Photo of Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13 by Cecchetto Giorgio

Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13? Tell Me More!!!

September 14, 2017

BUSY BUSY BUSY!

We have been very busy in the last month organising our next shipments of outstanding boutique wines from Italy!!! It hasn't been easy, of the almost 30 wineries we visited in July we felt that only 10 of them made us falling in love with their wines and their story.

It is very exciting, things are moving forward and hopefully towards the end of the week our containers will make their way through the seas and reach Australia by the end of next month!

We are going to offer you a wider range of products (about 60+) from the more affordable to the ultra-expensive ones, including limited editions, riserva etc, a lot of which are varieties that haven't been offered on the Australian market just yet.

We pride ourselves in offering unique wines rather than only the ones that are currently trending, that's why we love our Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13 and here is a little bit of history on this amazing grape!

Where does it come from?

The birth of the Manzoni Bianco grapevine, or Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13 was encouraged by a constant interest, that developed in Europe in the middle of the nineteenth century, for the genetic improvement of the grapevine by cross-breeding as a possible solution to many diseases, due to unknown plant parasites which, during that period, caused a lot of problems for viticulture all across Europe.

New discoveries on the potentiality of genetics supported the experimentations of the crossbreeding between different varieties of vines which first aimed at creating table grapes and then were implemented also with wine grapes.

One of these pioneers was Prof. Muller that obtained the famous Muller Thurgau by crossing Riesling and Silvaner vines.

Who created it?

The research in Italy, and particularly in the Veneto region, began in 1924 thanks to Professor Luigi Manzoni who aimed to create new white and new red grape varieties that could have replaced or complemented the traditional ones that at the time grew in the Piave DOC area.

Are there any other grapes from those experiments?

The series and combinations of cross-breedings developed at the Viticultural and Oenological Institute of Conegliano were carried out in two different periods: the first set of trials between 1924 and 1930 was identified with 2 numbers (the first indicated the number of the row and the second one the number of the plant).
The second set of trials was carried out between 1930 and 1935 and was identified by three sets of numbers in which the central one was always zero. (Hence the Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13 meaning 6th row, second trial, 13th plant).

Professor Luigi Manzoni used several grapes for his experiments, and some of the combinations gave very satisfactory results. In Veneto, in the ‘40s and ‘50s, the 2.50 and 1.50 cross-breedings had a significant propagation as well as the Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13, a crossing between Rhine Riesling and Pinot Bianco, and the Manzoni Rosso 13.0.25 a crossing between Raboso Piave and Moscato d'Asburgo.

Professor Luigi Manzoni 1888-1968

A bit more in depth...

Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13, an autochthonous grapevine of the Treviso province (Veneto), it is a crossing between Rhine Riesling and Pinot Bianco, created by cross-pollination and not by grafting like many people think.

This grape is now planted almost everywhere in Italy and it is also partially used as a blending grape for the D.O.C. of “Bianco dei Colli di Conegliano”, “Breganze Bianco” and “Trentino Bianco”, as well as in many wines with I.G.T. denomination in which it is vinified in purity.

What are the typical grapevine characteristics?

Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13 has the ability to adapt easily to very different microclimates and soils, even if it prefers hillside, deep, fresh, not hard and fertile grounds, but it has a measured production. The bunch is small, cone or cylindrical-shaped and quite dense (80-150gr). The grape is medium-small, rounded, green-yellow and its skin is thick, dense and aromatic.

What are the typical wine characteristics?

Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13, or Incrocio Manzoni, for its fineness and elegance, good alcoholic strength and acidity, is used to produce remarkable quality wines that are beautifully balanced and always delicate but at the same time full-bodied.

For instance a perfect example of this amazing variety is our Incrocio Manzoni by Cecchetto winery, located in Tezze di Piave in the heart of the Piave region.

You'll find that this outstanding wine will be a very pleasant surprise if you've never tried it before.

Cecchetto's Incrocio Manzoni is also a 3 times GOLD MEDAL Winner at "Concours Mondial" of Bruxelles, where it competed against 8750 wines from every part of the world.

Manzoni Bianco 2013 - GOLD MEDAL - Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2015

Manzoni Bianco 2015 - GOLD MEDAL - Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2016

Manzoni Bianco 2016 - GOLD MEDAL - Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2017

According to Master of Wine Jancis Robinson (British wine critic, journalist and wine writer):

“Manzoni Bianco is considered to be the most successful and highest quality crossing produced by Professor Manzoni. It is usually made as a dry wine but producers have been making more full-bodied off-dry styles in a manner similar to how German winemakers treat Riesling. Varietal examples of Manzoni Bianco tend to be rich and highly aromatic with notes of honey, jasmine, lime, orange-peel and verbena”.