Uvalino

Only the most elderly remember this wine, and even then it is obscured by the many events that have affected Piedmont vinegrowing. Memories remain sharp or faded, depending on the importance given to this wine.
On one hand, its strength and capability to bolster the other wines in the zone are exalted, on the other hand mention is made of how the vine was used to make quetta, the light, popular summer drink that was imbibed at work; but the more attentive remember the raisin-wine version, carefully stored to be given to the doctor, mayor, chemist or priest: a luxury item, that is, to make a good impression.
There remains little written documentation regarding this wine, but oral testimony, completely trustworthy, shows that it was present in the Asti area in the late 1800s.
Since then its presence, though marginal, has been shown to be widespread and endemic throughout the southern Asti area, with its epicentre in a zone whose hub is the communes of Costigliole d’Asti and Canelli.
It can be said that up till fifty years ago there was no farm, however small it might have been, that didn’t reserve at least a couple of its rows of vines to Uvalino. The characteristics of this type of vine lead one to exclude the possibility of its being a recently imported and acclimatized “foreign” vine, at least not during the 1800s.
Used mostly to “bolster” other wines, it was used singly and as a raisin wine only by the most illustrious and well-off families, thus bestowing on it a certain distinction.
Having a couple of bottles of Uvalino in the house was what today might be considered a status symbol. Only due to the fact that it was perfect for the sick, to whom it was administered in prescribed tablespoonfuls, did it fail to become a joyous wine for feasts, a symbol of excess.
When Mariuccia Borio from Cascina Castle’t decided to undertake an historical and technical research on this vine, in 1990, she had no idea what she would come up with, nor what the results would be; she was merely spurred on by the wish to produce this wine, which she remembered from her childhood days as being excellent.
The research went on for more than a decade, but the results were not exactly enthralling.
From the technical viewpoint there emerged a complete resistance to botrytis, extraordinary rich in resveratrol.
The results of the analysis regarding polyphenols and the varietal aromas under the form of glycosides have shown that the the Uvalino vine possesses characteristics that make it quite different from other varieties of coloured fruit grown in Piedmont. Even its aromatic profile is quite unique. Its resistance to botrytis cinerea is believed to be due to the elevated presence of resveratrol. Said resistance means that hardly any treatments are needed: The important fact is that resveratrol, normally present only in the grapes’ initial growth stage, after which it decreases, in the case of Uvalina arrives in massive doses, right up till the ripening stage. The resveratrol passes from the grape into the wine, as is shown by the data recorded on single-variety wines.
But even from the historical viewpoint, states Gianluigi Bera, who was in charge of the study, important facts emerge both as regards the age of the this vine and its definition. Interesting, for example, is the origin of its name. Contrary to what some people believe, the word uvalino does not mean little grape, but is merely an ameliorative diminutive of uvario, which in the 1800s indicated wine produced from a mix of grapes from lesser vines, which, though not disparaging, was nonetheless reductive. But grape-growers wanted said variety, whose ancient name – though continuing to be appreciated and respected, so much so as to be considered an fine uvario, an uvarino, just as mangiarino means a really great dish – had been lost, to be included in the composite family of uvari. It is worth noting that, since the consonant “R” in the Asti idiom is a much more palatal sound, pronounced almost like an “L”, the word “uvarino” soon turned into uvalino. Anyway, as the ancient name died out, what in fact started off as an adjective was immediately treated as a noun, and it has been hand down as such to this very day.
The difficult and costly research came to an end on 16th July 2002 when the Gazzetta Ufficiale published Uvalio’s status as an autonomous, recognized and recorded variety. But the story does not end there. Rather it is the start of Mariuccia Borio’s productive venture at Cascina Castle’t, as well as that of others who were to imitate her. Everything became easier after Daniela Borsa, on 21st June 2003 during the 7th International Oenological Symposium in Bordeaux, successfully presented to the international scientific community the research conducted by Prof. Di Stefano and Prof. Corino entitled: “Uvalino” an ancient Piedmont variety rich in resveratrol.