Trebbiano

A name shared between many different Italian grape varieties, planted almost everywhere within Italy except for the far north where none of them would ripen reliably. Despite the fact its wine is remarkably thin, tart and characterless, Trebbianos are responsible for a vast proportion of all DOC white wine production. The most common, once a possible ingredient in Chianti and the basic crisp mouthwash of the Tuscan hills is Trebbiano Toscano. In France Trebbiano Toscano is known as Ugni Blanc. This variety is also planted, as Talia, in Portugal, and in Bulgaria, Russia, Greece and extensively in South America. Odd bottlings of wine made from old Trebbiano vines in California have shown extraordinary character and extract. Trebbiano Romagnolo makes mainly vapid Trebbiano di Romagna while Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is of mysterious origin and may be identical to Bombino Bianco. There is also the yellow-berried Trebbiano Giallo and Trebbiano Modenese which is probably used more for vinegar than wine. Trebbiano di Soave has been shown by DNA analysis to be Verdicchio.