Catarratto
| Catarratto | |
|---|---|
| Grape(Vitis) | |
 Catarratto depicted in L'Ampélographie | |
| Color of berry skin | Blanc |
| Species | Vitis vinifera |
| Also called | Catarratto Bianco Comune, Catarratto Bianco Lucido, Catarratto Bianco Extra Lucido,and other synonyms |
| Origin | Italy |
| Notable regions | Sicily |
| Notable wines | Salaparuta DOC |
Catarrattois a whiteItalian winegrapeplanted primarily inSicilywhere it is the most widely planted grape. Catarratto can makefull bodiedwines withlemonnotes.[1]In theEtna DOC,the grape is often blended withMinella biancaandCarricante.[2]
Subvarieties and phenotypes
[edit]Catarratto exists in differentphenotypescharacterised by differentpruinosity,i.e., different amount of whitish "bloom" on the grape berries. When this bloom is largely absent, the grapes give a more glossy impression.Catarratto Bianco Comuneis characterised by a high amount of bloom, whileCatarratto Bianco Lucidohas a limited amount of bloom, and is more glossy or 'lucid'. The distinction between the two was first described by theAmpelographicCommission ofPalermoin 1883, which gave them their names. They are also registered as two different grape varieties in Italy, butDNA typinghas shown them to be identical.[3]Thus, the two phenotypes have resulted frommassal selectionof vines showing intravarietal variability of vines having been propagated vegetatively (by cuttings) from the same original seedling. A third variety or phenotype,Catarratto Bianco Extra Lucido,with a complete absence of bloom, was selected by B. Pastena in 1971 among Catarratto Bianco Lucido vines. This was also shown to be genetically identical with the other two, as was assumed by its origin.[3]
Pedigree
[edit]An Italian study published in 2008 using DNA typing (the same study that showed the three Catarrattos to be identical) showed a close genetic relationship betweenGarganegaon the one hand and Catarratto and several other grape varieties on the other hand. It is therefore possible that Garganega is one of the parents of Catarratto, however, since the parents of Garganega have not been identified, the exact nature of the relationship could not be conclusively established.[3]
Synonyms
[edit]Catarratto is also known under the synonyms Castellaro, Cataratto Bertolaro, Cataratto Bianco Nostrale, Cataratto Carteddaro, Catarratto Bertolare, Catarratto Bertolaro, Catarratto Bianco Latino, Catarratto Bianco Nostrale Catarratto Carteddaro.[3][4][5]
References
[edit]- ^J. Robinson:Jancis Robinson's Wine CourseThird Edition, p. 101. Abbeville Press 2003ISBN0-7892-0883-0.
- ^J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz:Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours,p. 640. Allen Lane 2012ISBN978-1-846-14446-2.
- ^abcd‘Sangiovese’ and ‘Garganega’ are two key varieties of the Italian grapevine assortment evolutionArchived2011-07-19 at theWayback Machine,M. Crespan, A. Calò, S. Giannetto, A. Sparacio, P. Storchi and A. Costacurta, Vitis47(2), 97–104 (2008).
- ^Catarratto Bianco ComuneArchived2012-01-20 at theWayback Machine,Vitis International Variety Catalogue,accessed on June 21, 2010.
- ^Catarratto Bianco LucidoArchived2012-04-05 at theWayback Machine,Vitis International Variety Catalogue,accessed on June 21, 2010.
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