Questions about Trebbiano

When I first started to learn about wines, we would sometimes encounter cheap, dull Italian whites. It came to pass that many of these wines were predominantly Trebbiano, and the thinking was that this was a grape that could only produce mediocre wines. Of course, the wines were likely overcropped, industrial products, and often made in the nutty, somewhat oxidized style that mass market Italian whites have moved away from.

Fast forward to the current time, where producers like Pepe and Valentini in the Abruzzo or Bea in Umbria are producing highly praised wines from this grape and charging $60-80 a bottle for the privilege. What is going on here? I'm sure these are lovingly tended, low yielding vines, etc. but that is a lot of dosh for a white made from a reputedly poor grape grown in not exactly prestigious regions. Judging from some cellartracker comments, these wines are not universally appreciated, either.

If you have tasted these wines, what makes them special? I can only afford the occasional $60+ bottle, and it most likely won't be a Trebbiano from Abruzzo! Are there any more reasonably priced producers of these type of wines that might give one a taste of what is being missed (I guess one could ask the same about the reds)?

Apparently there are 2 varieties with the name.

TREBBIANO:
Alternate name for Ugni Blanc grape - see below. Has many mutations/sub-varieties such as Procanico etc where found in Tuscany and Umbria, Italy.
UGNI BLANC:
(a.k.a Trebbiano). Widely grown in Italy and Southern France. There it produces a fruity, acidic white wine, best drunk when young and chilled. In the Cognac region of France and in Australia it is known as the St. Émilion variety. Australian growers also know this variety under the alias names of White Hermitage and White Shiraz.
TREBBIANO d'ABRUZZO:
Alternate name in certain regions of Italy for the Bombino Bianco grape.
BOMBINO BIANCO:
(a.k.a Trebbiano d'Abruzzo in the Abruzzo). Widely grown in the Apulia region of southern Italy. Used as a white blending wine or, in the Abruzzo region, as a local "vino di tavola" that reportedly will age well for up to 6 years.

From - Winegrape Glossary
Ugni Blanc is also the vinefera parent of the hybrid Vidal Blanc.

Thanks Howie. I knew that Ugni Blanc was the same as Trebbiano but didn't know that Trebbiano d'Abruzzo was a separate grape altogether. In some circles, Ugni Blanc has a reputation as something best distilled but the Abruzzo variety doesn't seem to be too highly regarded either: Used as a white blending wine or, in the Abruzzo region, as a local "vino di tavola".

[Robin Garr]

Trebbiano is also an outlier in Lugana near Lake Garda in the Veneto in Northern Italy, Joe, where I encountered some remarkable examples during a trip a few years ago, and wrote this:

All Lugana is white; a small amount is sparkling, but the lion's share is made as a dry, still wine. The grape is Trebbiano, a variety that in most of the rest of Italy (and in France, where it's known as Ugni Blanc) is lightly regarded at best.

In Lugana, however, Trebbiano is different, a serious grape making a serious wine. Whether it's a variant clone of standard Trebbiano or, as some producers in the region insist, an entirely different grape, may have to await future DNA testing. The simple answer, though, lies in the tasting: Luscious and "transparent," exceptional for showing minerality and "terroir," Lugana has become one of my favorite white wines.

Full article here:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 070418.php

Howie knows about that which he speaks (this time). Read JancisRobinson's Grapes book (the big/thick/expensive one). There's a whole bunch of grapes in Italy that go under the name of Trebbiano.
Tom

OK, there are a lot of grapes in Italy that go by the name Trebbiano. Let's assume they were mostly used to produce the nondescript Italian whites of the 1970's. Is it just a function of care and location that these grapes can be made into great wines? Maybe we can find examples of this for just about any variety? For instance, Alicante Bouschet was really shunned in the south of France, but probably makes the finest wines in Portugal's Alentejo, e.g. Mouchao Tonel 3-4. Why should I spend $80 for a bottle of Trebbiano when I can easily purchase a fine Grand Cru Chablis or great German Riesling for similar or less? Are there good examples that won't break the bank?

BTW, is the big Jancis book still in print? I never see it in shops....

OK, there are a lot of grapes in Italy that go by the name Trebbiano. Let's assume they were mostly used to produce the nondescript Italian whites of the 1970's. Is it just a function of care and location that these grapes can be made into great wines? Maybe we can find examples of this for just about any variety? For instance, Alicante Bouschet was really shunned in the south of France, but probably makes the finest wines in Portugal's Alentejo, e.g. Mouchao Tonel 3-4. Why should I spend $80 for a bottle of Trebbiano when I can easily purchase a fine Grand Cru Chablis or great German Riesling for similar or less? Are there good examples that won't break the bank?

BTW, is the big Jancis book still in print? I never see it in shops....

Absolutely still in print & available. Just expensive.
Tom

Joe: a very decent Lugana is made by Zenato and usually runs around $10...Is it outstanding?..not really..and it won't make ya swoon either, but for $10, it is a very nice drink..It has become one of our go-to wines for casual drinking

Joe wrote;
Ugni Blanc has a reputation as something best distilled but the Abruzzo variety doesn't seem to be too highly regarded either: Used as a white blending wine or, in the Abruzzo region, as a local "vino di tavola".

Hi Joe,
You must remember the term “table wine” or “vino di tavola” actually has two meaning. It could designate a style of wine (regardless of quality level within a wine classification system) or a quality level within a wine classification system. Since the author put the term in quotes I believe the author intended the term to mean “style of wine”.

