Versoaln
A rare South Tyrol white grape with a 350-year-old vine.
In northeast Italy's South Tyrol wine region, the white grape Versoaln—also called Versailler—is cultivated. Its most famous example is a vine at Katzenzungen Castle in Tisens, which experts from the University of Göttingen have confirmed is at least 350 years old, making it one of the world's oldest vines.
Quick Facts
- Also known as
- Versailler
- Region
- South Tyrol, northeast Italy
- Notable vine location
- Katzenzungen Castle, Tisens
- Oldest vine age
- at least 350 years
- Oldest vine area
- 350 m²
- Annual production
- around 500 bottles
Facts from the source article.
History
Legend holds that the Versoaln vine was named after the French royal Palace of Versailles and was brought to Katzenzungen Castle by Grafen Schlandesberg from the court of King Louis XIV. Ampelographers doubt this origin due to a lack of historical evidence and DNA testing that shows no connection to any known French variety. The local dialect root of the name may mean "to secure with a rope," referencing trellising practices, or derive from verdolen, meaning "green," describing the deep green berries before veraison.
Viticulture
Versoaln produces large, thick-skinned berries in irregularly shaped bunches that can strain the vine if not properly managed through training and pruning. It buds midway through the budding period and is a mid-ripening variety. The vine is highly susceptible to sour rot and the fungal infections downy mildew and powdery mildew.
Wine regions
Once widely planted in South Tyrol, Versoaln neared extinction until viticulturists from the Laimburg Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry and the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano began propagating cuttings from the single 350-plus-year-old vine at Katzenzungen Castle. By 2012, about 100 new plantings were in cultivation. The old vine, considered one of the oldest and largest in the world, covers 350 m² and is older than all but a few vines, such as the 400-plus-year-old Žametovka vine in Maribor, Slovenia. Wine is still made from the Katzenzungen vine, with its fruit blended with that from newer plantings, yielding around 500 specially numbered bottles annually.
More in White Wine Grape Varieties from Italy
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