Vernaccia di Oristano
A Sardinian white grape used for Sherry-like wines.
Vernaccia di Oristano is a white wine grape variety grown on the Italian island of Sardinia, primarily in the province of Oristano. It is notable for producing a wide range of wine styles, including dry, sweet, and fortified wines aged in a solera system, which are often compared to Sherry. The grape has a long history on the island, with Sardinians historically claiming that consuming ample quantities of wine from this grape was responsible for low instances of malaria.
Quick Facts
- Maximum harvest yield (doc)
- 8 tonnes/hectare
Facts from the source article.
History and name
This grape is among the oldest vines in the western Mediterranean, with seeds of Vernaccia and Malvasia dating back approximately three thousand years found in a nuraghe near Cabras. Carbon 14 testing by the University of Cagliari confirmed the dating, suggesting vine cultivation on Sardinia since the Bronze Age. The first documented mention of Vernaccia di Oristano appears in a 1327 legal document from Iglesias, which limited winemakers to one barrel each of several varieties, including Vernaccia, and required the wines to be kept separate. The name Vernaccia, shared with other Italian varieties, has several proposed origins. The most common theory derives it from the Latin vernaculus, meaning native or indigenous, and ampelographers believe the grape may be native to the Tirso river valley. Other theories suggest derivation from verrum (boar), ibernum (winter), or the village of Vernazza in Liguria, though no direct evidence links the grape to that region.
Viticulture
Vernaccia di Oristano is a mid to late ripening variety sensitive to late spring frost and susceptible to downy and powdery mildew. DNA analysis has shown it is a distinct variety not closely related to other grapes sharing the name Vernaccia, such as the Tuscan Vernaccia used for Vernaccia di San Gimignano, or the red grapes Aleatico and Grenache. DNA also indicates a possible parent-offspring relationship with the white Emilia-Romagna grape Santa Maria.
Wine regions
In 2000, 582 hectares of Vernaccia di Oristano were planted in Italy, almost exclusively in the province of Oristano in the lower Tirso river valley. It is the exclusive grape for the DOC wine of the same name, produced in dry, sweet, and fortified liquoroso styles. DOC requirements limit harvest yields to 8 tonnes per hectare, and aging in barrels, often chestnut, lasts at least two years for fortified styles, 29 months for secco, and 53 months for Superiore Riserva.
Styles
Vernaccia di Oristano wines are often made using a solera system of fractional blending, where new wine is added to the top of a solera and gradually blended with older vintages; one producer's solera contains wine from over 100 vintages. The wine is intentionally aged oxidatively in partially filled barrels, leaving ullage for oxygen contact, which adds complexity and produces nutty, sherry-like aromas and a deep golden color, especially in sweeter dolce styles.
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