Troiano grapes

Troiano is a purple coloured grape which is an ancient variety which is found in the region of Puglia, which falls on the heel of the Italian boot.

This red wine grape variety which is grown particularly in and around the coastal regions of Barletta which falls in the Bari typically derives its name from the town of Troia (which then fell in the province of Foggia) and according to the legends surrounding this town, it was founded by none other than Diomedes right after the siege and sacking of the ancient Troy.

This name is occasionally translated to Grape of Troy, all thanks to its association with the ancient Greece.

However, there are also claims made related to this grape where people claim this grape derives its name from the sailor’s slang in the region of Bari which translates to ‘lady of the night’.

This grape is typically known by a large number of synonyms which include Nero di Troia, Uva di Canosa, Sumarello, Uva di Barletta, Tranese,Uva di Troia and Uvadella Marina.

History of Troiano grape

The Troiano grape was actually planted by the legend of the Trojan War ‘Diomede’ who, while sailing in the Adriatic Sea planted the vine shoots one of the grape vines at the mouth of river Ofanto which brought Troiano grapes into the picture.

Until about the 1st half of the nineteenth century, before Italy got unified, when it came to the Troiano grapes, wine production was quite limited only to the local needs.

However, due to the destruction of the French vineyards as a result of Phyloxera, the northern part of Bari.

This demand led to an offset of large number of growers moving towards the Troicano grapes, with the area under this grape cultivation spreading up to the southern side of Foggia province all the way to the demand for the local wine shot up by a huge number.

Wines with Troiano grapes

Viticulture and winemaking for Troiano grape

When it comes to the environmental and the cultural characteristics, Troiano grapes have a medium sized pentagonal shaped, five lobed leaves which typically grow in large clusters in a pyramidal shape, having a compact, medium berry size, which is spherical is structure with a skin which is thick, bloomy and firm having a leathery, almost a pale violet colour, with a little fleshy pulp.

When it comes to production, it gives an average production, which tends to adapt easily to training and pruning and does not need any special type of land when it comes to the warmer climates.

This grape offers a lot of tolerance to diseases like powdery mildew. However, it offers a poor resistance to downy mildew.

Due to the high skin texture and a good weather resistance, this grape offers some resistance to the warm winds of the southern areas.

The vine being fairly vigorous tends to ripen mid season and requires frequent pruning. Thanks to its highly adaptable nature, this grape tends to grow is a variety of soils and does not suffer from the high temperature of Puglia.

Characteristics of Troiano grape

Troiano grape produces wine which has a dry flavour, is alcoholic and has a middle acidity level. It comes under DOC of Cacc’emmitte of Lucer, Red Canosa, Red of Cerignola, Red Barletta and Castel dl Monte.

This grape produces wine which is of good quality and is full bodied. This wine, which gives a good structure and high tannin content, gives out flavours of raspberry, dark forest fruits, cherry and plums along with licorice and spice.

Troiano grapes might be used on its own or it might be blended with grapes like Bombino Nero, Sangiovese and Montepulciano.

When it comes to the DOC, this grape variety is the principal component in case of wines like the Barletta and Rosso Canosa. Also, Castel Del Monte might be produced as a mixture or as a pure Troiano varietal wine. This grape is also used for Cacc’eMmitte di Lucera (in the range of 35-60%), Orta Nova (upto 40%) and Rosso di Cerignola.

Food pairings with Troiano wines

This wine can be paired with items like Fave e cicorie selvatiche which is a fava bean purée to be had with wild chicory, penne pasta, grilled veggies with thyme, etc.

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