| Terrano | |
|---|---|
| Grape (Vitis) | |
| Color of berry skin | Noir |
| Species | Vitis vinifera |
| Also called | Teran andother synonyms |
| Origin | Member of theRefosco family. Believed to have originated inItaly. |
| VIVC number | 12374 |
Terrano (Slovene:Teran) is aSlovenian andItalianwine variety (not to be confused with a completely different grape variety also calledTeran, which is indigenous to the Croatian part of the Istrian peninsula), bearing the mark of recognized traditional denomination.[1][2][3] It is a member of theRefosco family of grape varieties, which also includesRefosco dal Peduncolo Rosso. Since 2006 it is a wine with a protected designation of origin (PDO) withinEuropean Union under the protected designation "Teran".[4]
Traditional SloveneKraški teran does not age well—notably, chemical analyses have confirmed that the content of bivalent iron starts to diminish radically two years after fermentation—and should be consumed within its first year; after that, the wine quickly loses its attractive vitality and can even become bitter and flat.[5][6][7]
Terrano wine is primarily grown on theKarst Plateau within theSlovene Littoral wine region (where it is calledKraški teran 'Karst Terrano') and ItalianCarso DOC (with two main varieties calledTerrano del Carso 'Karst Terrano' andCarso Rosso 'Karst Red'). Terrano is the principal red wine grape in these regions. In the Carso DOC, the grape is sometimes blended withPiccola nera.[8] In Italy it is also used in the DOCCagnina di Romagna inEmilia-Romagna.
The Italian and Slovene parts of the Karst Plateau (Carso andKras, respectively) are located on either side of the Italian–Slovene border. In this area the Terra Rossa is present in part of the municipalities ofSežana,Komen andKostanjevica, around the villages ofTomaj andDutovlje. In Italy, it is present in the area ofMonrupino,Sgonico,Duino-Aurisina and in a very limited part of the municipality of Trieste (betweenOpicina and the Slovenian border). In Croatia, it is found in WesternIstria.
Roman naturalistPliny the Elder wrote that puccinum was the favorite ofAugustus's wifeLivia.[9][10][11]
Kraški teran is traditionally well paired together withpršut (prosciutto or dry-cured ham). However, it matches also with other pork dishes, sausages,pancetta or cooked ham with horseradish (traditional foods of the Karst Plateau and Istria).Kraski teran should be served at 15–16 °C (59–61 °F).
Indigenous Terrano wine is produced exclusively from Terrano grapes, a wine under the same name is made of Refosco grapes grown on Terra Rossa, which is the Slovenian-producedKraški teran, therefore it is often a misnomer when different synonyms may be used: Cagnina (in Emilia-Romagna), Crodarina, Gallizio, Gallizza, Istranin, Istranyun, Istrianka, Istrijanac, Istrijanka, Magnacan, Reffosco, Refosca, Refosco D'Istria, Refosco del Carso, Refosco Magnacan, Refoscone, Refošk, Refošk Istarski and Rifosco.[2]