Ruché
Encyclopedia
Ruché is a red Italian wine
grape variety from the Piedmont region. It is largely used in making Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato, a small production red varietal
wine
which was granted Denominazione di Origine Controllata
(DOC) status by presidential decree on October 22, 1987. The current DOC recognized area of production for the wine, covers only about 100 acre
s 0 hectare
s) of vines around the villages of Castagnole Monferrato
, Refrancore
, Grana
, Montemagno, Viarigi
, Scurzolengo
and Portacomaro
. Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato is, therefore, one of the lowest production varietal wines in Italy. The grape is also grown to some extent in the neighboring province of Alessandria
.
There is some debate about the origins of the Ruché grape. One theory is that the varietal is indigenous
to the hills northeast of the town of Asti
. Another theory is that the grape is a local variation on a French import. It has been grown in the area for at least one hundred years but has only recently been marketed and consumed outside of the immediate vicinity of its production. Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato tends to be medium bodied with notes of pepper
and wild berries
and floral aromas on the nose. The wine is often characterized by moderate acidity and soft tannins. In the Piedmont region it is often paired with slow-cooked beef, northern Italian cheeses and mushrooms.
region or that it originated in Burgundy and was brought to Piedmont sometime in the 18th century. For most of its history in Piedmont, the grape has been cultivated in relative obscurity. In the early 21st century, the grape experience a slight revival of interest with the DOC wine of Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato which is sometimes marketed under the label Rouchet.
.
Italian wine
Italian wine is wine produced in Italy, a country which is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Italy is the world's largest wine producer, responsible for approximately one-fifth of world wine production in 2005. Italian wine is exported largely around the world and has...
grape variety from the Piedmont region. It is largely used in making Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato, a small production red varietal
Varietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
which was granted Denominazione di Origine Controllata
Denominazione di Origine Controllata
Denominazione di origine controllata is a quality assurance label for food products, especially wines and various formaggi . It is modelled after the French AOC...
(DOC) status by presidential decree on October 22, 1987. The current DOC recognized area of production for the wine, covers only about 100 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s 0 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s) of vines around the villages of Castagnole Monferrato
Castagnole Monferrato
Castagnole Monferrato is a comune in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km east of Turin and about 11 km northeast of Asti.-External links:*...
, Refrancore
Refrancore
Refrancore is a village and comune in the northwestern Italian province of Asti in the Piedmont region, located some 13 km east of Asti in the Basso Monferrato...
, Grana
Grana (AT)
Grana is a comune in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km east of Turin and about 12 km northeast of Asti...
, Montemagno, Viarigi
Viarigi
Viarigi is a comune in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km east of Turin and about 15 km northeast of Asti. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 986 and an area of 13.7 km²....
, Scurzolengo
Scurzolengo
Scurzolengo is a comune in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 45 km east of Turin and about 10 km northeast of Asti. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 617 and an area of 5.3 km²....
and Portacomaro
Portacomaro
Portacomaro is a comune in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 45 km southeast of Turin and about 7 km northeast of Asti. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,976 and an area of 10.9 km².Portacomaro borders the following municipalities:...
. Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato is, therefore, one of the lowest production varietal wines in Italy. The grape is also grown to some extent in the neighboring province of Alessandria
Province of Alessandria
The Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....
.
There is some debate about the origins of the Ruché grape. One theory is that the varietal is indigenous
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
to the hills northeast of the town of Asti
Asti
Asti is a city and comune of about 75,000 inhabitants located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about 55 kilometres east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River...
. Another theory is that the grape is a local variation on a French import. It has been grown in the area for at least one hundred years but has only recently been marketed and consumed outside of the immediate vicinity of its production. Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato tends to be medium bodied with notes of pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
and wild berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
and floral aromas on the nose. The wine is often characterized by moderate acidity and soft tannins. In the Piedmont region it is often paired with slow-cooked beef, northern Italian cheeses and mushrooms.
History
The exact origins of Ruché are unknown with ampelographers holding different theories. The two most prominent theories is either grape is indigenous to the PiedmontPiedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
region or that it originated in Burgundy and was brought to Piedmont sometime in the 18th century. For most of its history in Piedmont, the grape has been cultivated in relative obscurity. In the early 21st century, the grape experience a slight revival of interest with the DOC wine of Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato which is sometimes marketed under the label Rouchet.
Wines
Ruché shares some similarities with the major Piedmontese grape Nebbiolo in that it tends to produce very tannic, light colored wines with pronounced aromas and bouquet. The wines are often characterized with a slight bitter aftertasteAftertaste
Aftertaste is the taste intensity of a food or beverage that is perceived immediately after that food or beverage is removed from the mouth. The aftertastes of different foods and beverages can vary by intensity and over time, but the unifying feature of aftertaste is that it is perceived after a...
.
Synonyms
Ruché is known under a variety of synonyms. These include Rochè, Rouche and Rouchet.External links
- ItalianMade.com
- Ruchè A page on the grape from the Regione Piemonte Website