Vermentino

Did You Know?

• DNA typing has confirmed Vermentino to be identical to the Pigato of Liguria and Favorita of Piedmont.
• It is still unclear whether Vermentino is the same grape variety as Rollo, found in eastern Provence near Nice.
• The leaves of Vermentino are dark green and pentagonal, and the grapes are amber-yellow, hanging in pyramidal bunches.

Wines

Italian DOC wines made from Vermentino include Vermentino Di Sardegna from the province of Sardinia, Riviera Ligure di Ponente Vermentino from the provinces of Imperia and Savona in Liguria, and Colli di Luni Vermentino from the province of La Spezia in Liguria and the adjacent Tuscan province of Massa-Carrara. Other Tuscan DOCs are Candia dei Colli Apuani from Massa-Carrara and Bolgheri Vermentino from the province of Livorno. In Sardinia, the IGT Colli del Limbara blends Vermentino with Retagliado bianco. French AOC wines include Patrimonio in northern Corsica, whose white wine is 100% Vermentino, and the grape has recently been allowed into many Languedoc-Roussillon AOC wines such as Côtes du Roussillon. In Provence near Nice, it is used for the AOC white wines of Bellet. In California, Vermentino is grown in several AVAs including Adelaida District, Santa Ynez Valley, Carneros, Mokelumne River/Lodi, El Dorado, and Squaw Valley/Miramonte. It is also grown in Southern Oregon's Applegate Valley AVA and in Southern Idaho's Snake River Valley AVA.

Synonyms and confusion with other varieties

Vermentino goes by many names, including Agostenga, Brustiano, Carbes, Favorita, Favorita bianca, Favorita d'Alba, Formentino, Garbesso, Malvasia a Bonifacio, Malvoisie, Malvoisie de Corse, Piccabon, Piga, Pigato, Rolle, Rossese, Sibirkovski, Uva Sapaiola, Valentin, Varresana bianca, Vermentino bianco, and Vermentinu. Though it shares several of these synonyms, the Corsican grape Brustiano bianco is unrelated to it. Its link to the Tuscan Vermentino nero remains unclear, though that grape might be a color mutation.