W&V: Dr.Novello's Visit to SierraFoothills

WINE TALK
1

(Sorta) interesting article in Wines&Vines:
W&V:NovelloVisit
on Italian viticulture expert Dr.VittorinoNovello’s recent visit to the SierraFoothills and his recs for Italian grape varieties that he thinks should be planted in Calif.

I find his list rather…peculiar. The focus is on grape varieties from the South of Italy. The emphasis seems to be on high productivity, rather than on quality. The Muscat of Alexandria rec is most puzzling. That grape is grown all over Calif.
I say, with all the authority vested in a guy who has never grown a grape in his life, in Calif they should be looking to the North: Ribolla/Nebbiolo/Schioppettino/Refosco/Malvasia d’Istria/Schiavia/Prunent/Terrano/PetiteArvine/etc.

Wish I could have been on that tour.
Tom

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I happened to be in the area on the day of the El Dorado portion of the vineyard tour and I was able to tag along for the first three three of those four vineyard stops, though prior commitments prevented me from staying for the rest of the program. A Grape-Nutz write-up is coming soon.

Although I was not able to attend Dr. Novello’s talk at Terra d’Oro, I believe that his list of grape varieties was tailored specifically for El Dorado and Amador counties, not for California as a whole as the article implies. The purpose of his visit was a focus on the Sierra Foothills.

[resizeableimage=512,384]https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13923450_10206106325491764_4844256013978491062_o.jpg[/resizeableimage]
Dr. Vittorino Novello with grower Ron Mansfield among Fiano vines at Camino Alto Vineyard