Grape Guide
Teroldego
RedTeroldego is a dark-skinned variety of Trentino, rooted in the Campo Rotaliano, the alluvial plain between the Adige and Noce rivers north of Trento, and a full sibling of Dureza, one of the parents of Syrah. It makes deeply coloured, fruit-driven reds with lively acidity and supple tannins, and Elisabetta Foradori's work from the mid 1980s restored its standing.
Key Characteristics
- Full sibling of Dureza, so an uncle or aunt of Syrah
- Parent of Lagrein and Marzemino through crosses with an unknown partner
- Mid to late ripening, with high yield potential
- Moderately sensitive to downy and powdery mildew; stem desiccation is a risk
- Historically trained on pergola, now often on Guyot
Typical Flavors
Major Regions
Teroldego Rotaliano DOC (Trentino) · Trentino DOC · Valtellina (as Merlina) · Veneto · California (Central Coast) · Victoria (Australia) · Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)
Also Known As
Merlina (Valtellina) · Teroldega · Teroldeghe · Teroldico · Teroldigo · Tiraldega · Tirodola (Lago di Garda) · Tiroldegho · Tiroldigo
Overview
Teroldego is the red grape most closely tied to the Rotaliano plain of Trentino, where the Teroldego Rotaliano DOC requires 100 percent of the variety. In the glass it is nearly opaque, with a purple-red hue, and the fruit leans toward black cherry, blackberry and plum, often with violet, a peppery edge and a faint bitter-almond note on the finish. Acidity is generally higher than the colour suggests and tannins are fine-grained when the crop is kept low and picked ripe. The variety is naturally productive, and that is the central quality question. Crops left high produce thin, tart wines; restricted yields give concentrated, supple reds that respond well to oak or amphora and can age for a decade or more at the top end. Reduction is a recurring tendency in the cellar. The variety also has genetic weight beyond its size, since it sits in the family tree of Syrah, Lagrein, Marzemino and Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso.
Origins & History
Teroldego is an old Trentino variety. The earliest record of its wine dates to 18 January 1480, when a contract of sale drawn up at Cognola, just east of Trento, mentioned it. The name most plausibly derives from Alle Teroldege, a locality near Mezzolombardo where vineyards were already documented in the fifteenth century, which places the variety's home in the Campo Rotaliano between Trento and Mezzolombardo. Older folk etymologies also circulate: one links the name to Tiroler Gold, a label said to have been applied in Vienna to Trentino wines, and another suggests the grape came from the Veronese plain, where a variety called Terodol'i was once noted. DNA profiling published in 2006 revealed a notable family. Teroldego is a full sibling of Dureza, the Ardeche variety that is a parent of Syrah, and both descend from Pinot as grandchildren, which makes Teroldego an uncle or aunt of Syrah. On at least two occasions Teroldego also crossed spontaneously with the same unknown, probably extinct partner, producing Marzemino (in Trentino or Lombardy) and Lagrein (in Trentino or Alto Adige). Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso counts Teroldego among its grandparents, and breeders used Teroldego to develop Rebo, a twentieth-century Trentino crossing. The variety stayed largely within Trentino and, in small amounts, Valtellina, where it goes by the name Merlina.
Viticultural Characteristics
Teroldego ripens mid to late season and is vigorous and productive, so crop control is the main task in the vineyard. The traditional training system in the Campo Rotaliano is the double-canopy pergola trentina, which accommodates heavy crops; since the 1980s many growers have moved to Guyot with lower yields and better fruit exposure. The variety shows moderate sensitivity to downy and powdery mildew, and the bunch stems are prone to desiccation, which can leave berries shrivelled or poorly ripened if the season is hot and dry. The Rotaliano soils are deep, stony and sandy alluvium laid down by the Noce and Adige, free-draining and with limited water-holding capacity in the gravelly parcels, while heavier, more fertile ground tends to give diluted, acidic wine. Quality depends on thinning, on waiting for full phenolic maturity, and on matching site to yield.
Wine Styles & Characteristics
The standard expression is a dry red of deep colour, medium to full body, bright acidity and a fruity profile, made in stainless steel or large wood and bottled young. Some versions are plainly drinkable and rustic; the stronger ones show black-cherry concentration with ripe tannin. Under the DOC rules, Superiore versions carry a higher minimum alcohol, and Riserva requires at least two years of ageing. Oak ageing suits the grape when the fruit has the stuffing for it, and the top cuvees, such as Foradori's Granato, are built for cellaring. A rosato, labelled Rosato or Kretzer, is also permitted, pink with a garnet tinge and a fresh cherry character. Producers working with clay amphorae, biodynamic farming or whole-bunch handling have added a leaner, more savoury style, and the variety is increasingly bottled as a single-vineyard wine.