Terrano (grape)
Encyclopedia
Terrano or Teran is a Slovenian
dark-skinned grape
varieties. It is a member of the Refosco
family of grape varieties, which also includes Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso
.
The wine produced from this grape (sometimes also other refosco
grapes) acquires the distinctive flavour and bouquet only when it is grown in the specific terra rossa ("Red Earth") soil typical of a very restricted area of Kras plateau
: within Slovenia and Italy, but is also widely grown on similar red soil in Western Istria. In all other cases, Teran is simply a misnomer for refosco
wine. It is a rich, slightly sour, full-bodied red wine with a high lactic acid
content. It is very palatable, and highly prized by connoisseurs of fine wines. It is also very rich in iron, and in the past it was prescribed as a therapy for anemia.
Traditional Kraški Teran does not age well - notably, chemical analyses have confirmed that the content of bivalent iron starts to diminish radically two years after fermentation - and should be consumed within its first year; after that, the wine quickly loses its attractive vitality and can even become bitter and flat.
within the Slovenian Primorska wine region (where it is called Kraški teran) and Italian Carso DOC
(with two main varieties called Terrano del Carso and Carso Rosso (red Carso)), as well as in the West Istria
n wine region of Croatia
(called Istarski Teran or Terrano D'Istria in Italian). Teran is the principal red wine grape it these regions. In Italy it is also used in the DOC Cagnina di Romagna
in Emilia-Romagna
.
Italian Kras plateau and Slovene Kras plateau
are situated next to each other across the Italian-Slovene border. In this area the Terra Rossa is present in part of the municipalities of Sežana
and Komen
, around the villages of Tomaj
and Dutovlje
. In Italy, it is present in the area of Monrupino
, Sgonico
, Duino-Aurisina
and in a very limited part of the municipality of Trieste (between Opicina and the Slovenian border). In Croatia, it is found in Western Istria
.
family wines, some believe that Kraski Teran is the Roman puccinum (although some also believe that puccinum was a white wine similar to Prosecco). Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder
wrote that puccinum was the favorite of Augustus
's wife Livia
who lived to the respectable age of 82. The medicinal properties of lactic acid and bivalent iron, that are highly contained in Kraski Teran, have been confirmed by a modern medicine. The wine stimulates the appetite and facilitates digestion of fatty foods.
Kraski Teran is traditionally well paired together with pršut
(prosciutto or air-dried ham). However, it matches also with other pork dishes, sausages, panceta or cooked ham with horseradish (traditional foods of the Kras Plateau and Istria). Kraski Teran should be served at 15 - 16 °C (59 - 60.8 °F).
Slovenian wine
Slovenian wine is wine from the Central European country of Slovenia. Viticulture and winemaking has existed in this region since the time of the Celts and Illyrians tribes, long before the Romans would introduce winemaking to the lands of France, Spain and Germany...
dark-skinned 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...
varieties. It is a member of the Refosco
Refosco
Refosco is a very old Italian family of dark-skinned grape varieties native to the northern Italian areas of Friuli, Gavi, Trentino, Istria, and Karst Plateau. It is considered autochthonous in these regions....
family of grape varieties, which also includes Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso
Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso
Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso is a red Italian wine grape grown predominantly in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeast Italy. The grape is a variety in the Refosco family and derives its name from its red stems...
.
The wine produced from this grape (sometimes also other refosco
Refosco
Refosco is a very old Italian family of dark-skinned grape varieties native to the northern Italian areas of Friuli, Gavi, Trentino, Istria, and Karst Plateau. It is considered autochthonous in these regions....
grapes) acquires the distinctive flavour and bouquet only when it is grown in the specific terra rossa ("Red Earth") soil typical of a very restricted area of Kras plateau
Kras
Karst ; also known as the Karst Plateau, is a limestone borderline plateau region extending in southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills surrounding the valley, the westernmost part of the Brkini Hills, northern Istria, and the Gulf of Trieste...
: within Slovenia and Italy, but is also widely grown on similar red soil in Western Istria. In all other cases, Teran is simply a misnomer for refosco
Refosco
Refosco is a very old Italian family of dark-skinned grape varieties native to the northern Italian areas of Friuli, Gavi, Trentino, Istria, and Karst Plateau. It is considered autochthonous in these regions....
wine. It is a rich, slightly sour, full-bodied red wine with a high lactic acid
Lactic acid
Lactic acid, also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various biochemical processes and was first isolated in 1780 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Lactic acid is a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula C3H6O3...
content. It is very palatable, and highly prized by connoisseurs of fine wines. It is also very rich in iron, and in the past it was prescribed as a therapy for anemia.
