white grape · regional staple
Vermentino
Liguria or Sardinia, Italy (disputed)
Say it
ver·men·tee·noh
Stress on third syllable; Corsican variant is Vermentinu (ver-men-TEE-noo)
On the palate
lemongrapefruitwhite peachhoneysucklesagealmond
How you spot it blind: saline minerality with a characteristic bitter-almond finish
The story
First written down · 14th century, Liguria, Italy
DNA analysis has confirmed that Vermentino, Pigato (Liguria), and Favorita (Piedmont) are genetically identical varieties long cultivated under different names across northwestern Italy.
Where it lives
Sardinia, Italy · Provence, France (as Rolle) · Corsica, France (as Vermentinu) · Liguria, Italy (as Pigato) · Maremma (Tuscany), Italy
Shows up as
still whiteVermentino di Gallura DOCGVermentino di Sardegna DOC
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Also answers to Rolle, Favorita, Pigato.
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