Prié blanc
An ancient white grape of Italy's highest vineyards.
Prié blanc is a white Italian wine grape variety grown almost exclusively in the Valle d'Aosta DOC of northwest Italy. It is used to produce the Valle d'Aosta varietal wine Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle. Ampelographers consider it one of the oldest grape varieties in the region, with genetic ties to Spanish varieties such as Lairén and Albillo.
Quick Facts
- Elevation of vineyards
- 900 m to 1200 m above sea level
- Earliest documented mention
- 1691
- Number of historical clones
- 2
Facts from the source article.
History
The origins of Prié blanc are not definitively known, but evidence shows it has been growing in the Valle d'Aosta since at least 1691, when it was documented in the commune of Saint-Pierre near Aosta. The name Prié is of unknown origin; one early synonym, Blanc du Valdigne, derives from the Latin name for the upper Aosta Valley extending to Mont Blanc, leading some ampelographers to speculate the grape may be indigenous to the mountain's foothills. Another synonym, Agostena, may come from the ancient Latin name for Aosta, Augusta Praetoria, or from the Italian word agosto, referring to the month of August when this early-ripening variety is sometimes harvested. A potential alternative place of origin is the Valais region of Switzerland, where Prié blanc has a grandparent relationship to the Swiss grape Rouge du Pays through its offspring Mayolet. In Switzerland, the synonym Bernarde may reference the Great St Bernard Pass connecting the Valle d'Aosta to Valais, a likely route for vine cuttings. However, ampelographers such as Swiss grape geneticist José Vouillamoz consider it far more likely that Prié blanc spread from Aosta to Switzerland. An Italian origin was long assumed until DNA analysis in 2010 identified plantings of Legiruela in the province of Ávila in north central Spain as Prié blanc. Further profiling connected the grape to Spanish varieties including a parent-offspring relationship with Albillo and Lairén, indicating Prié blanc must have been in Spain for a very long time. The exact relationship among Prié blanc, Lairén and Albillo is not yet fully known, suggesting a possible Spanish origin.
Viticulture
Historically, two clones of Prié blanc existed in the Valle d'Aosta: the Valdigne clone from the upper valley, grown in Morgex and La Salle, and a clone from the Valpelline region, recorded in 1838 but now considered largely extinct. Prié blanc is an early-ripening variety with good winter-hardiness and frost resistance, but it is susceptible to various rots and the grapevine moth Eupoecilia ambiguella. Most vines are ungrafted because phylloxera struggles to survive in the harsh climate. To maximize heat for ripening, vines are trained in low pergola systems near the ground to capture soil heat.
Wine regions
Prié blanc is almost exclusively grown in Italy's Valle d'Aosta, where 39 hectares were recorded in 2000. Most vineyards cluster around La Salle and Morgex, and the grape can be bottled as a varietal wine under the Valle d'Aosta DOC label Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle. These vines sit between 900 and 1200 meters above sea level, placing them among the highest in continental Europe. Outside Italy, just 0.02 hectares exist in Switzerland's Valais region, where the grape is called Bernarde. In Spain, a tiny amount grows near San Esteban del Valle in Ávila under the name Legiruela, but these plantings are too small to appear in the official Spanish grape census.
Synonyms
Prié blanc has been known under many synonyms, including Agostenga, Agostana, Bernarde (in the Valais region), Bernardine, Bianca Capella, Blanc de La Salle, Blanc de Morgex, Blanc du Valdigne, Cibebo bianco, Daniela, Early Green Madeira, Frueher Leipziger, Giruelo, Hedvabne Zlute, Kienzheimer, Kilianer, Legiruela (in Ávila), Leipziger Frueh, Lugliatica verde, Maddalena Salomon, Madeleine Alice, Malvasia Belaia, Malvasier Frueh weiss, Perltraube, Plant de la Salle, Precoce de Kientzheim, Prie, Rabolina weiss, Raisin d'Aout, Rosinentraube, Seidentraube Gruen, Uva Agostina, Uva d'Agosto, Uva Luce, Vert Precoce de Madere, Weisswaelscher and Zibebe weiss.
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