Editing Verdicchio

{{Short description|Variety of grape}}
{{Redirect|Peverenda|another Italian wine grape known as Peverenda|Verdiso|Italian wine grapes with similar names|Verdicchio (grapes)}}
{{Infobox grape variety
| name            = Verdicchio
| image           = Grappe de Verdicchio (Marche -Italie).jpg
| caption         = Verdicchio grapes ripening in late August, [[Marche]] region, Italy
| color           = Blanc
| color_alt       = White
| species         = ''[[Vitis vinifera]]''
| vivc_number     = 12963
| also_called     = Boschera bianca, Giallo, Maceratese, Maggiore, Trebbiano verde; [[Verdicchio#Synonyms|more synonyms]]
| origin          = [[Italy]]
| regions         = {{plainlist|
*[[Marche]]
*[[Umbria]]
*[[Lazio]]
}}
| notable_wines   = [[Denominazione di Origine Controllata|DOC]] wines: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Verdicchio di Matelica, Esino, Colli Pesaresi
| soil            = 
| hazards         = 
}}

'''Verdicchio''' ({{IPAc-en|v|ɛər|ˈ|d|iː|k|i|oʊ}}, <small>also</small> {{IPAc-en|US|v|əːr|ˈ|-|,_|-|k|j|oʊ|,_|v|ɛər|ˈ|d|ɪ|k|i|oʊ}},<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/verdicchio|title=Verdicchio|work=[[Collins English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=31 May 2019}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190531212538/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/Verdicchio "Verdicchio"] (US) and {{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Verdicchio |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322184320/https://www.lexico.com/definition/verdicchio |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-03-22 |title=Verdicchio |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|verdicchio|access-date=31 May 2019}}</ref> {{IPA|it|verˈdikkjo|lang}}) is a white [[Italian wine]] [[List of grape varieties|grape variety]] grown primarily in the [[Marche]] region of [[central Italy]].<ref name="wine grapes">J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 195 Oxford University Press 1996. {{ISBN|0-19-860098-4}}.</ref> The name ''Verdicchio'' derives from ''verde'' (or "green") and refers to the slight green/yellow hue that wines made from the grape can have.<ref name="Robinson">J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 54, 190, 241 Mitchell Beazley 1986. {{ISBN|1-85732-999-6}}.</ref>

Verdicchio is the principal grape behind two ''[[denominazione di origine controllata]]'' (DOC) wines produced in the provinces of [[Province of Macerata|Macerata]] and [[Province of Ancona|Ancona]], Verdicchio di [[Matelica]] and Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. In addition to producing still wines, Verdicchio grapes are also used to make [[sparkling wine]] and [[straw wine]].<ref name="Clarke">Oz Clarke & M. Rand ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 272 Webster International Publishers. {{ISBN|0-15-100714-4}}.</ref>

==History==
Verdicchio has had a long history in the Marche region of central Italy with documents noting its presence there since at least the 14th century. Despite its sensitivity to climate conditions and propensity to produce variable [[Yield (wine)|yields]] of variable quality wine, Verdicchio was a very popular planting in central Italy with an estimated 65,000 [[Hectare|hectares]] planted in the mid-1980s. These figures made Verdicchio the 15th most planted variety of any grape in the world, ahead of well-known varieties like [[Chardonnay]], [[Pinot noir]], [[Sauvignon blanc]] and [[Sangiovese]].<ref name="Robinson"/>

While [[Ampelography|ampelographers]] believe that Verdicchio is probably [[Native species|indigenous]] to the Marche, there appears to be a genetic relation to [[Trebbiano]] and [[Greco (grape)|Greco]] grape varieties. In particular, the clones of Trebbiano grown in [[Lombardy (wine)|Lombardy]] and [[Soave (wine)|Soave]] show very close similarities to Verdicchio while genetic evidence has shown that Greco was probably an ancestor vine to nearly all of Italy's native white grape varieties.<ref name="Vino Italiano">J. Bastianich & D. Lynch ''Vino Italiano'' pg 244–246 Crown Publishing 2005. {{ISBN|1-4000-9774-6}}.</ref>

