The northern Italian white wine variety is actually called Bianchetta Trevigiana because its origin is believed to be in the province of Treviso, where it still plays a significant role in the production of Prosecco today. Bianchetta means something like “small wine”, which refers to the rather simple character of the wines that are made from it. This is certainly one reason why it is often incorporated into cuvées, but is never developed as a pure variety. The variety was probably created around 350 years ago from a natural crossing of the Brambana and Durella varieties, which no longer play a role anywhere today. In the past, the Bianchetta vineyard area was not insignificant, especially in northern Italy, in addition to Treviso, especially in Trentino and Alto Adige, where it was known under the names Vernaccio and Vernazza, but since it is not very resistant to frost and has a high susceptibility to powdery mildew, the vineyard area is in sharp decline. It was also previously used to produce vermouth wines. Today, Bianchetta is still used to a small extent in the wines Torchiato, Lugana, Colli Asolani and Valdadige. No other vineyards in Europe or the New World are known.
This grape variety is also known by the name of:
Bianchetta semplice, Bianchetta gentile, Bianchetta, Bianca gentile di Fonzaso, Bianco vernanzinaj, Pignolo bianco, Pavana bianca, Senese, Vernaccia di Verona, Vernazza, Vernazza trentina, Vernazzina, Vernaccia, Vernaccia trentina, Vernanzina
