Valorization of autochthonous Apulian grapevine varieties for spumante production.

Italian spumante has a long tradition, deeply-rooted in the Piedmont region since the 19th century. A fundamental role in the spumante production is related to the acidity, since it influences both the quality and the taste of spumante. The acidity of the berry is due to the accumulation of H+ ions in the vacuole of the cell and this process involves a complex of genetic and biochemical changes not yet completely understood. Furthermore, acidification is strongly influenced by environment; in fact, higher temperature is associated to a lower acidity level. As part of a project aimed to evaluate and promote Apulian cultivars for spumante production, six authoctonous grapevine varieties (Bianco d'Alessano, Bombino Nero, Maresco, Minutolo, Negramaro and Uva di Troia) and two international varieties (Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir) have been characterized both genetically to constitute a molecular fingerprint and biochemically to detect berry acidity values. The obtained results allowed the identification of the autochthonous variety Maresco as best candidate to be compared with the most commonly used variety for spumante production at international scale, i.e. Pinot Blanc.