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A Piacenza grape variety, the Ortrugo

The Ortrugo was confined to the state of cut grapes at least until the mid-seventies, when a family from Piacenza, with a history that dates back to the sixteenth century, selected the old vines to produce a pure Ortrugo. The birth of two new clones dates back to those years, thanks to the collaboration with the University of Piacenza, which were then replanted, starting in the eighties, a little in all the territory: a small success, for a variety of native white berry, always present in the territory, nowadays the most bred, in front of any type of international variety. And this, despite the affirmation of the aromatic Malvasia di Candia, the Ortrugo vineyards were, until the seventies, largely extirpated. The wine has a light straw-yellow color tending to greenish and has a dry or sweetish flavor with a bitterish aftertaste. Generally, and traditionally, produced in the types of sparkling or sparkling wine, as does Cantina Valtidone, but lately, to meet the tastes of a wider audience, even firm versions of Ortrugo have arrived on the market.

Ampelographic description of the Ortrugo

Leaf: large, slightly kidney-shaped, three-lobed but sometimes also pentalobata, a very open-to-scratch, peziolar sinus breast; deep upper lateral sinuses, tending to close; lower lateral sinuses just mentioned; angle to the top of the median lobe, obtuse; lobes bent to the eaves, quite marked (often the leaf has 4 lobes); wavy flap; upper page light green, opaque, slightly bullous; lower page, woolly, gray-green; showy ribs, rosy at the base, bristly; quite pronounced teeth, with convex margins, with a wide base, mucronate.
Bunch: large (about 18-20 cm long), cylindrical-conical, often with a wing, elongated, very compact; visible peduncle, semi-woody; very thin, short, green pedicels; clear, green-brown circles; short brush, yellowish green.
Grape: medium, spheroid; greenish-yellow skin, slightly dotted, pruinose, leathery, astringent, with a persistent navel; juicy pulp, simple taste.
Grape seed: in number of two per berry, mezzani, with long beak.

The combinations with the Ortrugo

The Ortrugo goes well with assorted appetizers, also based on smoked meats or smoked fish, light pasta dishes, main courses based on vegetables or fish, local products and not like “Prosciutto di Parma”, but also omelettes, vegetable soups.

Ortrugo wines of our cellar

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