What is Trebbiano?

Trebbiano, or Trebbiano Toscano, is an Italian white wine varietal, and though you may not be as familiar with it as say, Chardonnay or Riesling, it’s one of the most planted grapes in the world. It is used for table wine, but more commonly to make brandies like Armagnac and Cognac. The grape also goes by many different names depending on the country in which it is grown/produced.

Trebbiano is used in winemaking (both table wine and brandy), as well as in balsamic vinegar production

To clear things up, here’s your Trebbiano 101:

Trebbiano is a high yield crop, and produces fresh and fruity wines, but they don’t last too long; there are some lovely styles, but you’re more likely to find Trebbiano used in brandy; this is also the traditional grape used to make balsamic vinegar
Trebbiano goes by name names depending on where it is produced, including Ugni Blanc (in France, as well as South and North America), Falanchina (Italy), Talia (Portugal and Bulgaria), White Heremitage (Australia)… just to name a few of its synonyms
With roots in the Eastern Mediterranean, this grape is of course commonly grown in Italy, but is also found in Argentina, Bulgaria, France, Portugal, the US and Australia (namely NSW and SA)
As a table wine, Trebbiano should be consumed immediately, and is best with food – it is tart and dry with citrus, apple and tropical fruits, and also boasts some minerality; it could be compared to an un-oaked Chardonnay, though much thinner
Even though Trebbiano can be quite thin and sharp, the high yield grape is included in large proportion of Italian white wines; in Italy, with the Trebbiano DOCs including:
- Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
- Trabbiano di Aprilia
- Trebbiano de Arborea
- Trebbiano di Capriano del Colle
- Trebbiano di Romagna
- Tebbiano Val Trabbia dei Colli Piacentini
- Trebbiano di Soave

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, one of the DOCs for this Italian varietal

For a fun, young white table wine, Trebbiano Toscano is well worth exploring, perhaps starting your with some of the Italian styles like Trebbiano d’Abruzzo. Also, if you are into brandies, use of France’s Ugni Blanc in Cognac is certainly a special treat.

For information on other interesting grape varieties, check out What is Zinfandel wine? or Alternative Varieties in Australia.

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Adam Nicholls

Director at Wine Compass Australia Pty Ltd

Adam founded Wine Compass in 2013 after deciding to combine his love of wine & wine tours with his background in digital marketing. He loves exploring wine regions with his wife and daughters in his spare time