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Teroldego Rotaliano grapes

The Teroldego grape is a red vine variety that is cultivated only in the Teroldego Rotaliano DOC in its native Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy.

Surrounded by hills and mountains of the lower Alps, the grape grows the best in cool, dry and windy climates with hilly soil types. The DOC region has been discussed below in detail.

The variety, that is is hardly grown outside Italy, produces deeply pigmented red wines due to its dark red color and thick tannin structure with an intense fruity tinge to it.

Early ripening and long lasting, the grape being low yielding in produce and quantity produces some of the most critically acclaimed wines in Italy, although found to be very few and scarce.

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Historically, the vine is an ancient variety, but but its origins remain obscure. Several theories have been postulated on its origins; however, a lot is still left to be known.

Origins and history

Teroldego vines are an ancient variety, but as already pointed out, their exact origins remain unknown.

It has been under cultivation in Italy since centuries but its exact date of origins and records do not exist since these have remained time immemorial, a scarcely produced variety.

Ancient or medieval records written by authors and travelers haven’t had much chance of revealing themselves.

Trentino is, in itself, an ancient region, with its winemaking tradition going even earlier than the 15th century, when its very first records by travelers and writers have been carefully found.

However, not much exists for the Teroldego variety. Several theories exist that these existed since Roman times, forgotten in antiquity only until the Middle Ages when some wealthy winemakers residing Trentino region started cultivating the grape to be consumed locally.

Since the region is a remote area surrounded by hilly terrain on all sides, the nearest urban center that could act as a proper supply outpost and market remain closed for the grape, allowing it to be appreciated only by the locals.

However, since the grape produces some very expensive wines with high quality, it has gained a lot of attention in recent years from the wine community.

Several grapes have a result of wine movements, found new homelands in California and Argentina, where the latter possesses cool climates with hilly terrains.

Genetic relationships

The Teroldego is a sibling of the Syrah variety crossed with either Pinot Noir or the Lagrien variety that is grown in France.

This is of a lot of importance to winemakers since all these grapes possess prestige in the world market.  Jim Clendenen’s book on wine encyclopedia lists down all possible genetic parents of Teroldego with Syrah occupying one of the primary places.

However, several critics point out of a lack of substantial evidence behind this theory. It could be that Teroldego is a purely indigenous variety.

Viticulture

The Trentino region is a pretty cold area, surrounded by steeps rocky hills; what we may call as the beginning of the Alp Mountains.

During later months, this area becomes very cold with dry winds and possesses a mildly wet soil.

With only 400 acres of land being cultivated for Teroldego, these grapes are not very infection resistant and do not grow well on other soils, making them somewhat inflexible.

Nevertheless, the grape produces highly acidic content with low tannins with dark red shades.

When blended with varieties like Syrah ad Pinot Noir, customers get a range of uniquely tasting wine forms.

Teroldego Rotaliano Wine

Perhaps one of them most popular Teroldego wines is the Rotaliano wine that is a 100% Teroldego beverage.

Exclusively produced in the Trentino-Alto Adige DOC of northern Italy, this wine is soft bodied, fruity and possesses a dark ruby colour.

Its flavors can range from being ultra smoky to being black cherries and plums with fairly high acid and little tannin.

It is also blended with other varieties to produce one of the finest Italian beverages. Mild and filled with finesse, this wine goes well with almost all of Italian cuisine including several Mediterranean dishes.

The Rotaliano wine is also blended with Schiava to produce less tannic and milder wines.

Food pairing

With foods, it goes naturally well with Italian dishes of the north where people prefer eating light, mild risottos and pastas accompanied by several wines.

When blended with varieties like Syrah ad Pinot Noir, customers get a range of uniquely tasting wine forms.

Author

Michael Bredahl

Michael Bredahl

Wine Writer

Michael is an online enthusiast, with a lot of knowledge about online marketing. Traveling around the world to hunt for the perfect wine. Latest on Sicily, where Etna has a huge impact on the taste, which is strong with a bitter aftertaste for the youngest wines, but older wines are fantastic. Drinking wine, and writing about them, are one the passions. Remember to drink responsibly 🙂

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