Description
The Breganze PDO is reserved for the following types of wine: White, Red, Spumante and Passito, the latter two only with specification of grape variety. The Designation also incorporates numerous grape variety specifications.
Production Area
The production area of Breganze PDO is within the territory of the municipalities of Breganze, Fara Vicentino, Molvena, and parts of the municipalities of Bassano del Grappa, Lugo di Vicenza, Marostica, Mason Vicentino, Montecchio Precalcino, Pianezze, Salcedo, Sandrigo, Sarcedo and Zugliano, in the Province of Vicenza, in the Veneto region.
Description of product typologies
Breganze PDO Bianco varies from greenish-yellow to golden yellow; the nose expresses the grape, being fruitier and more floral in younger wines, peach and broom flowers, with more intense and evolved notes in aged wines; it is dry, sapid and mineral on the palate, dry or smooth, varying in intensity according to the grape variety. It can display Superiore on the label. Breganze PDO Rosso varies from ruby-red to purple; the nose displays aromas that are typical of the various grapes, with fragrances ranging from prune to pansy and varying intensities of spiciness, the strongest being tobacco; it is dry, robust, full-bodied, harmonious on the palate, and pleasantly tannic. It can display Superiore and Riserva on the label.
Grape variety specifications
The Breganze PDO may display the following grape variety specifications. From white grape varieties (incl. Superiore): minimum 85% Tai (Friulano), Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Vespaiolo (from Vespaiolo, incl. Spumante), Torcolato (from Vespaiolo, incl. Uve Appassite, Riserva), Chardonnay, Sauvignon, pure or with the addition of similarly-coloured grapes originating from other grape varieties suitable for cultivation in the concerned area, maximum 15%. From red grape varieties (incl. Superiore and Riserva): minimum 85% Merlot, Cabernet (Franc and/or Sauvignon and/or Carmenère), Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Nero, Marzemino, pure or with the addition of similarly-coloured grapes originating from other grape varieties suitable for cultivation in the concerned area, maximum 15%. The characteristics of the colour, fragrances and flavour of each specification are typical of the grape variety and terroir of origin, with the exception of Breganze PDO Vespaiolo Spumante and Breganze PDO Torcolato. Breganze PDO Vespaiolo (Spumante) is bright straw-yellow, with a fine and persistent perlage; the nose displays a characteristic fragrance of fruit and citron; it is fresh and pleasantly acidulous on the palate. Breganze PDO Torcolato is golden amber; the fragrances range from dehydrated fruit and honey; it is sweet and smooth on the palate, although with a note of freshness. It can display Riserva on the label. Grapes destined for the production of Torcolato are hung on strings from the beams of ceilings in well-ventilated rooms and left to dry for five months. As the grapes dry, they leave liquid in the air in the form of vapour, which must then be removed with the circulation of air. During this stage, a larval form of Botrytis Cinerea develops, a noble rot that favours the concentration of sugars and contributes to the creation of special fragrances and aromas, which are consequently found in the wine. The grapes must be crushed before the end of February of the year following that in which the grapes were produced. Breganze PDO wines with specification of the grape varieties Cabernet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Nero, Marzemino, Merlot and Torcolato, can only qualify as Riserva wines if they have undergone a minimum ageing period of no less than 2 years, commencing November 1st of the year in which the grapes were produced.
