Wine with Grecanico grapes

Grecanico is one of the great varieties of white wine grape native to Italy.

It is known by many other names, most popular as Garganega.

The major wine region is based in North East Italy’s Veneto region, and too, typically in the provinces of Vicenza and Verona. Grecanico holds the sixth position in the list of white grapes planted in Italy.

This white grape variety forms the base of the white wine Soave and also constitutes a major part of the blend that is used to prepare Gambellara.

Studies show that this grape variety is closely related to many other grape varieties that are also native to Italy, including Albana, Greco, Empibotte, Catarratto, Bianco del Polino, Marzemina Bianca, Malvasai di Candia a Sapore Semplice, Trebbiano Toscano and Montonico Bianco. It is believed that these grape varieties have come out of Grecanico.

Wines with Grecanico grapes

Grecianico is also known as Garganega

Find more wine at the end of the article …

History

Well, the history of this grape is quite a mystery. Some studies have revealed that this grape variety was brought by Greeks to Italy. In the 7th Century BC, the Greeks brought many varieties of grape wines to Italy one of those was Grecanico.

The fact that Italy has Greek agricultural settlements supports the Greek origin theory. Today too, many regions of Italy contain the traces of Greek settlement.

Major Wine Regions

Majorly the wine grape is grown in Italy. In Sicily, this grape is grown by the name Grecanico Dorato. Grecanico is primary grape that is grown in Soave region.

The plantations are spread to about 30,000 acres across Italy. It constitutes about 70 percent to 100 percent of the blend with Chardonnay as well as Trebbiano. In Soave’s Classico zone, this grape gives out an amazingly delicate wine that carries spicy, almond and lemon notes.

It is also grown in Gambellara, Colli, Bianco di Custoza, Colli Euganei and Berici DOCs. Also, this grape is grown in Friuli and Umbria but, in small plantings.

Viticulture

Grecanico ripens late, but, it is very vigorous. To produce high yields, this grape variety needs fertile flatlands just like in the Classico zone of Soave and hence, it produces great yields there.

This also results in a wine having thin and little neutral flavours. The yields that come out of Sicily give out wine that possesses tangy acidity.

Bunches of this grape variety are medium in size; sometimes they are even bigger than about 25 cm in size. They have cylindrical winged (two wings) shape.

The berries have spheroid- ellipsoid in shape posses golden yellow coloured skin. The skin of this grape is quite compact and thick. The vine shoots aim vertically.

The vine is quite resistant to dryness, bad weather conditions, parasites and sickness.

Synonyms

There are various names by which this grape variety is known by. Some synonyms of Grecanico are Garganega Piramidale, Garganega Veronese, D’Oro, Decanico, Garganega Comune, Dorana di Venetia, Grecanico Bianco, Grecanicu Biancu, Garganega Grossa, Grecanico Dorato, Garganega di Gambellara, Gracanico Dorato, Garganega Gentile, Greccanico, Grecani, Grecanio, Malvasia de Manresa, Lizzara, Ostesona, Ostesa, Ora, Oro and Recanic.

Characteristics of the wine

Grecanico is crushed and is kept in open vats to ferment. The temperature is not controlled and the grapes are left for 2 to 4 days. Then the wine is moved to neutral (old) 115 thousand L barrel. It is then bottled after years.

The wine is hazy medium in glass. The colour of the wine is beautiful. The strong straw yellow colour has golden traces.

The scent of this wine is quite strong containing the traces of white flowers, white fruits, and honey suckle grapefruit, pineapple, apple, tropical fruits, pear and also bitter almond.

The wine is quite acidic in nature. On the palate it is medium- bodies. The taste of the wine is sapid and elegant. It tastes warm and ooze out the rich flavours of honey, ripe apples, pineapple, Meyer lemon, apple cider, grapefruit and almonds.

As the wine ages, it shows amazing qualities. The wine becomes tastier, more textured and shows of a great structure after ten years.

Food Pairings with Grecanico

The wine is best served with vegetables. Grecanico wine is generally paired with pasta, Mediterranean sashimi, Aubergine Parmigiana and other vegetables.

The fruity flavours of the wine complement these food options.

A photo posted by Michela Carrese (@alemik07) on Oct 28, 2016 at 11:15am PDT

If you want to invite your friends for a meal, you can serve this wine with beautifully cooked vegetables, they are sure to love this perfect combination.

Author

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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