This article describes a selection of Bonarda (FPS 02), a red wine variety available from Foundation Plant Services, at the University of California Davis. A planting at the UC Kearney Agricultural Center, in Parlier, California, a hot-climate region, produced low to moderate yields of fruit from which excellent quality red wines were consistently produced.
Marsanne is a white wine grape cultivar native to the Rhône Valley region of France where it is found growing with other white wine grapes including Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Picpoul blanc, Clairette, Picardin and Muscat blanc. In California, it is productive, vigorous and well suited to warm regions (especially Winkler Region III), though it performed poorly in Parlier, a hot region (Winkler Region V). It is not widely grown in the United States. Under the best growing conditions and with skilled wine making, it can be made into long lived and interesting wines, especially when blended with other members of the Rhône wine grape family. It is susceptible to powdery mildew and bunch rot and requires careful attention in the vineyard to show its greatest potential in the wine bottle.
Fiano, an ancient variety from Campania, in southern Italy, “may well be Italy’s greatest native white grape” (D’Agata, 2014). It is versatile and fit for a variety of wine styles, “from light to full-bodied, dry to sweet, easygoing to very ageworth” (D’Agata, 2014). Fiano’s origin in southern Italy, and its reputation for producing high quality fruit and wine, contributed to its selection for a warm-climate wine grape variety trial at the UC Kearney Agricultural Center, in Parlier, California, which has a hot (Winkler region V) climate. In Parlier, Fiano produced moderate yields of fruit from which excellent quality white wines were consistently produced. Desirable traits included good acidity, and excellent flavor. Currently (2021) there are four selections available at Foundation Plant Services, although two of the four were selected from the same vineyard in Hopland, CA. The selection tested in the San Joaquin Valley was FPS 03.
M.W. Fidelibus
M.W. Fidelibus