of steely acidity that gives them their freshness and vibrancy. However, an ancient and unheard of grape variety, Erbamat, long grown on the gentle moraine slopes of this area but almost abandoned, may prove to be something of a saviour. Its disease resistance, long growing cycle, and high natural acidity means that when judiciously added to the blend, it can lend that missing extra zip and finesse that is the hallmark of great sparkling wines. The same thing is happening in wine regions around the world (even in Bordeaux), as new and ancient varieties are having to be sought and introduced to combat the effects of climate change.
Be bold, be curious!
In Italy, and everywhere else, biodiversity never just is. If it exists in rich abundance, as it still does in Italy, it’s for a myriad of reasons. It can be historical, sometimes by haphazard chance, but mainly through the efforts of hardworking generations, as well as the determination and dogged curiosity of inspired winegrowers, who never stop believing in the value and worth of their unique patrimony of native grape varieties. Biodiversity should never be taken for granted, especially in a modern world where the lure of commercial homogeneity at the expense of individuality is ever present. It is something that must always be jealously and joyously safeguarded and indeed celebrated. So, the next time you are perusing an Italian wine list or looking for a bottle from a wine shop or online, or perhaps travelling, I urge you to choose something that you’ve never heard of before or know nothing or little about – Susumaniello from Puglia, Spoletino from Umbria, Prié Blanc from Valle d’Aosta, Vitowska from Friuli’s Carso, Biancolella from Ischia, or so many, many others. The same goes for wines from many other countries, too, with notably rich biodiverse wines coming from Georgia, Greece, Portugal, and elsewhere, and not forgetting all the exciting and unique Criolla varieties of South America.
The clear message from Food Diversity Day is – be bold, be adventurous, be curious: the future of our wine world depends on it!
For more information about Food Diversity Day visit www.fooddiversityday.com – there you will find not only more information about how we can celebrate and support food diversity, but also links to the fascinating range of panel discussions, now available on YouTube.