Vernaccia di Oristano is a whiteItalian winegrape variety grown on the island ofSardinia which makes a wide range of wine styles for theDenominazione di origine controllata (DOC) ofVernaccia di Oristano based in theprovince of Oristano. This includes both dry andsweet wines as well asfortified "sherry-like" wines aged in asolera.[1] The grape has a long history on the island of Sardinia with Sardinians claiming that consuming ample quantities of wine produced from the grape as being responsible for low instances ofmalaria on the island.[2]
Despite the similarities in their names and synonyms, Vernaccia di Oristano is a distinct variety that is not related to theTuscan wine grapeVernaccia used to makeVernaccia di San Gimignano. The grape also does not appear to be related to the red wine grapesAleatico orGrenache which are known asVernaccia in different parts of Italy.[1]
This wine, discovered in Sardinia, is one of the oldest vine in the western Mediterranean.Seeds of Vernaccia and Malvasia dating back to approximately three thousand years ago were found in the well that served as a 'refrigerator' in a nuraghe near Cabras. The carbon 14 test carried out by the Biodiversity Conservation Center of the University of Cagliari confirms the dating and suggests that vine cultivation on the island has been known since the Bronze Age.The first documented mentioning of Vernaccia di Oristano was from a legal document drafted in 1327 in the town ofIglesias in southwest Sardinian that specified that winemakers were limited to producing one barrel each of wine made from several different grape varieties, including Vernaccia,Greco,Brusco bianco andVermiglio, but that each wine was to be kept separate.[1]
There are several theories behind the origins of the nameVernaccia that is shared by Vernaccia di Oristano and several other Italian varieties. The most common theory is that name is derived from theLatin wordvernaculus (also the root of the word "vernacular") which means "native" or "indigenous" and would be attached to any grape perceived to be native to the local region. In the case of Vernaccia di Oristano,ampelographers believe that the grape may be native to theTirso river valley that crosses the island of Sardinia before emptying into theGulf of Oristano.[1]
Other theories postulate that the name could be derived from other Latin words such asverrum, meaningboar, based on the beasts that are common in central Italy and known to trespass into vineyard and eat the grapes on the vine. The Latin word forwinter,ibernum, is another possibility since many of the Vernaccia species were used astable grapes for eating during the winter months. One other contending theory is that the village ofVernazza in theCinque Terre region ofLiguria on the northwest coast of Italy could be a potential origin andeponym for some of the Vernaccia grapes. However, in the case of Vernaccia di Oristano there is no direct evidence linking the grape to theLigurian wine region.[1]
Vernaccia di Oristano is amid to late ripening grape variety that can be very sensitive to the dangers from late spring frost during thegrowing season. It is also susceptible to theviticultural hazards of infection fromdowny andpowdery mildew.[1]
Despite similarities in names and synonyms,DNA analysis has shown that Vernaccia di Oristano is a distinct variety that is not closely related to the several other grapes that share the nameVernaccia. This includes the Tuscan wine grape Vernaccia used to make theDenominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wine of Vernaccia di San Gimignano as well as the red wine grapes Aleatico which is known asVernacia di Pergola in southern Italy and Grenache which is known under the synonym ofVernaccia nera in theMarche region andUmbria.[1]
DNA has shown a possible close genetic relationship of parent-offspring between Vernaccia di Oristano and the whiteEmilia-Romagna wine grapeSanta Maria used to makeVin Santo style wines in theprovince of Piacenza.[1]
In 2000, there were 582 hectares (1,440 acres) of Vernaccia di Oristano planted in Italy, almost exclusively in the province of Oristano in the lower Tirso river valley on the west coast of the island. Here it is the exclusive grape behind the DOC wine of the same name which is made in both dry and sweet styles as well as fortifiedliquoroso wines.[1]
According to DOC requirements, Vernaccia di Oristano grapes are limited to a maximumharvestyield of 8 tonnes/hectare (≈ 0.53 tons/acres). The wine is thenaged inbarrels (often made ofchestnut instead ofoak) for at least two years for fortified styles.[2] The aging requirement is increased to 29 months forsecco (dry and unfortified) styles and 53 months forSuperiore Riserva (also dry and unfortified) wines.[1]
For unfortified styles, the finished wines must attain a minimumalcohol level of at least 15% to attain DOC designation while the fortified liquoroso styles (both dry and sweet) must contain at least 18% alcohol by volume.[2]
Like Sherry, Vernaccia di Oristano wines are often made utilizing a solera system of "fractional blending" where new wine is added to barrels at the "top" of the solera and then gradually blended into barrels of wine from othervintages as it works it way down through the solera and eventually being bottled. This means that within a single bottle of Vernaccia di Oristano could be blends of wines from several decades of vintages with one Sardinian producer having a solera that contains wine from over 100 different vintages.[1]
Also like some styles of Sherry, Vernaccia di Oristano is intentionally aged inoxidative conditions being stored in barrels that are only partially filled--leaving substantialullage or head space for oxygen to come into contact with the wine.[1] This can add some complexity to the wine and the presence of nutty, sherry-like aromas and a deep golden color, particularly for the sweeterdolce styles.[2]
Over the years, Vernaccia di Oristano has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Aregu biancu, Aregu Seulu, Cagnaccia, Carnaggia, Cranaccia, Garnaccia, Granazza, Moranina, Varnaccia, Vernaccia, Vernaccia Austera, Vernaccia bianca, Vernaccia Orosei, Vernaccia S. Rosalia, Vernaccia San Rosalia, Vernaccia di S. Vero Milis, Vernaccia di San Vero Milis and Vernaccia di Solarussa.[3][1]