RARE GRAPE VARIETAL RESOURCE

Casetta Grapes are traditionally grown in the hilly areas of Val Lagarina. To date, it is possible to find some small vineyards in the municipalities of Ala in Trentino and Dolcé in the province of Verona.

This vine derives from the domestication of Vitis vinifera silvestris, a wild grape variety created from a spontaneous crossing. This red grape variety is also known as the round-leaf Lambrusco but has nothing in common with the large families of Lambrusco grapes.

Its appearance is characterised by a round leaf, hence the dialect name foja tonda; the bunch is conical and of medium size, with a medium-large size grape. The skin is usually thin and has a dark colour, almost blue-black, and is quite resistant to the cold, although it is very sensitive to winter frosts. It adapts well to calcium rich and hilly soils with good exposure and ventilation, at heights that do not exceed four hundred meters in altitude.

The Casetta Grape are particularly long-lived vines, which is why it is not uncommon to find productive plants dating back to 70 years ago. In fact, until the 1950s, this vine was among the most cultivated in the Trentino municipalities of Ala and Mori; later, it was largely abandoned both for commercial reasons and for its vulnerability to grey mould (Botrytis cinerea). Today this variety is present on small plots of land in vineyards dating back to that time, throughout Vallagarina and in the province of Verona. It is believed that the name Casetta derives from the ancient nickname of a family from the settlement of Marani who cultivated this grape.

The harvest at the end of September is followed by the classic red wine-making process and it is bottled and aged for at least one year.

The Casetta grape has very interesting qualitative potential with both fine and intense sensory attributes and is characterised by fruity and spicy notes. As a wine, Casetta has an intense ruby red colour. The smell has fruity notes of ripe plum and blackberry, with a slightly vegetal background and, to finish, a spicy note of black pepper.

On the palette it is structured with soft and persistent tannic qualities. In local traditions it has always been considered an ageing wine to be served on great, festive occasions. It goes well with game meats, red meats, cheeses and main dishes.

Due to the scarce availability of grafted cuttings on the market, the Casetta grape is still reproduced today by branching, burying the branch of a nearby vine.

In the past it was removed from the list of authorised grape varieties, due to its particular sensitivity to fungal diseases.

In recent years, thanks to the renewed interest in this vine, the variety has been reintroduced among those that are allowed to be cultivated. In 2006 it was awarded the recognition of Valdadige Terra dei Forti DOC, from which some types of wine with a designation of origin can be produced with 100% Casetta grapes.

Casetta is an obscure red grape variety from the Trentino-Alto Adige wine region of northern Italy. It is largely unknown outside the region. The local dialectal name for Casetta is Foja Tonda, and the variety has been planted in the Adige valley for many centuries. Foja Tonda vines were most probably growing here in the Middle Ages, and it was certainly known in the late-18th Century when Trentino and Alto-Adige was annexed into the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Despite this long history, the variety has only started to attract the attentions of modern winemakers in the last decade. Today, Casetta is used almost exclusively to make IGT wines and varietals for the Valdadige Terradeiforti DOC. 

Wines made from Casetta tend towards the rustic and angular.The few tasting notes published for this wine indicate aromas like black cherries with tobacco and sweet spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.

The research activities necessary for the reporting of this product in the Ark of Taste online catalogue were financed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, the General Directorate of the Tertiary Sector and Corporate Social Responsibility – notice n° 1/2018 “Slow Food in action: communities protagonists of change”, pursuant to Article 72 of the Tertiary Sector Code, referred to in Legislative Decree No. 117/2017.

(Courtesy of Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity – Ark of Taste) https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/casetta-grape/

(Photo and text source: https://www.wine-searcher.com/grape)

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