| Grape variety |
Picolit |
| Synonyms |
uva del Friuli, piccolito, piccolito del Friuli. |
| Grape colour |
White grape |
| Variety |
Autochthonous |
| Vigour |
Good |
| Ripening |
End of September, early October. |
| Productivity |
Very poor, bad attachment. |
| Areas of cultivation |
It is widespread on the hills of Cividalese, where it develops with the characteristic floral abortion. |
| History |
There is not much news about the origins of Picolit, but it is well known that it is very ancient and famous in Friuli, already known in the imperial Rome and appreciated by many historical figures including Carlo Goldoni who described it as a precious gem. Among its enthusiastic enthusiasts are French kings and popes, Austrian emperors and Russian czars. The Countess Fabio Asquini of Fagagna must rescue the vine in a great time of crisis that made it risky extinction, making it known in the best international squares of the time, London, Paris, Milan and other European capitals. It was 1758 when the Count promoted Picolit in the territories of the Habsburg Empire. Success was so great that counterfeits began immediately and over a decade the price rose to such an extent that the wine cost almost 40 times compared to any wine on the market. 1700 was the century of Picolit, which came from Friuli to arrive in Conegliano and then throughout Europe, but the vine, poorly productive, suffered a halt with increasing volumes of wine demanded by the market and It was a fall of this nobleman so strong that he risked again the extinction, awaited today by the establishment of the denominations of origin that have re-valued the vine which although yields very low yields also provides splendid wines. Saving also for the family Perusini who devoted the whole of the twentieth century to the exploitation of this grape. |
| Ampelographic features |
Leaf: medium size, pentagonal, trilobata or quinquelobata with lateral V-veins just mentioned; U wide petiole breast; Upper page glabra and light green, opaque; Bottom aracnoidea-lanugginosa, olive-green; Flaps fairly thick, flat, bent slightly with eyebrows with revolving lips; Slightly lobed lobes, slightly bent to eaves, corner at the top of the almost straight terminal lobes and low bulb surface; Ribs of 1 ° -2 ° and 3 ° order, flashing, greenish-yellowish and partially purplish at the base on the top; Green and long sections of the red-violet base as well as the bifurcation of the lower ribs of the lower page; Very pronounced, irregular, convex, sharp teeth.
Bunch: medium size (about 15 cm long), pyramidal, often winged with a wing, spatula (and tightened to full fertilization of flowers); Visible, thin, woody peduncle to the first branch of red-violet color.
Acino: small (about 13 mm in diameter), ellipsoid, regular, persistent navel, circular cross-section, pruinous, golden-greenish, somewhat dotted, medium-sized; Melted pulp, juicy, of neutral taste, sweet; Colorless juice; Pedicelli mezzani, sottili, green with not very obvious, verrucoso, red-brown; Small and yellowish brush; Separation of normal acina. |
| Characteristics of the wine obtained from this grape variety |
The wine obtained from the picolitic grape is of straw-yellow color, intense. The palate is floral, fruity, elegant. |