# Nosiola

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{{Short description|Variety of grape}}
right|thumb|Late harvested Nosiola grapes with some noble rot infection that are destined for further drying and Vin Santo production.
'''Nosiola''' (or '''Groppello bianco''') is a white [Italian wine](/source/Italian_wine) [grape variety](/source/grape_variety) that is grown in the [Trentino](/source/Trentino_(wine)) region north of [Lake Garda](/source/Lake_Garda) in the [Valle dei Laghi](/source/Valle_dei_Laghi).<ref name="Vino Italiano">Joseph Batianich & David Lynch Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy" pg 80-81 Clarkson Potter Publishers {{ISBN|9781400097746}}</ref> Here it is used in [varietal](/source/varietal) ''[Denominazione di origine controllata](/source/Denominazione_di_origine_controllata)'' (DOC) wines and as a blending component in wines such as ''Sorni Bianco'' from [Trento](/source/Trento).<ref name="wine grapes">J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 129 Oxford University Press 1996 {{ISBN|0198600984}}</ref> It is also used to produce a [dessert wine](/source/dessert_wine) in the ''[Vin Santo](/source/Vin_Santo)'' style from grapes that have been [allowed to dry out](/source/straw_wine) prior to [fermentation](/source/fermentation_(wine)).<ref name="Clarke">Oz Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 164 Harcourt Books 2001 {{ISBN|0-15-100714-4}}</ref>

==History==
left|thumb|The name ''Nosiola'' could be derived from the Italian word for hazelnut (''nocciola'') which may be a reference to either the hazelnut aroma note that sometimes comes out in Nosiola-based wines or to the light, instead of dark, brown color that raisined Nosiola grapes turn when they are very mature.
[Ampelographer](/source/Ampelographer)s believe that the name Nosiola is derived from the Italian word ''nocciola'' (hazelnut) which could be a reference to the characteristic toasted hazelnut [aromas](/source/aroma_of_wine) that [varietal](/source/varietal) examples of Nosiola exhibit. It could also be a reference to the grape berries themselves since, unlike most white grape varieties, they don't turn a dark, raisin brown when very mature. Another theory is that the name is a corruption of ''ociolet'' which in the local dialect of the Trentino regions means "little eyes" and was associated with the (likely now extinct) 18th-century wine grape [Uva dall'Occhio bianca](/source/Uva_dall'Occhio_bianca) whose name meant "white eye's grape" and may have been related to Nosiola.<ref name="Wine Grapes">J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 737–738 Allen Lane 2012 {{ISBN|978-1-846-14446-2}}</ref>

Another grape that may be related to Nosiola is the ancient [Roman wine](/source/Roman_wine) grape [Raetica](/source/Raetica) that was reportedly the most widely planted white wine grape in northern Italy during Roman times. Ampelographers have long thought that [Groppello di Revò](/source/Groppello_di_Rev%C3%B2) (which is grown in the [Val di Non](/source/Val_di_Non) region of Trentino) and Nosiola (which is also known as Groppello bianco) were descendants of Raetica but so far there has not been any conclusively historical evidence or [DNA analysis](/source/DNA_analysis) to confirm that theory.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

One grape that DNA analysis has linked to Nosiola is the [Swiss wine](/source/Swiss_wine) grape [Rèze](/source/R%C3%A8ze) which is grown in the [Valais](/source/Valais) region. DNA has shown that both Nosiola and Groppello di Revò share a parent-offspring relationship with Rèze and, given that Rèze has been well known and documented nearly five centuries before the other two, it is more likely that Rèze is the parent variety with the other two being offspring.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

Where Nosiola originated is not yet fully known though the grape's long association with the Trentino region makes that area the most likely source. Another possibility is the [Alto Adige](/source/South_Tyrol) region where Nosiola has long been known under the synonym ''Spargelen''.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

==Viticulture and confusion with other grapes==
right|thumb|After harvest Nosiola berries are usually laid out on straw mats (like these Trebbiano grapes in Tuscany) for further desiccation (drying) to make Vin Santo.
Nosiola is a [mid to late ripening](/source/ripe_(wine)) grape variety that also tends to [buds](/source/buds_(vine)) early in the [growing season](/source/growing_season_(vine)) which can make it susceptible to the [viticultural hazard](/source/viticultural_hazard) of springtime frost. The variety is also very sensitive to climate with too humid of a [vintage](/source/vintage) making the vine prone to fungal infections such as [sour rot](/source/sour_rot) and [powdery mildew](/source/powdery_mildew). While the thick skins, late ripening and easy [desiccation](/source/desiccation) nature of Nosiola berries makes them suitable for ''[passito](/source/passito)'' style winemaking, the stems attached to the berries can also suffer from desiccation earlier in the growing season before the grapes have fully ripening and reached appropriate [sugar levels](/source/sugars_in_wine).<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

Due to similarities in synonyms and appearance, Nosiola is sometimes confused with the [Veneto wine](/source/Veneto_wine) grape [Durella](/source/Durella).<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

==Wine regions==
In 2000, there were {{convert|193|ha|acres}} of Nosiola planted in Italy, almost exclusively in the Trentino region particularly around the Valle dei Laghi region between the city of Trento and Lake Garda. Other plantings of the grape can be found around the commune of [Merano](/source/Merano) in [South Tyrol](/source/South_Tyrol), the [Lagarina Valley](/source/Lagarina_Valley) and [Val di Cembra](/source/Val_di_Cembra).<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

