Today’s variety is another one that people will have trouble seeing as indigenous to Italy and I agree but I’m trying to be complete in my series on grape varieties. Apparently while hailing from France, Napoleon brought it to Italy to the area near Piacenza.  At the time , it was called Champagne mostly because it was used to make sparkling wine, It was also planted near the city of Lucca during the time of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.  It’s never really made into a mono varietal wine  but is usually part of a blend. It can be found in the  DOCs Colli Piacentini Monterosso Val d’Arda and Trebbiano Val Trebbia near Piacenza and in the DOC Montecarlo and in the Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice near Lucca. As a variety, it is very vigorous, likes to grown in poorer soils. Slightly aromatic as a variety, it has limited acidity but good body. It produce white wines with a note of almond.

I found this winery that produces a white wine sur lies with a small percentage of Marsanne, Tenuta Croci. I also found this website that has a great description of the area and is pretty interesting. I am posting some pictures from the town of Bobbio where the Monastery of San Colombano in Bobbio is located.

Friends got marries there in 2011. A lovely town, it’s as close as I have come to these wine areas. Definitely worth a visit. The famed film director Marco Bellocchio is from Bobbio and created a film festival there as well. I have loved many of his movies including Vincere about Mussolini’s wife, although it was hard to watch.