In response to UC's embarrassing championing of the Italian wine cause, and
Italian varieties outside of Italy (potential for etc.)

Sangiovese is the result of a cross between Ciliegiolo and a Campanian
variety called Calabrese Montenuovo, so it's Tuscan roots don't run that
deep. Sangiovese could probably grow as well in Campania as Colli Senesi or
the Romagnan plains. A variety is just a genetic re-arrangement of the
potential Vitis vinifera has to offer. There is no reason that Sangiovese
could not express it's particular take on vinifera successfully outside of
Tuscany. It can and it does. The same goes for all Italian varieties. I have
a greenhouse full of Sagrantino, Grechetto, Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo,
Montepulciano and self-polinated Ciliegiolo seedlings waiting to be planted
out in the cool Great Southern of Western Australia. I see absolutely no
reason why some of these varieties (and crosses) can't find a home outside
of Italy and make great wine. It's all a question of management and keeping
an open mind. Pick a decent site, watch how the vines grow, intercept as
much sunlight with prudent canopy management, check for deficiencies, keep
the berries nice and small and don't be greedy. Sooner or later a particular
variety will perform better than others. That's what you focus on.

The only true way to plant something that perfectly reflects your terroir
would be to plant thousands of seeds from thousands of different varieties
out in a field and see which one's survive and grow into bearing vines with
minimal intervention. Check out the fruit quality of those that survive, for
flavour and acidity. Quantify all the dates of the main phenological stages
and how they relate to climactic data for your site, and then clone the
vines of best fit and performance and plant those out into blocks. There's
your vineyard which reflects a lovely marriage of terroir and cepage. If
you're curious you could do a DNA assay to determine the genetic origin of
your materials, but even a self-polinated seedling (eg. sangio. crossed with
itself) is still a genetically distinct variety, albeit very similar to it's
parents. Only problem is selling the wine with your variety's name on the
label. But that's for a different thread.


Marcello

In article >,
says...
[SNIP some interesting observations]

>
>Marcello

Marcello,

Thank you for the time to comment. I wish you great fortune with your
plantings. May the majority yield excellent fruit, express the terroir and
contribute to wonderful wines - noble endeavor.

I used to think that Sangiovese just could not do well in the US (exception
being the blend from Shafer, Fire Break), but have recently found some really
"special" ones from Amador and even Santa Cruz mountains. While they are
different than those of Tuscany, they are really good wines. I'm sure that
some of these folk have been working on their vineyards, and their wines, for
many decades, but they ARE bearing fruit (pun intended).

Please let us know how it goes "down under." It will be interesting to see
some decidely Italian varietals from OZ.

Hunt