Salute

Trebbiano is also an outlier in Lugana near Lake Garda in the Veneto in Northern Italy, Joe, where I encountered some remarkable examples during a trip a few years ago, and wrote this:

All Lugana is white; a small amount is sparkling, but the lion's share is made as a dry, still wine. The grape is Trebbiano, a variety that in most of the rest of Italy (and in France, where it's known as Ugni Blanc) is lightly regarded at best.

In Lugana, however, Trebbiano is different, a serious grape making a serious wine. Whether it's a variant clone of standard Trebbiano or, as some producers in the region insist, an entirely different grape, may have to await future DNA testing. The simple answer, though, lies in the tasting: Luscious and "transparent," exceptional for showing minerality and "terroir," Lugana has become one of my favorite white wines.

Full article here:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 070418.php

This is what I was going to say. Most Lugana wines are wonderful, and certainly don't cot $60/bottle.

The Zenato wine is readily available in my market, not so much for the Roveglia one mentioned by Robin. Thanks for the tips on Lugana; not a region I've investigated. So, is there any reasonably priced Abruzzo Trebbiano worth trying? Would be interesting to compare with the Lugana version.

The Zenato wine is readily available in my market, not so much for the Roveglia one mentioned by Robin. Thanks for the tips on Lugana; not a region I've investigated. So, is there any reasonably priced Abruzzo Trebbiano worth trying? Would be interesting to compare with the Lugana version.

You could look for Fantini Farnese and Stella Trebbianno d'Abruzzo. $10 range and usually available.

With Zenato Lugana, try Cesani and Bertani.

The Zenato wine is readily available in my market, not so much for the Roveglia one mentioned by Robin. Thanks for the tips on Lugana; not a region I've investigated. So, is there any reasonably priced Abruzzo Trebbiano worth trying? Would be interesting to compare with the Lugana version.

Chambers St has a TdA (Cirelli) for about $12-14. I didn't love it, but others like more.

I drank the Zenato last night. Quite nice; resemblance to a good Soave Classico.

Some might find the following link interesting from the Fringe Wine Blog

http://fringewine.blogspot.com/2012/02/ ... eneto.html

Salute

count me as one who found the article interesting, Victor..thank you for posting..Have enjoyed Verdicchio and Soave for years, Lugana was a relatively more recent find for me, going back roughly 10 years ago..

I was just about to post the link to Fringe Wine when I updated the thread and saw that Victor already had. Fringe wine is a great resource for finding reliable information about grape varieties and their genetic relations.

I've had several nice wines from Turbiana/Trebbiano di Lugana. Much more complex than any regular Trebbiano. If you find one, I recommend to try it out!

See you in chat later today!
/Anders

Some might find the following link interesting from the Fringe Wine Blog

http://fringewine.blogspot.com/2012/02/ ... eneto.html

Salute

That is very good, thanks for the post.

As ever when I comes to Italian grapes, I can strongly recommend Ian D'Agata'a book Native Wine Grapes of Italy. In the Trebbiano family as he calls it, he lists 7 officially recognised grape varieties which a Trebbiano-related name, and a further 3 with Trebbiano names that are actually Verdicchio, which he styles as "arguably Italy's greatest native white grape variety".

Trebbiano di Lugano is one of the names that is actually Verdicchio. D'Agata cites Ghidoni, Emanuelli, Morreira, Imazio, Grando and Scienza for the research that comes to that conclusion - it's a paper in Italian presented at a conference in Asti 2008.

All this was quickly garnered from D'Agata's book. If any of the details are important to anyone here, let me know and I can re-check and/or dig out more facts.

Just (quickly) read the Fringe Wine link - another excellent source of information! D'Agata also cites the 2001 paper BTW.

Hi Joe - wondered where you been!

Valentini's trebbiano is really sui generis : there really isn't anything comparable to it, and it is unclear which type of treb he has (the winery is fairly secretive), rumor has it that he has his own clones that make the wine special.

Always good to see Joe here, especially for his knowledge of Portugal .

Wasn't aware Joe was a maven of Portugese wines, Bob..
Joe was my go guru for Finger Lakes Wines shortly after I moved to Siberacuse lo those many years ago after years of toiling in the Big Apple

The 1972 rules and regulations for producing DOC Trebbiano d’ Abruzzo wine was at least 85% had to be made from Trebbiano Abruzzese, Bombino Bianco, and/or Trebbiano Toscano and a minimum of 15% of “permitted” grapes. The yields were set at almost 8 tons/acre highest of any DOC. In past years no real distinction was made between the so-called members of the “Trebbiano family” of grapes, if a Trebbiano d’ Abruzzo wine was produced from grapes within the “Trebbiano family” it was most likely was labeled 100% Trebbiano.
Because of the recent DNA testing and findings and as stated by Steve, in the 2010 census of Italian vineyards the Italian Agricultural Ministry has recognized officially seven grape varieties with Trebbiano in their name. In other words Trebbiano Abruzzese is no longer counted with Trebbiano Toscano, whereas in years past they were just lumped together. (Even in the “Old World” the grapes themselves are gaining in importance; I guess we can blame Frank Schoonmaker). In the Abruzzo region of Italy, some experts believe only 20% of all the “Trebbiano” planted in the region is the “true” Trebbiano Abruzzese. I guess this is one reason why producers are asking $50 to $80 for DOC Trebbiano d’ Abruzzo wines made from 100% Trebbiano Abruzzese.

Salute