Groppello Wine Guide
Groppello is the most important native red grape variety in Lombardy, cultivated since the end of the 1500s in the hills of Lake Garda, Bresciano and Bergamasco to produce excellent wines, but also irresistible clarets, rosé wines that you can pair with any dish, from fish to meat.
More than a single grape variety, once again we must talk about the family because Groppello is a fairly populous tribe, where adaptation to various terroirs has played a fundamental role in shaping different characteristics.
Production area and clones of Groppello
Groppello gentile, also called Groppellone, is by far the most cultivated and is mainly used to produce tasty, fragrant rosé wines with excellent acidity. The Lombard-Brescia side of Lake Garda is its native cradle, but we find it throughout the Brescia area, the Bergamo area and it is also successfully cultivated in Verona, Vicenza and Treviso, three other historic areas.
If we approach the shores of Lake Garda, the vine takes the name of Groppello di mocassino, an ideal biotype for producing red wines of great charm, spicy, fresh, balsamic and with good structure but with well-designed tannins.
We end with an excursion to Trentino, in the Val di Non, where we find the Groppello di Revò around the village of the same name, which is just north of Cles.
It is often found blended with Barbera, Marzemino or Sangiovese as in the Rivera del Grada rosé, however, many winemakers are verifying Groppello in purity to enhance its finesse. The two DOC Riviera del Garda Brescia and Garda provide it in purity.
History of Groppello grape
It is a very ancient vine, already known in Roman times, so much so that the testimonies of chroniclers such as Cato, Pliny, Virgil and even Cassiodorus, the minister of Theodoric, who speaks to us not only about Groppello but is also one of the first to narrate of the “sweet” goodness of Soave wine.
The name Groppello comes from the dialect “grop”, node group and refers to the compact and tight shape of the grapes of the comma bunches that almost seem to have a point
What does Groppello taste like?
The wine obtained has a splendid bouquet with red fruit, sweet spices, balm tones, Mediterranean scrub, and an earthy aroma. The bunch is compact, with thin skin and ripens by mid-September: therefore it has a good structure, strong acidity, good softness, strong tannins, but never grumpy. It is not an exaggeratedly structured or green wine, but it does not lack “grit” and if produced with low yields (and long wood aging) it can evolve even for about ten years.
The rosé has an intriguing aroma, spices, juniper, flowers and an anticipated and savory mouth: it is a wine with a subtle, crunchy charm, with great drinkability and thanks to clean and precise vinification it manages to be an excellent convivial wine that lends itself to a thousand combinations or the role of perfect aperitif wine.
Groppello food pairings
Rosé wines are excellent when paired with fish, spaghetti with clams, seafood, cold cuts, Thai cuisine and spicy Chinese dishes. red is not afraid of rich dishes, aged cheeses, black truffle risotto, Passatelli with Parmigiano fondue and truffle, bucatini all’amatriciana, roast beef, gnocchi.
