Just when I’d started to think that I’d pretty much got to grips with the wines of the Veneto, up pops a grape variety that I’d never heard of. The richness and diversity of wine in Italy continues to astound – and, in equal measure, terrify – me.
In September 2020, I stopped by Cà Lustra, an organic winery with 25 hectares of vineyards in Faedo, the centre of the unspoilt Colli Euganei, just south of Padova. The region is not particularly well-known outside of Italy, but it deserves to be. Those winding roads snaking around picturesque hills, olive groves and vineyards on either side, had me reminiscing about the time I spent a week driving around Chianti… just instead of those famed rolling hills of Tuscany, in the Colli Euganei, the hills are pointy and often scattered whimsically due to the irregularity of the volcanic eruptions many millions of years ago.
Marco Zanovello, head winemaker following the sad loss of his father the previous year, escorts us around the cellar, occasionally pausing in front of a barrel or cement tank to pour us a taste. Merlot 2018… merlot 2019… skin-contact garganega 2019… moscato bianco 2019… fior di arancio 2019 which was still in fermentation… and a most delicious and surprising rosé made from cabernet sauvignon, aglianico and – wait for it – nebbiolo!
Time is ticking away and though we have barely scratched the surface, it is soon time to go. Upon leaving, Marco hands us a bottle of frizzante Pinella 2019 to taste at home.
Legend (otherwise known as the book “Wine Grapes”) says that the grape variety pinella originated in the area around Gorizia, in Friuli (on the border with Slovenia) but these days it is almost exclusively found in the Colli Euganei – I’m sure someone is going to tell me otherwise – and even then only in very small quantities and usually blended (for a maximum of 20%) with other varieties.
In his book “Native Wine Grapes of Italy,” Ian D’Agata states that “many of today’s producers choose to call the variety Pinello instead of Pinella… Like many other grapes with similarly compact and small bunches, its name derives from pigna or pugno meaning fist or pine cone.”
It’s obviously hard to extrapolate the characteristics of a grape variety just from one wine but given the scarcity of the production (according to one website, there are just 10 hectares of pinella planted in the Colli Euganei) it’s the best I can do for now.
The transparent glass immediately shows a pristine, pale straw-yellow colour. Cracking the bottle open, there is a frizzzzzzz from the bubbles making their break for freedom. This is a col fondo refermented wine, meaning about 3 bars of pressure and some residual yeasts at the bottom of the bottle. The nose is immediately very citrussy with clear ripe pink grapefruit aromas. Dry. It has medium acidity, medium body, and a satisfying verticality which is wonderfully refreshing on a hot day. Similar in style and taste to a quality prosecco. Easy-drinking. Recommended!
Price: €
Rating: *** + brownie points for originality.
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