Rossese Bianco is a white grape variety that tends to mature towards the end of September or beginning of October. Native of the Cinque Terre, it has spread to a small portion of the Langhe and especially in Liguria where it is used to produce the famous Rossese from Dolceacqua. Rossese Bianco, cultivated in the Cinque Terre, is mentioned already by Giorgio Gallesio, Genoese diplomat with a passion for fruit trees, in his Pomona Italiana of 1839, which describes the techniques and difficulties encountered in the cultivation of this variety. Arrived in the Langhe in the nineteenth century, this particular and rare grape variety was recovered in the mid-1970s in old vineyards of Monforte d'Alba, where there is clear evidence that it was grown over considerable time, as to be recognised as the indigenous Piedmontese variety. The wine produced from its grapes is in fact since 2011 officially recognised as Langhe Rossese Bianco Doc.
ROSSESE BIANCO GRAPE
Grape colour: whiteProductivity: average to poor.
Leaf: medium, from cuneiform to pentagonal, five or seven-lobed.
Bunch: large, wide, conical, with one, two or three well-developed leaf indices, medium compact, with small grapes, ductile and basically very pruinose (the bloom is a waxy substance responsible for the visible white film on the grape skin).
Ripening: end of September or beginning of October.
Wines: Langhe Rossese Bianco Doc.
