Recantina

Recantina is a red of the Treviso countryside that has been cultivated since at least the 1600s, was strongly recommended by agricultural writers in 1679 and again a century later, and then very nearly disappeared. Microvinifications suggest it deserved better: intensely perfumed, well structured and acidic, and in D’Agata’s view almost certain to find its way into Valpolicella and Amarone eventually.

Origins and history The Recantina family has been grown around Treviso for four centuries, though whether the various Recantinas documented over that time were truly different varieties or merely biotypes is unknown. Agostinetti in 1679 and Zambenedetti a hundred years later both pushed hard for its cultivation, the latter calling it Recaldine. That two separate authorities argued for planting it is a strong signal of how the wine was regarded.

Which Recantina The best known are Recantina Pecolo Rosso, with a red stalk, Recantina Pecolo Scuro, with a green one, and Recantina Forner, named for the estate where it was found. Emanuele Tosi of the University of Verona holds that the main variety is most likely Recantina Pecolo Rosso. The others remain poorly characterised, which is the usual position for a grape rescued before it was studied.

In the vineyard The cluster is medium-large, pyramidal, winged and generally sparse, with round medium blue-black berries. It ripens in late September. Crucially for a grape being considered for wider planting, it is vigorous and resistant to the common diseases, which removes the obstacle that has doomed so many other revivals. D’Agata reports seeing the variety in numerous Veneto vineyards.

What the wine shows Microvinifications have produced a very perfumed wine with good tannic structure and acidity, which is a rare combination in the Veneto’s native reds. The sparse cluster helps: airflow through the bunch reduces rot and allows even ripening, and the thick-skinned blue-black berries supply colour and tannin without the need for heavy extraction.

Aromatic profile Blackberry leads, with an intense note of violet that is the variety’s signature and the reason for the interest in it. Floral intensity of that order is uncommon among the Valpolicella grapes, where Corvina supplies the cherry and the sour-cherry lift but little in the way of perfume. That gap is precisely what Recantina could fill.

A grape with a future D’Agata is unusually forward about this one: he expects Recantina to be admitted to the Valpolicella and Amarone blend, and considers it capable of standing alone as well. Given its structure, acidity, perfume and disease resistance, that is a reasonable forecast rather than an enthusiasm. It is probably only a matter of time.

In the cellar Varietal bottlings remain scarce and most of what exists comes from experimental or small-scale production around Treviso. Gentle extraction suits it, since the colour and tannin arrive easily and the violet aromatics are the asset worth protecting. The acidity means it needs no correction, which is increasingly rare in a warming Veneto.

Key expressions

• Varietal reds from the Treviso countryside, still made in small quantity.
• Bottlings of Recantina Pecolo Rosso, the principal variety of the group.
• Experimental microvinifications from the university trials.
• Future roles in the Valpolicella and Amarone blends, widely expected.

The question of aging The combination of firm tannin and good acidity suggests real potential, and the early wines hold six to eight years while the violet note deepens into something more savoury. Because almost nothing has been made commercially for long, this is an informed expectation rather than a demonstrated fact. The structure is there.

At the table Its perfume and acidity suit the Veneto table: bigoli, roast duck, braised beef and the harder local cheeses, and the violet character works well with dishes carrying herbs or juniper. It has enough grip for richer cooking. Serve it around seventeen degrees.

Why it matters Recantina is that unusual thing, a rescued native with no serious agronomic drawback: vigorous, disease-resistant, structured, acidic and genuinely perfumed. Most revivals involve accepting a difficult vine for the sake of an interesting wine. This one asks for no such compromise, which is why it is likely to end up in Amarone rather than in a footnote.