Vespaiolo

Vespaiola
Grape (Vitis)
Vespaiola grapes hung from the ceiling in a drying room to make a passito style wine
Color of berry skin	Blanc
Species	Vitis vinifera
Also called	See list of synonyms
Origin	Italy

Vespaiola is a white Italian wine grape variety planted primarily in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy where it is often dried to produce passito style dessert wines. Along with Friulano, Vespaiola is an important component in the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) white wine of Breganze produced in the province of Vicenza.

Vespaiola grapes ripen to high sugar levels and are used to produce sweet wines with a characteristic golden hue. In fact, the grapes of Vespaiola get so concentrated with sugars that the name Vespaiola comes from Vespa in reference to wasps that are attracted to the sugary aromas in vineyards.

Despite its similar-sounding name, Vespaiola should not be confused with red Italian wine grape, Vespolina, which is grown in the Piedmont and Lombardy regions.

The Breganze DOC, located in the foothills of the Alps, contains a significant number of plantings of Vespaiola where the grape can be included in the generic Breganze blend or produced in a varietal style. To be included in the DOC wine, the grapes must be harvested up to a maximum yield 14 tonnes/hectare (13 tonnes for the varietal style) with the finished wine fermented to a minimum alcohol level of 11% (11.5% for the varietal style).