Baratuciat is a white Italian winegrape variety that is grown in the Piedmont wine region of northwest Italy. For most of its history, Baratuciat was used mainly as a table grape with some limited use for wine production with sweetlate-harvestdessert wines.[1] On 23 June 2008 the grape was officially added to the Italian registry of wine grape varieties.[2]
Unlike many Piemontese varieties, Baratuciat does not have a long history of wine production use in Piedmont with only written records in the twentieth and twenty-first century describing its use for both table grape and winemaking. Ampelographers believe that the name Baratuciat is derived from the term used in the local Piemontese dialect for the testicles of cats.[1]
Baratuciat was only added to the official registry of Italian grape varieties in 2008 which means that plantings of the variety were not counted during the 2000 census. However, ampelographers believe that the grape is almost exclusively grown in the Susa Valley located within the province of Turin. The villages of Almese, Buttigliera Alta, Rosta, Rubiana and Villar Dora have the most significant plantings of Baratuciat with one winery in Almese cultivating the grape on a commercial scale since the early 21st century.[1] Wine critics are watching the development of plantings of the variety within the (currently) red wine only Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) of Valsusa, noting that the grape has "potential" in this region.[5]
A 2011 study by the University of Adelaide in Australia, documented 2 hectares (4.9 acres) of the grape variety being cultivated in 2010 which ranked it as the 1124th most cultivated wine grape variety in the world.[6]
Styles
According to Master of WineJancis Robinson, Baratuciat tends to produce very "Sauvignon blanc-like" wines with high levels of acidity and characteristic elder flower and "cat box" aromas. Like many white Italian wine varieties, the grape can also have some slight bitter notes on the finish. Throughout most of its history, the grape was mainly used as an eating variety on the table with some limited use for late harvest wines.[1]
Synonyms
Over the years, Baratuciat has also been known by or with the synonyms of Bertauciat[7] and Bertacuciàt.[1]
J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours pgs 82-83, 374 & 954-955 Allen Lane 2012 ISBN978-1-846-14446-2
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