Vermentino: a variety with history

The Italian national grapevine register notes that few varieties have so many real or presumed synonyms as Vermentino, which is testimony to its long-standing presence around the Mediterranean basin. The most widely accepted theory about its origins is that in or around the 14th century it travelled from Spain to Provence and Corsica, and from there to Liguria, the Tuscan coast and Sardinia, although in what order is not clear.

Vermentino needs quite specific habitats: it is a late- budding variety, so is vulnerable to the frosts of inland areas, and its thin skins make it susceptible to mould. To keep healthy it needs a mild spring, lots of sunlight and good ventilation. It is resistant to heat and drought stress and so does fine in deep, sandy soils, and it has the great attribute of maintaining good acidity and aroma with even advanced ripeness, favouring – among other things – lateharvest wines. For all these reasons, it has found a natural home over the centuries in the coastal regions of the Mediterranean.

gets warmer and the soils more compact, making for a full-on Mediterranean style with rich fruit and considerably more structure. As in other regions, Tuscan Vermentino is principally monovarietal, but there are exceptions: Michele Satta’s innovative Costa di Giulia, for instance, is a Vermentino/ Sauvignon cuvée. We will undoubtedly be seeing more of these blends in the future since a new modification to the Maremma DOC has introduced dual-variety labelling.

Liguria

The first thing to know about Liguria, along the northwest coast, is that it is small. Although wine plays a key role in the local economy, the industry is Lilliputian; as of 2020, only Valle d’Aosta, in the far northwest, makes less wine. The regional agricultural office guesstimates the total annual production to be a mere 4.5 million bottles (by contrast, DOC Soave production in Veneto exceeded 50 million bottles in 2018).

Quality can be excellent, but availability outside the region is limited. Vineyard ownership is divided among numerous small family wineries, few of which are structured for export. Add to this the demand from a thriving tourist industry, and it is clear why little Ligurian wine reaches the outside world.

Vermentino and its genetic twin Pigato account for the lion’s share of the region’s white wine production, with the key DOCs

‘Bolgheri Vermentinos are more diverse but generally the key note is bright, fresh fruit’

lying along the crescent-shaped Ligurian coastline. The Riviera Ligure di Ponente, with its spectacular terraced vineyards, stretches west from Genova to the French border, while the minuscule Colline di Levanto and the Colli di Luni, which spills over into neighbouring Tuscany, lie to the east.

The Ligurian style is delicately aromatic, citrussy and mineral. Wines from the slightly cooler Riviera and Colline di Levante are a bit lighter and fresher, often with a grassy note or a wet-straw nuance that recalls Chenin Blanc. Those from the Colli di Luni, on the other hand, have more structure and greater aromatic intensity, and benefit from some bottle age.