Expert’s Choice: Northern Italy’s Schiava

The name Schiava denotes an ancient group of heterogeneous Alpine grape varieties, united originally by an innovative training system which used dedicated posts or poles for support rather than the branches of overhanging trees. Vines tied to these posts were thus ‘enslaved’: Schiava is Italian for slave.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 18 Schiava wines to try

Nowadays three main biotypes of Schiava (Vernatsch in German) are grown in the Alto Adige region of Italy, known by numerous Italian and German synonyms. While Schiava Grossa (‘large’ – the most commonly planted biotype, also known as Trollinger in Germany’s Württemburg, where it’s widely grown) and Schiava Gentile (‘fine’) share similarities and may in fact be related, the rarer Schiava Grigia has more distinctive characteristics.

Such detail can seem academic when DOC regulations refer only to ‘le schiave’ (plural) and not individual cultivars. The name has thus become a blanket term to cover the various options, and particular varieties are only rarely mentioned on labels.

Schiava invariably produces pale-coloured, light to medium-bodied, accessible reds with low levels of tannin and balanced acidity for immediate through to medium-term drinking. Though grown throughout the Alto Adige region, Schiava’s traditional strongholds of Santa Maddalena (St Magdalener) just above Bolzano (where up to 15% of local red grape Lagrein may be added), the Lago di Caldaro (Kalterersee) DOC further south, and the hills surrounding Merano over to the west, produce many of the finest bottles.

Schiava’s popularity peaked in the 1970s when tankers of its pale and, frankly anonymous, bulk red wines were sold at bargain basement prices to the region’s traditional markets of southern Germany and Austria. At the height of this ‘success’, Schiava covered around 68% of the region’s entire vineyard area.

Declining numbers

The Alto Adige’s much-heralded ‘Quality Revolution’ of the 1980s, in tandem with a shift in wine-drinking habits towards richer, fuller-bodied reds saw plantings of Schiava drop massively from over 3,500 at its peak, to just 479 hectares today (around 9% of total plantings). This translates to around 3.2 million bottles produced annually; numbers, sadly, continue to decline.

Unfashionable they may be, but Schiava wines have never been better: new clones, a better informed choice of site, and carefully controlled yields are major factors. Moreover, many of the remaining vines are now upwards of 40 years old (with a healthy number of centenarian vines, too) and produce very high quality fruit.

Versatility

Today’s Schiava is a perfect illustration of the elegant and supple, lighter-bodied red style that the Adige valley does so well (think of Bardolino and Valpolicella further down the river).

So what makes Schiava so special? The answer is its amazing versatility: it pairs well with almost any food, and thanks to its sheer drinkability even works well as an aperitif or social beverage.

Expect aromas of red fruits (cranberry, redcurrant, raspberry and strawberry) and plum with floral and toasted almond-like notes; a sleek and gently spicy (aniseed) palate with juicy freshness; and a lingering, savoury-toned and sometimes lightly smoky finish.

It’s difficult to resist Schiava’s youthful charms, but the finest examples can age for up to a decade.

18 Schiava wines to try:

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