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The Best Tool to Learn about Italian Wine

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The Best Tool to Learn about Italian Wine

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Italy of Wines

italy of wines book

History, Geography,  and Culture
of Italian Wine

Wines, Grape varieties, Typical products of each and every region in Italy, with more than 90 detailed regional maps.

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Italy's Native Wine Grapes Guide

Verdea

Grape's Data Sheet

The Verdea Wine Grape in Italy

Verdea - The Grape and the Wines

The Verdea grape is an autochthonous white variety primarily cultivated in Lombardy, though its origins likely trace back to Tuscany. The name Verdea is believed to derive from the Latin word “viridis” (green), referencing either the greenish color of its berries or the greenish reflections in the wine. In 1937, Dalmasso noted a reference by Francesco Sacchetti, a 14th-century novelist, to a grape called Sancolombana, which he hypothesized to be Verdea.

Another legend attributes its introduction to the Irish monk Saint Columbanus, who is said to have brought the grape to Milan while spreading Christianity among the barbarian-plagued lands, teaching the cultivation of vines to the people of the Colle region. The variety has indeed achieved its greatest spread in the province of Piacenza and the Lombard provinces of Milan and Pavia, particularly in the area of the San Colombano DOC.

Verdea is still found in Tuscany—where it is known as Colombana—and has been cited as early as the 14th century. Its suitability for drying in fruit chambers makes it a favored grape for producing sweet wines, which are sometimes made from 100% Verdea.

verdea a native wine grape of Italy

Verdea - General Info Table

Verdea is one of the  Native Grapes with White berry widespread mainly in Lombardy, officially listed in the “Catalogo nazionale varietà di vite” since 1970. Its surface under vines in Italy is 80 ha.
Berry colorWhite berry
Grape CategoryNative Grapes
Main RegionLombardy
Surface under Vines in Italy80 ha
Synonym(s)Colombana bianca
Year of listing1970

Verdea - Ampelographic Data

Each grape variety is characterized by Ampelographic Descriptors that define the appearance of its main elements. The ampelographic features of the Verdea grape variety are:
Leaf Features
The leaf of the Verdea grape variety is medium-sized, pentagonal, with five lobes, with three lobes.
Bunch Features
The bunch of the Verdea grape variety is sparse, medium-sized, cone-shaped, pyramidal, 1-2 wings.
Berry Features
The berries of the Verdea grape variety are medium-sized shape and with Buccia pruinosa, firm, thick and yellow-greenish colored skin.

Verdea - Wine Features

The Varietal Wine obtained from each and every Grape Variety, features precisely defined organoleptic characteristics. Referred to Verdea grapes, they are as follows:
Varietal Wine's features
The wine obtained from Verdea grapes is straw yellow. On the palate the wine is thin.

Verdea - Agricultural & Productive Features

Each and every grape variety features very specific agricultural and productive characteristics, such as productivity, yield, ripening time, the ideal type of climate or pruning system, sensitivity to adversities, varying degrees of disease resistance and many others. For the Verdea grape variety, the main characteristics are:
Preferred pruninglong pruning
Productivityhigh, normal