Terrano (grape)
| Terrano | |
|---|---|
| Grape (Vitis) | |
| Color of berry skin | Noir |
| Species | Vitis vinifera |
| Also called | Teran and other synonyms |
| Origin | Member of the Refosco family. Believed to have originated in Italy. |
Terrano or Teran (Slovenian and Croatian name) is a Slovenian dark-skinned grape varieties.[1][2] It is a member of the Refosco family of grape varieties, which also includes Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso.
The wine produced from this grape (sometimes also other refosco grapes[3]) acquires the distinctive flavour and bouquet only when it is grown in the specific terra rossa ("Red Earth") soil typical of a very restricted area of Kras plateau: within Slovenia and Italy, but is also widely grown on similar red soil in Western Istria. In all other cases, Teran is simply a misnomer for refosco wine. It is a rich, slightly sour, full-bodied red wine with a high lactic acid content. It is very palatable, and highly prized by connoisseurs of fine wines. It is also very rich in iron, and in the past it was prescribed as a therapy for anemia.
Traditional Kraški Teran does not age well - notably, chemical analyses have confirmed that the content of bivalent iron starts to diminish radically two years after fermentation - and should be consumed within its first year; after that, the wine quickly loses its attractive vitality and can even become bitter and flat. [4]
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[edit] Regions
Terrano wine is primarily grown in Kras plateau within the Slovenian Primorska wine region (where it is called Kraški teran) and Italian Carso DOC (with two main varieties called Terrano del Carso and Carso Rosso (red Carso)), as well as in the West Istrian wine region of Croatia (called Istarski Teran or Terrano D'Istria in Italian). Teran is the principal red wine grape it these regions. In Italy it is also used in the DOC Cagnina di Romagna in Emilia-Romagna.
Italian Kras plateau and Slovene Kras plateau are situated next to each other across the Italian-Slovene border. In this area the Terra Rossa is present in part of the municipalities of Sežana and Komen, around the villages of Tomaj and Dutovlje. In Italy, it is present in the area of Monrupino, Sgonico, Duino-Aurisina and in a very limited part of the municipality of Trieste (between Opicina and the Slovenian border). In Croatia, it is found in Western Istria.
[edit] History, properties and food matching
This wine is a great appetizer and has always been appreciated for its medicinal properties. As with all other refosco family wines, some believe that Kraski Teran is the Roman puccinum (although some also believe that puccinum was a white wine similar to Prosecco). Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote that puccinum was the favorite of Augustus's wife Livia who lived to the respectable age of 82. The medicinal properties of lactic acid and bivalent iron, that are highly contained in Kraski Teran, have been confirmed by a modern medicine. The wine stimulates the appetite and facilitates digestion of fatty foods.[4]
Kraski Teran is traditionally well paired together with pršut (prosciutto or air-dried ham). However, it matches also with other pork dishes, sausages, panceta or cooked ham with horseradish (traditional foods of the Kras Plateau and Istria). Kraski Teran should be served at 15 - 16 °C (59 - 60.8 °F). [4]
[edit] Synonyms
Although Teran is made of refosco grapes grown on Terra Rossa it is often a misnomer in other regions where it is known by different synonyms: Cagnina (in Emilia-Romagna), Crodarina, Gallizio, Gallizza, Istranin, Istranyun, Istrianka, Istrijanac, Istrijanka, Magnacan, Reffosco, Refosca, Refosco D'Istria, Refosco del Carso, Refosco Magnacan, Refoscone, Refošk, Refošk Istarski, Rifosco, Taran, Tarin, Teran, Teran Black, Teran Blauer, Teran Crni, Teran Noir, Teranovka, Terant, Terin, Terran Noir, Terran Tcherny, Terrana, Terrano A Raspo Bianco, Terrano A Raspo Rosso, Terruna, and Terrura.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Jancis Robinson, ed (2006). "Teran". Oxford Companion to Wine (Third Edition ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 692. ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
- ^ a b Terrano, Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed 2010-10-23
- ^ Piran is in - Food and Wine, accessed 2011-06-21
- ^ a b c Matkurja - Kraški Teran, accessed 06/29/2011