Traditional Kraški Teran does not age well - notably, chemical analyses have confirmed that the content of bivalent iron starts to diminish radically two years after fermentation - and should be consumed within its first year; after that, the wine quickly loses its attractive vitality and can even become bitter and flat.
Regions
Terrano wine is primarily grown in Kras plateauKras
Karst ; also known as the Karst Plateau, is a limestone borderline plateau region extending in southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills surrounding the valley, the westernmost part of the Brkini Hills, northern Istria, and the Gulf of Trieste...
within the Slovenian Primorska wine region (where it is called Kraški teran) and Italian Carso DOC
Carso DOC
Carso is an Italian wine-producing zone located in the provinces Trieste and Gorizia in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, on the border with Slovenia. It is classified as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata and produces both red and white wine...
(with two main varieties called Terrano del Carso and Carso Rosso (red Carso)), as well as in the West Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
n wine region of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
(called Istarski Teran or Terrano D'Istria in Italian). Teran is the principal red wine grape it these regions. In Italy it is also used in the DOC Cagnina di Romagna
Cagnina di Romagna
Cagnina di Romagna is an Italian wine-producing zone in Emilia-Romagna region, in northeastern Italy. It is classified as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata ....
in Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....
.
Italian Kras plateau and Slovene Kras plateau
Kras
Karst ; also known as the Karst Plateau, is a limestone borderline plateau region extending in southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills surrounding the valley, the westernmost part of the Brkini Hills, northern Istria, and the Gulf of Trieste...
are situated next to each other across the Italian-Slovene border. In this area the Terra Rossa is present in part of the municipalities of Sežana
Sežana
Sežana is a town and a municipality in the Slovenian Littoral region of Slovenia, near the border with Italy. According to the census of 2008, it has a population of 12,470, of which around 5,332 live in the town of Sežana and the rest in the neighbouring rural areas.Sežana is located about on the...
and Komen
Komen
Komen is a settlement and a municipality in Slovenia. It is located on the Kras plateau in the Slovenian Littoral.-History:In the Middle Ages, it was first part of the Duchy of Friuli and in the 13th century it was included in the County of Gorizia. Komen was first mentioned in a document from 1247...
, around the villages of Tomaj
Tomaj
Tomaj is a village in the Sežana Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia.The Parish Church in the settlement is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and belongs to the Diocese of Koper...
and Dutovlje
Dutovlje
Dutovlje is a settlement in the Sežana Municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia close to the border with Italy.The Parish Church in the settlement is dedicated to Saint George and belongs to the Diocese of Koper.-External links:*...
. In Italy, it is present in the area of Monrupino
Monrupino
Monrupino is a comune in the Province of Trieste in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 9 km north of Trieste, on the border with Slovenia. , it had a population of 848 and an area of 12.7 km²...
, Sgonico
Sgonico
Sgonico is a comune in the Province of Trieste in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 12 km northwest of Trieste, on the border with Slovenia. , it had a population of 2,130 and an area of 31.3 km²...
, Duino-Aurisina
Duino-Aurisina
Duino-Aurisina is a comune in the Province of Trieste in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Lying near the border with Slovenia, it has a substantial Slovene population...
and in a very limited part of the municipality of Trieste (between Opicina and the Slovenian border). In Croatia, it is found in Western Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
.
History, properties and food matching
This wine is a great appetizer and has always been appreciated for its medicinal properties. As with all other refoscoRefosco
Refosco is a very old Italian family of dark-skinned grape varieties native to the northern Italian areas of Friuli, Gavi, Trentino, Istria, and Karst Plateau. It is considered autochthonous in these regions....
family wines, some believe that Kraski Teran is the Roman puccinum (although some also believe that puccinum was a white wine similar to Prosecco). Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
wrote that puccinum was the favorite of Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
's wife Livia
Livia
Livia Drusilla, , after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14 also known as Julia Augusta, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Augustus and his adviser...
who lived to the respectable age of 82. The medicinal properties of lactic acid and bivalent iron, that are highly contained in Kraski Teran, have been confirmed by a modern medicine. The wine stimulates the appetite and facilitates digestion of fatty foods.
Kraski Teran is traditionally well paired together with pršut
Prosciutto
Prosciutto |ham]]) or Parma ham is a dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked; this style is called prosciutto crudo in Italian and is distinguished from cooked ham, prosciutto cotto....
(prosciutto or air-dried ham). However, it matches also with other pork dishes, sausages, panceta or cooked ham with horseradish (traditional foods of the Kras Plateau and Istria). Kraski Teran should be served at 15 - 16 °C (59 - 60.8 °F).