The History Of Verdiso
The first pieces of information about Verdiso go back to the end of the XVIII century, when grape-growning and oenology in the Veneto region were passing a difficult period. The reasons were due to the scarce investments devoted to the oenological sector, to the old systems of grape-growning, and to the lack of attention towards the choice of good vineyards.
This was also quoted by the Count Pietro Caronelli at the Academy of Agriculture in Conegliano, in 1788, when he described the downfall of oenological systems’ quality. The Verdiso wine was quoted as fertile variety, not always cultivated on the right soils.
In 1874 Verdiso was spread in 50 of 96 municipalities of the Province of Treviso, and it provided 24.000 hectolitres of wine. At that time, it was very appreciated by the traders and it was more important than the other wines of the area.
From the end of the XIX century it started to spread a culture of protection of local wines, thanks to the Oenological Society and the Oenological Institute “G. B. Cerletti” in Conegliano. They had the aim to produce excellent white wines, as well as Verdiso, and to find the best way of cultivating the local vineyards.
Besides, from 1923 the Experimental Station of Viticulture and Oenology moved the wine production of “Alta Marca Trevigiana” (Upper March of Treviso) to new technical and qualitative objectives, and this brought to the implantation of experimental vineyards in the hill areas around Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.
From the 50s there was a lot of studies and discoveries about the good possibilities to obtain excellent wines from red varieties, such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and about the potentialities of Prosecco and other white wines, as well as Verdiso. Verdiso (which was well-known also as Verdisa, Big Verdisa and Gentil Verdisa) is a wine that presents a great variability in the productive territory. The presence of more or less fertile varieties of Verdiso led to different judgements about this wine.
In conclusion, even if it is subject to putrefaction, Verdiso is considered as a fertile variety, and when it is cultivated in airy, sunny and dry environments (like the hills around Conegliano and Valdobbiadene), it can be an inimitable wine. For this reason, since the 50s its production has been reduced to the suitable areas, where we can obtain the characteristic wine that everybody know and appreciate.
The Verdiso Nowadays
Nowadays, the Verdiso wine is cultivated only on the hills, in the villages of Combai, Campea, Rolle and the Feletti’s district.
Its area covers about 50 hectares, but in the last years new vineyards have growned.
A part of Verdiso is used to obtain Torchiato of Fregona DOC (about 30 % of Verdiso and Prosecco and 15 % of Boschera). Besides, in a lot of cases we find plants of Verdiso among Prosecco vineyards, to support the acidity of the wine produced.
The statistics of the Chamber of Commerce of Treviso show that 30-40 % of the producers doesn’t transform grape in wine, but sells the fresh product to the wine cellars of the area.
The 85% of Verdiso wine that is has been produced, instead, is “IGT Hills of Treviso” (Geographical Typical Indication) and it refers to 37 producers.
To finish, we can say that Verdiso’s production has been consolidated in the last years: the increasing interest led to new establishments and to a little percentage of Verdiso among Prosecco vineyards, to obtain a more complex product.
The important thing is the safeguard and valorization of an autochthonous wine and its historical and cultural heritage.
