Grape Guide
Piedirosso
RedPiedirosso is a black-skinned variety of Campania, probably native to the slopes of Vesuvius, and long ranked as the region's second most planted red behind Aglianico. It gives pale to medium-coloured, aromatic reds that are soft in texture yet fresh in acidity, bottled as a varietal in the Campi Flegrei, on Ischia and around Vesuvius, or blended with Aglianico to add perfume.
Key Characteristics
- Old Campanian variety, probably from the Vesuvius area
- Name means red foot, for the reddish bunch stalks near harvest
- Vigorous, mid-season ripening, thrives on volcanic soils and heat
- Fairly resistant to powdery mildew, prone to downy mildew
- Plantings fell below 700 hectares by about 2010
Typical Flavors
Major Regions
Campi Flegrei · Vesuvio (Lacryma Christi) · Ischia · Penisola Sorrentina (Gragnano, Lettere) · Costa d'Amalfi · Taburno and Sannio · Capri
Also Known As
Palombina · Palumbina · Palumbo · Palummina · Per'e Palummo (Naples · Ischia · Campi Flegrei) · Streppa Verde (Ischia · green-stalked clonal form)
Overview
Piedirosso is a Campanian red grape whose wines are lighter and more perfumed than those of its great neighbour Aglianico. Varietal bottlings are typically translucent ruby, with red cherry, plum and wild strawberry on the nose, then a herbal, peppery or lightly smoky edge in wines from volcanic ground. The palate is soft and low in tannin, but acidity stays bright, so the wines drink well young and take a slight chill. Comparisons with Gamay are common, and sometimes fair. The variety is grown mostly on volcanic soils around the Bay of Naples, including the Phlegraean Fields, the flanks of Vesuvius and the islands of Ischia and Capri. In the interior of Campania, and in Cilento and the Falerno area, it is more often a minority partner, where it lifts the aromas and softens the structure of Aglianico. Total plantings are modest, below 700 hectares by around 2010, but the grape holds a central place in the identity of Neapolitan red wine.
Origins & History
Piedirosso is an old Campanian variety, and Mount Vesuvius and its surroundings are generally treated as its homeland. Early documentary references are uncertain. Names such as Palombina and Palomina Nera turn up in older texts, but those records lack botanical descriptions, so the link between them and today's Piedirosso rests on name rather than proof. The name Piedirosso itself, meaning red foot, is recorded in the early twentieth century around Avellino and Benevento, two Campanian provinces. It refers to the reddish colour that the bunch stalks and their branches take on near harvest, which resembles the feet of a pigeon. Palombina and its Neapolitan relatives, Per'e Palummo and Palummina, share that pigeon imagery, drawn from the Latin name of the wood pigeon. Microsatellite work in Campania found that Palummina and Piedirosso are one genotype. Two local types known as Piedirosso Avellinese and Piedirosso Beneventano (also called Napoletano) proved genetically distinct from true Piedirosso, and they sit close to Caprettone, a white grape; neither is cultivated commercially. On Ischia a clonal form named Streppa Verde keeps green stalks. A 2010 study of central Italian cultivars proposed Piedirosso as a probable parent of Abbuoto, crossed with Casavecchia, although the direction of that relationship is debated. Some have suggested that Piedirosso is the vine Pliny the Elder called Columbina, but that idea is speculation and has never been demonstrated.
Viticultural Characteristics
Piedirosso is vigorous and ripens in mid-season, though harvest can run into October in the warm sands of the Phlegraean Fields. It tolerates heat and does best on volcanic soils of ash, pumice and lapilli. It has fair resistance to powdery mildew but is prone to downy mildew, a concern on the humid coast of the Bay of Naples. Pergolas dominate on the terraces of the Amalfi coast, while on sandy volcanic ground in the Phlegraean Fields and around Vesuvius old vines are often reported to survive on their own roots, which growers attribute to the loose soil. That explanation is common in trade accounts but is not firmly established. The reddish bunch stalks seen near harvest give the variety its name.
Wine Styles & Characteristics
The standard expression is a dry, unoaked or lightly oaked red, fermented in steel and released within a year or two, with a fresh, juicy, fruit-forward profile. More structured versions come from old vines in the Phlegraean Fields and on Vesuvius, where a smoky, mineral and spicy undertone appears and the wines gain a little longevity. Blends are important: with Aglianico it contributes perfume and softness, and with Sciascinoso it forms the base of several local reds. A rosato is made in some denominations. Campi Flegrei also allows a Riserva and a Passito from the variety. Gragnano and Lettere, on the Sorrentine peninsula, use it in lightly sparkling reds meant to be drunk young and cool. Plenty of single-variety bottlings carry an IGT label, such as Campania or Pompeiano, instead of a DOC.