Bianchetta Trevigiana

Did You Know?

• Bianchetta Trevigiana has very thick skins but is highly susceptible to powdery mildew and has poor resistance to frost damage.
• According to Master of Wine Jancis Robinson, the grape tends to produce ordinary and astringent wines.
• The grape has been known under synonyms including Bianca Gentile di Fonzaso, Pavana bianca, and Weissvernatsch.

History

The first known mention of Bianchetta Trevigiana dates to the late 1600s, when it was called Bianchetta Gentile. The name “Bianchetta” means “little white,” and “Gentile” comes from a Latin word for “family,” possibly referring to a group of similar vines. In 1679, writer Agostinetto di Cimadolmo noted this grape growing in the Treviso area. A more thorough description came in 1937 from grape-breeder Giovanni Dalmasso at the Istituto Sperimentale per la Viticoltura in Conegliano. In 2003, isoenzymatic testing revealed that several varieties known as Senese, Vernanzina, and Vernassina were actually Bianchetta Trevigiana, while other grapes called Bianchetta, like Sicily’s Albarola, were unrelated. Further DNA work in 2010 indicated that Bianchetta Trevigiana likely came from a natural cross between the white Durella grape of Veneto and the nearly extinct red-berried Brambana.

Wine region

In 2000, there were 65 ha of Bianchetta Trevigiana, a dramatic drop from the 17th and 18th centuries when it was widely planted in the provinces of Belluno and Verona. Outside Veneto, it was also found in Trentino-Alto Adige along the Adige river valley up to Bolzano, as well as in the Sugana Valley and Val Sacra. The grape is permitted in several DOCs including Colli di Conegliano, Montello e Colli Asolani, Prosecco, Colli Euganei, and the multi-regional Lugana DOC.