Garganega
Encyclopedia
Garganega is a variety of white Italian wine
Italian wine
Italian wine is wine produced in Italy, a country which is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Italy is the world's largest wine producer, responsible for approximately one-fifth of world wine production in 2005. Italian wine is exported largely around the world and has...

 grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...

 widely grown in the Veneto region of North East Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, particularly in the provinces of Verona
Province of Verona
The Province of Verona is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Verona.-Overview:The province has an area of 3,109 km², and a total population of 912,981...

 and Vicenza
Province of Vicenza
The Province of Vicenza is a province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Its capital city is Vicenza.The province has an area of 2,723 km², and a total population of 840,000 . There are 121 comuni in the province...

. It is Italy's 6th most widely planted white grape. It forms the basis of Venetian white wine Soave
Soave (wine)
Soave is a dry white Italian wine from the Veneto region in northeast Italy, principally around the city of Verona. Within the Soave region are both a Denominazione di Origine Controllata zone and a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita designation known as Soave Superiore with both...

 and is also a major portion of the blend used to make Gambellara.

DNA typing studies in 2003 and 2008 have confirmed that the Grecanico Dorato (Grecanio) grape of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

 is identical to Garganega. Already before these studies, ampelographers believed the grapes to be related due to the similarities of clusters, berries and leaf characteristics.

Wine regions

In the Soave region, Garganega is the primary grape and can compose anywhere from 70 to 100% of the blend with Trebbiano
Trebbiano
Trebbiano is the second most widely planted grape in the world. It gives good yields, but makes undistinguished wine at best. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Its high acidity makes it important in Cognac production...

 and Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...

 being its usual blending partners. In the Classico zone of Soave, where yield
Yield (wine)
In viticulture, the yield is a measure of the amount of grapes or wine that is produced per unit surface of vineyard, and is therefore a type of crop yield...

s are most often kept in check, the grape can produce a delicate wine with lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...

, almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...

 and spicy notes. In addition to Soave, Garganega is also widely grown in the Gambellara, Bianco di Custoza, Colli Berici and Colli Euganei
Colli Euganei
Colli Euganei are located in the Veneto region of northern Italy, a few kilometers south of Padua. They take their name from the Euganei, a semi-mythical population who inhabited the area before the Veneti....

 DOCs. Outside of the Veneto, there are some plantings in the Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...

 and Friuli wine regions.

When grown in Sicily under the name Grecanico Dorato, the grapes ripens late and can produce a wine with tangy acidity.

Viticulture and wines

The Garganega vine has a tendency to ripen late and can be very vigorous. In the fertile, flatlands outside the Soave Classico zone, the grape can produce excessively high yields that lead to very thin and neutral flavored wines. The acid levels in Garganega lends itself well to the production of sweet recioto wines that have the potential to improve with bottle age for a decade or more.

Pedigree

An Italian study published in 2008 using DNA typing showed a close genetic relationship between Garganega on the one hand and seven other Italian grape varieties on the other hand: Albana
Albana (grape)
Albana is a white Italian wine grape planted primarily in the Emilia-Romagna region.The wine made from the grape, Albana di Romagna, was first awarded DOCG status in 1987...

, Catarratto
Catarratto
Catarratto is a white Italian wine grape planted primarily in Sicily where it is the most widely planted grape. Overproduction in recent years has led to this grape being a substantial contributor to the European wine lake problem...

, Empibotte, Greco Bianco del Pollino, Malvasia di Candia a Sapore Semplice, Marzemina Bianca, and Trebbiano Toscano (also known as Ugni Blanc). It is possible that Garganega is one of the parents of each of these grape varieties. However, since the parents of Garganega have not been identified, the exact nature of the relationship in each case could not be conclusively established. The results were of particular interest, since these seven grape varieties are spread from north to south Italy (and Trebbiano Toscano beyond Italy's border), which indicates that Garganega is a key variety in the pedigree of white Italian grape varieties.

Synonyms

Garganega is also known under the synonyms D'Oro, Decanico, Dorana di Venetia, Garganega Comune, Garganega di Gambellara, Garganega Gentile, Garganega Grossa, Garganega Piramidale, Garganega Veronese, Gracanico Dorato, Grecani, Grecanico, Grecanico Bianco, Grecanico Dorato, Grecanicu Biancu, Grecanio, Greccanico, Lizzara, Malvasia de Manresa, Ora, Oro, Ostesa, Ostesona, and Recanicu.
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