| Grape variety |
Timorasso |
| Synonyms |
Timuassa, Timorazza, Marasso, Dolce Verde |
| Grape colour |
White grape |
| Variety |
Autochthonous |
| Vigour |
Good |
| Ripening |
The third decade of October. |
| Productivity |
Adjust to Alba, less in its area; However always lower than that of other vineyards, especially Cortese among whites and Barbera among blacks, as subject to partial staining, which is accentuated in cold-wet locations or rainy springs. |
| Areas of cultivation |
In the province of Alessandria, traditionally centered in Val Curone, Val Grue, Val Scrivia and Val Borbera. |
| History |
Timorous vine is considered native to the Tortonese area. Surely it has been reported in the area since the Middle Ages, and over the centuries it has become the most cultivated vineyard of the area, up to the twenty-first of the phylloxera and the second world conflict. Years of progressive abandonment of the countryside and reduction of the surface area of Timorasso have been followed for the benefit of easier and more productive varieties. In recent years, a group of far-sighted winemakers has carried on the rediscovery of this vine and brought to light its oenological characteristics. |
| Ampelographic features |
Leaf: medium or small, medium, pentagonal, five-leafed; U pectoral breast; Lateral breasts higher than U (sometimes closed), lower limbs in unenclosed lira; The surface of the flap nearly smooth (slightly wavy); Upper face glabra (some arachnid hair), dark green, slightly glossy; Bottom page green color bottle; Lanugginosa on the flap; Somewhat protruding ribs and velvety tomentum; Flap, often with swollen lobes; Corner at the top of the acute terminal lobes.
Bunch: more than medium size, cm 18-20; Of medium compactness (sometimes more seldom due to poor casting and with traces of green acinellation); Elongated, conic-pyramid shape, often winged, with a visible, semi-woody, rather large peduncle; Mid-length, green; Little noticeable, green; Short brush, yellowish; Easy to detach the acin from the pedicle.
Acino: more than average thickness, spheroidal-elixid form, regular; Prominent and persistent navel; Regular cross-section (circular); Pruinose peel; Fairly regularly distributed green-yellow color; A bit thick and consistent; Colorless juice; Juicy and slightly fleshy flesh, of neutral flavor. |
| Characteristics of the wine obtained from this grape variety |
Timor-Lazarus can offer astonishing aromatic potentials and is rich in norisoprenoids or fragrances that are already formed in grapes but are expressed in their completeness in white-aged wines. The remarkable structure and acidic stress contributes to enhancing unusual mineral tones in Italian whites. |
| Notes |
Resistance to adversity: it is very good for comparison with the more rustic grapes of Tortona, both in terms of resistance to cryptogamy and meteorite elements. |