Around the communes of [Calavino](/source/Calavino), [Cavedine](/source/Cavedine), [Lasino](/source/Lasino), [Padergnone](/source/Padergnone) and [Vezzano](/source/Vezzano%2C_Trentino) nearly {{convert|10|ha|acres}} of Nosiola are dedicated to being the sole variety behind the rare Vino Santo dessert wine made under the Trentino DOC. Allowed to dry out on racks after [harvest](/source/harvest_(wine)), the Nosiola berries lose 60–80% of their original weight, leaving a very low [yield](/source/yield_(wine)) of juice after [pressing](/source/pressing_(wine)). The slow [fermentation](/source/fermentation_(wine)) and 7–10 years of barrel and bottle aging usually contributes to an average annual production of around 30,000 half (375 ml) bottles of the [dessert wine](/source/dessert_wine).<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

===DOC wines===
left|thumb|Nosiola is grown throughout the Trento region of northwest Italy.
Nosiola is the primary component in the white wines from the [Sorni DOC](/source/Sorni_DOC) where it constitutes 70% of the blend with [Müller-Thurgau](/source/M%C3%BCller-Thurgau), [Sylvaner verde](/source/Sylvaner_verde) and [Pinot blanc](/source/Pinot_blanc) permitted to fill in the remaining 30%. Nosiola destined for DOC production must be [harvested](/source/harvested_(wine)) to a [yield](/source/yield_(wine)) no greater than 14 [tonnes](/source/tonnes)/[hectare](/source/hectare) with the finished wines needing to attain a minimum [alcohol level](/source/alcohol_level) of at least 10%.<ref name="Saunders">P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 204-210 Firefly Books 2004 {{ISBN|1-55297-720-X}}</ref>

In [Trentino DOC](/source/Trentino_DOC), a varietal wine is produced that is 100% Nosiola with the grapes harvested to a yield no greater than 14 tonnes/ha and a minimum alcohol level of 10.5% Nosiola is also the only permitted variety in the [sweet](/source/sweet_(wine)) ''Vino Santo'' style wine produced in the DOC from grapes harvested to the same yield restriction as the varietal wine but with a minimum alcohol level of 16% and an additional requirement that the wine receives at least three years of [aging](/source/aging_of_wine) in [oak](/source/oak_(wine)) and the bottle prior to release.<ref name="Saunders"/>

Nosiola is a minor blending component in the white wines of the [Valdadige DOC](/source/Valdadige_DOC) that spans across the provinces of [Bolzano](/source/Bolzano) and Trento and into the [Veneto wine](/source/Veneto_wine) region province of [Verona](/source/Verona). Here Nosiola plays a supporting role along with [Bianchetta Trevigiana](/source/Bianchetta_Trevigiana), [Trebbiano Toscano](/source/Trebbiano_Toscano), [Vernaccia](/source/Vernaccia), [Sylvaner](/source/Sylvaner) and [Veltliner bianco](/source/Veltliner_bianco) to the Pinot blanc, [Pinot gris](/source/Pinot_gris), [Riesling Italico](/source/Riesling_Italico), Muller-Thurgau and [Chardonnay](/source/Chardonnay) that makes up the bulk of the wine. Nosiola destined for DOC wine production are limited to a harvest yield of no greater than 14 tonnes/ha and a minimum alcohol level of 10.5% for the wines.<ref name="Saunders"/>

==Wine styles==
According to [Master of Wine](/source/Master_of_Wine) [Jancis Robinson](/source/Jancis_Robinson), Nosiola produces very [aromatic](/source/aromatic_wine) [light-bodied](/source/body_(wine)) wines that can have a slight bitter note.<ref name="wine grapes"/> As a [dry](/source/dry_(wine)) varietal wine, these notes can include citrus, apricot and peach fruit flavors as well as characteristic subtle hazelnut note. When made as a ''Vin Santo'', often aided by the effect of [noble rot](/source/noble_rot) on the [late harvested](/source/late_harvested_(wine)) grapes, the wines are more fuller-bodied and luscious with notes of orange peel, apricot, lime, pineapple and quince.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>

Wine writers [Joe Bastianich](/source/Joe_Bastianich) and [David Lynch](/source/David_Lynch_(wine_expert)) describe Nosiola wine as having apple and lemon notes with some [minerality](/source/minerality).<ref name="Vino Italiano"/>

==Synonyms==
Over the years Nosiola has been known under a variety of synonyms including Groppello bianco, Durella, Nosella, Nosellara, Nosilla, Nosiola Gentile, Nosiola Trentina, Nosiola Spinarola, Nusiola, Nusiola Gentile, Rabiosa, Spargelen (in the Alto Adige region), Spargeren and Spatfelen.<ref name="VIVC">[Vitis International Variety Catalogue](/source/Vitis_International_Variety_Catalogue) (VIVC) ''[http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=8606 Nosiola] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233829/http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=8606 |date=2013-12-30 }}'' Accessed: October 8th, 2012</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

Category:White wine grape varieties

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nosiola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosiola) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosiola?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.