When I was visiting w/ Giorgio Rivetti/LaSpinetta ystrday (shameless name-dropping), I asked about the history of Vermentino in Tuscany. I only recall encountering them in about the last 10 yrs. But Giorgio assures me that Vermentino has long been in Tuscany, 40-50 yrs.
Google fails me. Does anyone know when Vermentino first came to Tuscany and if it came from Sardinia or Liguria??
Tom
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When I was selling wine, a little birdie stated that it was Sardinia. Also it was more of a pre appetizer wine in most cafes in Italy, last time I was there over 15 years ago
I reckon it will be hard to get a solid answer about this one Tom.
It might as well be from France, and given that it’s Italy, who knows if it’s even Vermentino after all.
This is a wild guess, probably as good/bad as anyone else - how about from Sardinia via Liguria. If it was the historical link to Pisa/Tuscany then it would make sense if the grape made more of a mark(?). I could also imagine imported from France.
I just consulted Ian D’Agate’s encyclopedia and it seems every winemaker has a different story of how it came to their region, and there doesn’t seem to be any solid historical or genetic evidence of its origins or what the migration roots were.
D’Agate reports that some growers in Liguria claim it came there from Spain via Corsica. Since sangiovese is grown in Corsica as nielluccio, perhaps the Corsicans traded vermentino vines for sangiovese. 
Just another speculation to ponder.
D’Agata, not d’Agate.
I’ve understood the variety originates from Liguria, since the variety has so much spread and clonal differences around that area as Vermentino / Favorita / Pigato. From there it has traveled to neighboring areas of Piedmont, Sardinia and Provence.
While I’ve understood Vermentino is a more recent introduction to Tuscany, it sounds really odd talking about a time span of just 10 years, because I’ve had Tuscan Vermentinos more than 10 years ago, including some Vin Santos with some age that are said to have included Vermentino in them. 40-50 years sounds quite reasonable.
I’ve also visited Rivetti / La Spinetta some time in the past. Probably the least inspiring wines of the whole trip were tasted there. Nothing but oak on oak. Yawn.
While I think many have assumed the grape originated in Liguria because that is the center point of the regions where it’s now cultivated, D’Agata doesn’t take a position on where it originated, and mentions the theory that it was from Spain, and another that it came from “the Orient.”
He says that many Ligurians insist that Pigato is a distinct variety, but that the genetic evidence indicates vermentino = pigato = favorita.
No he doesn’t, but Vouillamoz, Robinson et al. mention the Spain theory in “other hypotheses” section of Vermentino, ie. something that doesn’t seem to be true. After all, it really doesn’t make any sense for the variety to come from Spain, as the variety doesn’t exist there, there hasn’t been any records of it ever existing there, nor does the variety have any known relatives there.
Unlike in Italy.
And, yes, Ligurians do say Pigato is a distinct variety and many Pigatos can be actually very lovely, whereas I can’t remember having an interesting Favorita. However, in all likelihood, that is nothing more than just clonal difference speaking. After all, Grenache Blanc and Grenache are actually the one and the same variety. As are Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. There’s no denying that the wines these varieties make are different, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are genetically the one and the same variety.
What Otto says. DNA says they are all three identical. But it’s like Primitivo =Zinfandel. But when you look at the vines planted side-by-side, you’d swear they’re different varieties.
Tom
Yes D’Agata did say that (there are many theories including those). Basically the conclusion back when he wrote his book is that it’s unclear. Don’t recall any hints that one theory was more plausible.
We’re talking about Vermentino? Full disclosure up top here, I make and sell Vermentino under our Jupiter Wine Co. label (aka Big Verm, it’s name in the cellar for all you Friday fans)
There are a million tales about how Vermentino has spread through the north and center of western Italy, and I’ve read/researched them all. I’m in love with salty and saturated island Vermentino that tastes of sun, salt and sea.
You can trace it all back to Sardegna and Corsica. The Corsican bio type moved north westward to the south of France and then slowly moved up to Savoie and eventually Piedmont where it is grown as Favorita. The Sardegnan bio type moved eastward to Tuscany by way of isla Giglio (there are some VERY old vermentino vines planted as parts of field blends with Ansonica Bianco in Giglio). From Tuscany that genetic material moved northward to Liguria.
Liguria is the melting pot of all things vermentino; the two paths it travelled through France and a Italy meet there. The variety grown in the mountains by producers such as Claudio Vio closely resemble the French biotype; the more saturated stuff you see from classic producers like Bisson and lo-fi producers like Stefano Legnani is the weighty biotype from Sardegna.
Then there is Pigato. Genetically “identical” but let’s be honest, completely fucking different. Looks different, buds significantly later, tastes different, completely different aromas… even when grown adjacent in the same vineyard a la Claudio Vio. There must be a completely different origin story for Pigato, and honestly, I’m thankful it’s still a mystery. That’s the joy of Italian wines for me; endless discovery and history you can drink.
Life is rich.
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Thanks so much for this, Thomas. Sounds like you’ve thoroughly researched the subject.
I put the question to DarrellCorti but not heard back yet.
Tom
Vermentino in Savoie? This is the first time I’ve heard about this. I tried looking into this, but Google couldn’t find anything. Nor did Wink Lorch’s quite expansive book on Savoie wines mention a single word about Rolle / Vermentino, even though she mentions tons of rare and historical varieties I’ve never even heard from before.
Do you have any sources where I could read more about the subject?
Furthermore, I think many modern sources say the contrary: that Vermentino was introduced to Corsica via Liguria (and/or Piedmont) and later to Sardegna. Normally the region with the most varietal variability is considered to be the region from which a variety has originated, because they’ve had the most time to evolve into different clones.