Versoaln

Versoaln (or Versailler) is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol wine region of northeast Italy. In the commune of Tisens, in South Tyrol, one of the world's oldest vines is a Versoaln vine planted at Castle Katzenzungen that has been dated to be at least 350 years old by the viticulturists at the University of Göttingen.

According to legend, the Versoaln vine is named after the French royal Palace of Versailles that was home to King Louis XIV from where the vine was reportedly brought to Castle Katzenzungen by Grafen Schlandesberg. However, ampelographers doubt the validity of this origin theory due to lack of historical evidence as well as DNA evidence showing a connection between Versoaln and any known French wine grape variety.

Ampelographers note that the root of Versoaln's name in the local dialect of South Tyrol means "to secure with a rope" and could be a reference to the viticultural practice of trellising where the canopy of the vine is secured by rope or wires to a trellis. Another theory is that the name is derived from verdolen, which means "green" in the local language, and describes the deep green color of the berries before veraison.

Similar to the German/Italian grape variety Trollinger (Schiava Grossa), Versoaln has the tendency to produce large berries of thick-skinned grapes in similarly large, irregularly shaped bunches that can put a great strain on the vine if not properly managed by vine training and pruning. The vine tends to bud midway through the budding period of the growing season and is also considered a "mid-ripening" variety. Versoaln is very susceptible to the viticultural hazards of sour rot and the fungal infections of downy and powdery mildew.

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