Grape variety
Vermentino
Vermentino: the coastal white of Liguria, Sardinia, Corsica and Provence (as Rolle). Origin, style, Gallura and what to eat with it.
- Colour
- White
- Origin
- Area between Liguria, Sardinia, Corsica, Tuscany and Piedmont (disputed); Pigato and Favorita share the same DNA profile, Rolle is regarded as the same grape
- Main regions
- Sardinia (Gallura), Liguria, Tuscany (Maremma, Bolgheri), Corsica, Provence, Languedoc; a rarity in Switzerland
- Typical aromas
- Citrus, green apple, herbs of the maquis, bitter almond; dry, fresh, saline
- Classic pairing
- Seafood, grilled fish, pesto genovese, vegetables
- Synonyms
- Pigato (Liguria), Favorita (Piedmont), Rolle (Provence), Vermentinu (Corsica)
Vermentino is the white of the coasts. It grows above all in Liguria, Sardinia and Corsica, in the Maremma and at Bolgheri in Tuscany, and in Provence, where it is called Rolle. The names change with the shore: Pigato on the Riviera di Ponente, Favorita in Piedmont, Rolle in southern France, Vermentinu in Corsica. According to DNA analysis, Vermentino, Pigato and Favorita share the same profile; José Vouillamoz speaks of a single original vine with clonal differences, and the Provençal Rolle is regarded as the same grape too. In Italy the official statistics nevertheless still keep Pigato and Vermentino apart. Where that vine stood is disputed; an area between Liguria, Sardinia, Corsica, Tuscany and Piedmont is assumed.
In Sardinia its centre is Gallura, in the north-east of the island, where the vines stand on weathered granite in the sea wind. Vermentino di Gallura has been DOCG since 1996, the only one on the island, and requires at least 95 per cent Vermentino; the Vermentino di Sardegna DOC covers the whole island. In Liguria the Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC, which lists Vermentino and Pigato separately, and the Colli di Luni DOC on the border with Tuscany carry the grape’s name.
In Corsica Vermentino is the main white grape, in Patrimonio on the north coast and Ajaccio on the west coast, for instance. In Tuscany it has established itself along the coast in recent decades: the Bolgheri DOC has a varietal Vermentino with at least 85 per cent of the grape, and the Maremma Toscana DOC provides for it too. In Provence, finally, Rolle is the emblematic grape of the white Côtes de Provence, which in a region best known for rosé make up only a small share of the volume. The vine likes warmth, ripens slowly and copes well with heat and drought.
In the glass Vermentino is dry and fresh, with citrus, green apple, Mediterranean herbs and a saline, bitter almond note on the finish. It is drunk young and cool, at 8 to 10 degrees, and its salinity makes it the natural companion of seafood, grilled fish, pesto genovese and vegetables; in Sardinia, for example, of fregola with clams. In Switzerland the grape is a rarity: the variety directory of Swiss Wine Promotion describes it as hardly grown and sensitive to spring frost and mildew.