Trebbiano
A high-acid Italian grape vital for Cognac and balsamic vinegar.
Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape that ranks among the most widely planted grape varieties globally. It produces high yields but typically yields undistinguished wine, though it can be fresh and fruity, and does not keep long. Its high acidity makes it important in Cognac and Armagnac production, and it is also used to produce balsamic vinegar.
Quick Facts
- Species
- Vitis vinifera
- Also called
- Ugni blanc
- St. Émilion
- White Hermitage
- White Shiraz (more)
- Origin
- Italy
- Regions
- Italy, France, Australia
- Notable wines
- Orvieto
- Cognac
- Armagnac
Facts from the source article.
History
Trebbiano likely first grew in the Eastern Mediterranean and was already familiar to Romans. By the 1200s, a specific type had been identified in Bologna. Under the name Ugni blanc, it probably reached France during the 1300s, when the papacy relocated to Avignon. A 2008 DNA study from Italy found a strong genetic link between Garganega and Trebbiano, hinting that Garganega could be a parent, though this remains unproven since Garganega’s own parents are unknown. Early 2000s DNA work also pointed to a close connection between Trebbiano and Alionza, a grape from Emilia-Romagna. From 1924 to 1930, breeders crossed Trebbiano with Gewürztraminer, resulting in Manzoni rosa, a pink-skinned Italian variety.
Distribution and wines
Trebbiano has traveled far from its Italian roots. Italian immigrants brought it to Argentina, and under the name White Hermitage, it arrived in Australia with James Busby in 1832. Today, most Australian plantings are in New South Wales and South Australia, where the grape is mainly used for brandy and blended into table wines. In Bulgaria and Portugal, it goes by Thalia. As Ugni blanc, it is France’s most planted white grape, especially along the Provençal coast, in the Gironde, and the Charente. There it is also known as Clairette Ronde, Clairette de Vence, Queue de Renard, and in Corsica, Rossola. Called St. Émilion, it is the key grape in Cognac and Armagnac brandy, and appears in white Floc de Gascogne. It is one of three main grapes in white Côtes de Provence. In Italy, the Trebbiano family makes up about a third of all white wine and appears in over 80 DOCs, though it has only seven dedicated ones. The most successful Trebbiano blend is Orvieto from Umbria, which uses the local Procanico clone. Italian immigrants also took Trebbiano to California, but it is rarely bottled as a single-variety table wine there.
Synonyms
Trebbiano has many synonyms, including Albano, Biancone, Blanc Auba, Brocanico, Cadillac, Clairette Ronde, Greco, Malvasia Fina, Procanico, Queue De Renard, Rossola, Saint Emilion, Shiraz White, Talia, Trebbiano Toscano, Ugni blanc, and Thalia, among others. It shares at least three synonyms with the Spanish wine grape Viura: Queue de Renard, Rossan, Ugni blanc, and the similarly spelled Gredelín/Gredelin.
More in White Wine Grape Varieties from Italy
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