Verdicchio Bianco is a green grape from Italy, that has seen some decrease since the year 2000.
Characteristics
First and foremost, Verdicchio Bianco is characterised by high levels of acidity, which makes it a useful grape for various purposes, e.g. for blending, as well as for making sparkling wine.
However, in order to produce quality grapes, it requires green harvesting, and will perform better in this sense if grown on a bit of an altitude.
Flavours tend to be citrus, with a certain bitterness such as grapefruit. Thanks to the high acidity, dry varietals tend to have good ageing capability.
Wines
The two DOC:s that require the largest portion of the grape are Castelli dei Jesi DOC and Verdicchio di Matellica DOC, both requiring eighty-five percent of Verdicchio, can be expected to be the best expressions of the grape as a dry varietal wine.
Food pairing
The typical and excellent pairing with a fairly neutral, high acidity white wine is seafood, especially if it is a bit salty. The wine is best served at 8-10°C/46-50°F.
Where is it grown?
With its 3.526 ha/8,713 ac, Verdicchio Bianco is the thirty-eight most planted variety in the country. It has however decreased with thirty percent in ten years, mostly in its heartland in Marche, and particularly around Ancona, where Castelli dei Jesi DOC is situated.
Outside of Italy, small (most likely experimental) plantings are reported from Brazil and Argentina.
History
Verdicchio Bianco has been documented as early as some five-hundred years ago. Even if the variety’s heartland today is in Marche, the most plausible origin is in Italy’s north-east, in the Veneto region. There are no recordings of possible parent varieties.