In recent decades, like other Italian regions, a program of rediscovery and recovery of autochthonous grape varieties has been launched in Abruzzo, which in the past constituted a large basin of biodiversity in the numerous inland mountain and foothills of the region close to the central Apennine chain. These areas following depopulation, due to migrations both towards the coastal strip and towards the large cities of the region and beyond, have been almost completely abandoned even if these were precisely the territories in which until about the middle of the 1900s the greatest part was concentrated. part of the Abruzzo viticulture. In the Ampelographic Bulletin of 1876 of the then Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, in the chapter “Abruzzo Further II: ampelographic works in the province of Aquila”, it is reported: “… in the district of Castelvecchio Subequo, n. 16 varieties of vines, while in Cagnano Amiterno there were n. 18 and in Pescina dei Marsi n. 14 “. This path inevitably goes hand in hand with the enhancement of autochthonous genotypes and their respective territories with the great approval of consumers who are increasingly looking for niche products, combined with an authentic and innovative connotation. In addition, the trend of wine tourism gastronomic, constantly growing for decades, is playing a fundamental role in the promotion and dissemination of the concepts of biodiversity and genetic variability, framed as indispensable added values in the launch, or relaunch, of new wine products.
The history and recovery of Nero Antico
The Nero Antico di Pretalucente (synonym Cacciume nero) is a vine belonging to the territories of Gessopalena and Torricella Peligna, both in the province of Chieti. Small villages full of gypsum quarries, now obsolete, located on the eastern slopes of the Majella massif. The word Pretalucente is used in the local dialect to indicate the large chalk boulder on which the medieval core of the village of Gessopalena was built and which is characterized by the presence of large selenite crystals that reflect sunlight. It is a vine with a rather sparse bunch, black berry with a burgundy color when not yet fully ripe. The berries are medium in size, with thick skin so the clusters, as well as for winemaking, were kept hanging from the ceiling inside the houses to be consumed during the Christmas holidays. This use is also favored by the fact that it is a late ripening grape: late October in classic cultivation areas (> 600 m a.s.l.). It is still cultivated, albeit limited, and is still defined by the old farmers of Gessopalena with the dialect expression: ancient black grapes. The vine found in the countryside of Gessopalena and
of the Aventine valley a real refuge area where it survived the sudden processes of modernization and rationalization of viticulture, adapting to soils that have developed on particular lithological substrates such as gypsum and scaly clays of the Oligocene.
The vine, which is presumed to be the oldest present in the area of Gessopalena and which popular tradition attributes to this vine, is a large liana clinging to a black poplar near a spring, in the locality of Morgia-Pietre dell’Acquaviva. According to the testimony of an elderly local farmer, Michele Tiberino (born in 1937), former owner of the same vine, the vine specimen, now back to its primordial state, is present inside a newly formed bush that has recolonized ancient cultivations. , has an age that could be around 130-150 years. The thick skin of this vine probably helped to preserve it from the attack of pathogens, in general, and of powdery mildew, in particular, which, in the Aventine valley, spread around 1852 and particularly affected others. less resistant vines such as Moscardello and Malvasia. The idea of recovering this vine was born in 2003 following an intuition of the Bozzi family, originally from Gessopalena, which was able to preserve it for more than a century in the small family vineyard. In 2018, the municipality of Gessopalena financed the production of 700 cuttings of Nero Antico subsequently planted in the Gessopalena area and in the catalog vineyard of the Abruzzo region
located in the municipality of Casacanditella (CH). Between 2018 and 2020, therefore, the Municipal Administration begins a real path of recovery and enhancement also through the implementation of the dossier necessary for the registration of the vine in the National Register of Vine Varieties. In addition, this genotype has been registered in the national registry of biodiversity of agricultural and food interest and in the register for regional biodiversity.
Productivity and composition of the grapes during the harvest
The Nero Antico grape is characterized by a late bud break and medium fertility of the buds. Under the conditions examined, with vines spaced 3.5 × 1.5 m apart, the productivity was approximately 6.7 kg / vine, partly attributable to the high average weight of the bunches, or 420 g each. The ripening is late, the harvest was in fact carried out on October 19 in 2020 and on October 20 in 2021. The vine showed a good capacity for sugar accumulation, accompanied by a notable acidity, both titratable and malic, and optimal values of pH. The high percentage of peel, around 16%, guarantees good resistance to fungal rot.
Characteristics of the wine
Wines obtained from Nero Antico di Pretalucente grapes, using standard winemaking protocols, are characterized by a low alcohol content, around 10-11% vol., By a medium-high acidic framework with over 6 g / L, from a fair amount of polyphenols (950 mg / L), rather soft tannins and a modest quantity of anthocyanins (188 mg / L), which correspond to no more than 4-5 points of color. A light red color emerges from the sensory analysis, but with evident violet reflections; the nose is perceived notes referable to the fruity, red fruits and dried fruit and spices; in the mouth the wine shows a rather balanced structure and a good acid note, which gives freshness to the finished wine, while the notes of bitterness, astringency and tobacco are just hinted at
It has recently been ascertained that the Nero Antico vine also lends itself very well to being sparkling wine, as well as for vinification in rosé
Molecular analysis of DNA by means of microsatellites
To demonstrate the authenticity of the vine, in addition to ampelographic analysis, DNA analysis was performed using microsatellite molecular markers (SSR). In November 2021 portions of the vine were taken from the old Nero Antico vineyard located in Gessopalena owned by the custodian viticulturist Mariano Bozzi, the DNA extraction and subsequent analyzes were carried out at the CREA – Research Center for Viticulture and the Enology of Conegliano using 12 microsatellites. From the data it emerges that Nero Antico has a molecular profile in its own right, not registered in the National Register of Grape Varieties (RNVV), as research on the main European wine databases has ascertained that the molecular profile of this vine is not associated with no other vine currently registered in the RNVV, as such can be considered an autonomous vine.
Conclusions
The Nero Antico di Pretalucente, an autochthonous black grape variety kept for centuries among the ancient vineyards of Gessopalena and Torricella Peligna at altitudes between 600 and 900 m a.s.l., boasts a good adaptability to difficult pedoclimatic environments, such as those in the mountains. The wines produced from this vine have shown to have peculiarities much appreciated by consumers, such as: moderate alcohol content, good freshness, pleasant aromatic complexity, lively and characteristic color. Furthermore, the 2021 harvest was a harbinger of new stimuli, leading to the execution of further preliminary investigations that revealed the grape’s more than good aptitudes both for white vinification for the production of rosé and for sparkling wine. The main purpose is always the same: to produce wines that are increasingly sought after and requested by modern consumers, both Italian and foreign, and not reproducible elsewhere. For these reasons, this vine could play a key role in enhancing the territory of origin, helping to promote wine tourism, together with other local gastronomic products. Furthermore, following the imminent request for inclusion in the National Register of Grape Varieties for Wine, should it be positive, Nero Antico could place itself in a prominent position in the process of expanding the Abruzzo wine proposal with native vines already cultivated with success.
