Petit Rouge

Petit Rouge in Viala & Vermorel (as Oriou Gris).
Petit Rouge grapes and a Valle d'Aosta wine produced from the variety.

Petit Rouge is a red Italian wine grape variety that ampelographers believe is indigenous to the Valle d'Aosta region of northwest Italy.[1] However, there is some confusion about whether Petit Rouge is the same variety as the red Swiss wine grape Rouge de Valais.[2]

The grape is somewhat obscure and is not widely grown outside the Valle d'Aosta where it is primarily a blending variety but some varietal wines are produced.[3] In blends, it adds floral aroma notes and dark color to the wines.[2]

Wine regions

Valle d'Aosta region is surrounded by mountainous terrain but can be very warm and dry during the summer months of the growing season.

Petit Rouge is primarily found in the Valle d'Aosta region of northwest Italy between Piedmont and the Alps separating Italy from France and Switzerland. In general, altitude determines which varieties of grapes may be grown in a particular location, with reds growing at lower elevations and whites at higher elevations. However, despite its high altitude and mountainous location, nearly 90% of the wine in the Valle d'Aosta is red or rosé[4][5] with Petit Rouge playing a considerable role in many of the blends produced under the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) designation of the region. This is because the variety thrives during the hot, dry mouths of the summer, allowing time to develop sufficient sugar levels and physiological ripeness.[6]

DOC regulations

Within the Valle d'Aosta DOC, Petit Rouge must be harvested below a maximum yield of 12 tonnes/hectare and be fermented to a minimum alcohol level of 9.5%. Prior to release, the wines must be aged a minimum of 6 months which may include some time in oak. Within the larger regional DOC are several smaller DOCs that may also include Petit Rouge. These include:[7]

The Arvier valley where Enfer d'Arvier (Enfer is French for "Hell" and refers to the summertime heat of the valley) is produced.

Viticulture and winemaking

A varietal Petit Rouge from Valle d'Aosta.

Ampelographer can identify the Petit Rouge vine by the small "dusty" colored grapes that, according to wine expert Jancis Robinson, can almost look gray. During the growing season, the variety is late ripening and is often harvested with low levels of acidity. This is one reason why it is often blended where it can improve the color of the usually light-colored Valle d'Aosta wines while adding floral notes to the bouquet.[2]

Synonyms

Over the years Petit Rouge and its wines have been known under various synonyms including Orion gris, Oriou, Oriou Curare, Oriou gris, Oriou Lombard, Oriou Petit-Rouge, Oriou Picciou, Oriou Voirard, Petit Rouge de Chatillion, Piccion Roza, Ricciou Oriou, Picciou Radzo, Picciou Rouge, Picciou Rozo, Picciourouzzo, Pitchou Rodza and Ricciou Rouge.[8]

References

  1. ↑ J. Robinson Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes pg 136 Oxford University Press 1996 ISBN 0-19-860098-4
  2. 1 2 3 J. Robinson Vines, Grapes & Wines pg 210 Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1-85732-999-6
  3. ↑ Oz Clarke & M. Rand Encyclopedia of Grapes pg 167 Webster International Publishers ISBN 0-15-100714-4
  4. ↑ L. Sonkin "Italy's Aosta Valley (Valle d'Aosta): Regional History & the Buzz About Petite Arvine" IntoWine.com Accessed: March 18th, 2011
  5. ↑ L. Reiss "The Aosta Valley Region - Piedmont Wine" TheWorldWideWine.com Accessed: March 18th, 2011
  6. ↑ M. Ewing-Mulligan & E. McCarthy Italian Wines for Dummies pg 79 Hungry Minds 2001 ISBN 0-7645-5355-0
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 P. Saunders Wine Label Language pp. 211-212 Firefly Books 2004 ISBN 1-55297-720-X
  8. ↑ Petit Rouge, Vitis International Variety Catalogue, Accessed: March 18th, 2011
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/22/2013. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.