Bariadorgia

Did You Know?

• Bariadorgia is highly sensitive to botrytis bunch rot and powdery mildew.
• The vine produces big clusters of large berries but usually has low sugar levels.
• It is a mid-ripening variety needing sunny, well-situated sites in warm climates to achieve full ripeness.

History and relationship to other grapes

Bariadorgia was first mentioned in 1822 growing in the commune of Sartène on Corsica under the synonym Carcajola. Ampelographers including Gustave Foëx of the Viticultural College at the University of Montpellier have speculated since the early 20th century that the grape was likely introduced from neighboring Sardinia, with the commune of Alghero on the northwest coast mentioned as a possible home. The synonym Carcajolo is believed to derive from the Italian word caricagiola, meaning "heavily laden," possibly referencing the large clusters that weigh down the cane. DNA analysis in the early 21st century showed Bariadorgia identical to Gregu bianco planted around the Campidano region of Sardinia, and confirmed it is not related to Biancu Gentile nor a color mutation of Parraleta.

Wine regions

In Sardinia, Bariadorgia is near extinct, with only isolated plantings of Gregu bianco in the Campidano region identified in 2007 as Bariadorgia. Slightly more significant but still very isolated plantings exist on Corsica around Figari and Sartène. In French wine, Bariadorgia (as Carcajola blanc) is authorized only in a few wines of Vin de Corse AOC and Vin de Pays de l'Île de Beauté, but Corsican plantings were so limited that the grape was not included in the 2008 French census.