==Wine regions==
[[File:Verdicchio_dei_castelli_di_jesi.JPG|left|thumb|Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi in the classic Anfora bottle, a DOC wine from Marche, Italy]]
While Verdicchio is widely grown throughout the Marche, [[Umbria]] and [[Lazio]] regions, it is most often encountered in the DOC wines of Verdicchio di Matelica and Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. Castelli di Jesi, located around the commune of [[Iesi]] in the Ancona province, is the larger of the two areas and tends to produce a higher volume of wine. In [[Matelica]], located in the nearby province of Macerata, the yields for Verdicchio are more restricted under DOC regulation with the best vineyard locations situated along hillsides of the [[Esino]] Valley.<ref name="Clarke"/>

===DOC regions===
[[File:Verdicchio vines in Cupramontana.jpg|right|thumb|Verdicchio vines growing in [[Cupramontana]] (AN)]]
[[File:Campagna_6_novembre_2011_per_WIKI_small.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Verdicchio vines growing in [[Montecarotto]] (AN)]]
The following is a list of DOCs that include Verdicchio as a permitted grape variety, along with other grapes that may be included in the blend in varying percentages that are regulated under the DOC label. The wines for which Verdicchio must account for a majority of the blend are in bold.<ref name="Saunders">P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 137–214 Firefly Books 2004. {{ISBN|1-55297-720-X}}.</ref>

*[[Cerveteri#Cerveteri DOC|Cerveteri DOC]] (Lazio) – primarily [[Trebbiano]], [[Romagnolo (grape variety)|Romagnolo]], [[Moscato Giallo]] and [[Malvasia]] with up to 15% of Verdicchio permitted along with [[Sauvignonasse|Friulano]], [[Bellone]] and/or [[Bombino bianco|Bombino]].
*[[Circeo DOC]] (Lazio) – primarily Trebbiano with up to 15% of Verdicchio permitted along with other local white varieties.
*[[Colli Maceratesi DOC]] (Marche) – primarily [[Maceratino]] with up to 30% of Verdicchio permitted along with [[Chardonnay]], [[Sauvignon blanc]], [[Incrocio Bruni]], [[Pecorino (grape)]], Trebbiano, Malvasia and [[Grechetto]]. In addition to the still wine, Verdicchio is permitted in the blend of the ''spumante'' and ''passito'' wines as well.
*[[Colli Martani DOC]] (Umbria) – primarily Trebbiano and/or Grechetto with up to 15% of Verdicchio permitted in these [[varietal]]ly labeled wines along with [[Garganega]] and Malvasia.
*[[Colli Perugini DOC]] (Umbria) – primarily Trebbiano with between 15 and 35% of Verdicchio and/or Grechetto and Garganega.
*[[Colli Pesaresi DOC]] (Marche) – can be made primarily of Verdicchio but can also be blended with [[Biancame]], [[Pinot gris]], [[Pinot noir]] (w/o any [[maceration (wine)|maceration]] prior to [[Fermentation in winemaking|fermentation]]), [[Welschriesling|Riesling Italico]], Sauvignon blanc, [[Pinot blanc]], Chardonnay and Trebbiano.
*[[Colli del Trasimeno DOC]] (Umbria) – primarily Trebbiano with up to 40% of Verdicchio permitted along with [[Verdello (grape)|Verdello]], Malvasia and Grechetto.
*[[Controguerra#Controguerra DOC|Controguerra DOC]] – primarily Trebbiano and Passerina with up to 25% of Verdicchio permitted along with other local white varieties. In the sparkling ''spumante'', Verdicchio, Pecorino and Chardonnay are blended with Trebbiano.
*[[Esino#Esino DOC|Esino DOC]] (Marche) – 50–100% Verdicchio with other local white varieties permitted up to 50%.
*[[Falerio dei Colli Ascolani DOC]] (Marche) – primarily Trebbiano with up to 15% of Verdicchio permitted along with Passerina, Malvasia, Pinot blanc and Pecorino.
*[[Lacrima di Morro d'Alba DOC]] (Marche) – primarily [[Lacrima (grape)|Lacrima]] (grape), a red wine, with up to 15% of Verdicchio permitted.
*[[Marino DOC]] (Lazio) – primarily Malvasia and Trebbiano with up to 10% of Verdicchio permitted along with other local white varieties.
*'''Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC''' (Marche) – a minimum of 85% Verdicchio with Trebbiano and Malvasia permitted to fill in the remaining portions of wine. In addition to a still version both a sparkling ''spumante'' and [[Sweetness of wine|sweet]] ''passito'' style are produced in the DOC from Verdicchio.
*'''Verdicchio di Matelica DOC''' (Marche) – a minimum of 85% Verdicchio with Trebbiano and Malvasia permitted to fill in the remaining portions of wine. In addition to a still version a ''spumante'' and a ''passito'' style are produced in the DOC from Verdicchio.

==Wine styles==
[[File:Verdicchio HDR.jpg|left|thumb|Verdicchio vines in late October, nearing harvest]]
Verdicchio can produce wines that are virtually colorless with noticeably high [[Acids in wine|acidity]] that can come across on the palate with [[citrus]] notes. According to wine expert [[Jancis Robinson]], well made examples from favorable [[Vintage|vintages]] can have flavors of lemons and slight bitter [[almond]] notes.<ref name="wine grapes"/> Robinson also notes that the naturally high acidity of the grape makes it a good base ''[[cuvée]]'' variety for producing sparkling wine.<ref name="Robinson"/>

According to [[Oz Clarke]], the quality of Verdicchio wines has improved since the later half of the 20th century as producers limit yields even beyond DOC regulation to produce fuller flavored grapes that can better balance its high acidity. Clarke goes on to note that the subtlety of Verdicchio flavors allows it to [[Wine and food pairing|pair very well]] with a variety of foods.<ref name="Clarke"/>

==Clonal variation and plantings==
[[File:Trebbiano d' Abruzzo grapes before veraison.jpg|thumb|right|Verdicchio shares several synonyms with Trebbiano (pictured) and the two varieties can sometimes be confused for each other.]]
The Verdicchio grapevine is very susceptible to [[Cloning#Horticultural|clonal mutations]] with several sub-varieties of the grape known to exist in central Italy under various synonyms (see section below). Like with many varieties of Italian wine grapes, this makes an exact cataloging of the number of plantings difficult. In her book, ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'', Robinson reports in 1996 that there were nearly {{convert|10,000|acre|ha}} of Verdicchio found mostly in the provinces along the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]] coast.<ref name="wine grapes"/> That number is dramatically reduced from the number of plantings of Verdicchio in the mid-1980s when there was an estimated 65,000 hectares (all in Italy). However, some wine experts, including Jancis Robinson, speculate that it is likely that some of those plantings were actually [[Trebbiano]].<ref name="Robinson"/>

==Synonyms==
Over the years Verdicchio and its wines have been known under various [[Synonym|synonyms]], including Boschera bianca, Giallo, Maceratese, Maggiore, Marchigiano, Mazzanico, Niuivres, Peloso, Peverella, Peverello, Peverenda, Peverise bianco, Pfeffer, Pfeffertraube, Terbiana, Torbiana, Trebbiano di Lugana, Trebbiano di Soave, Trebbiano verde, Trebbiano Veronese, Turbiana, Turbiana Moscato, Turbiano, Turviana, Uva Aminea, Uva Marana, Verdello duro persico, Verdicchio bianco, Verdicchio Dolce, Verdicchio Doratel, Verdicchio Doratello, Verdicchio Giallo, Verdicchio Marchigiano, Verdicchio Marino, Verdicchio Peloso, Verdicchio Scroccarello, Verdicchio Seroccarello, Verdicchio Straccione, Verdicchio Stretto, Verdicchio Verdaro, Verdicchio verde, Verdicchio Verzaro, Verdicchio Verzello, Verdone, Verzaro and Verzello verde.<ref>[http://www.vivc.de/?r=passport/view&id=12963 Verdicchio Bianco], [[Vitis International Variety Catalogue]], Accessed: September 23, 2017</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Italian grape varieties]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Wines}}

[[Category:White wine grape varieties]]
[[Category:Wine grapes of Italy]]