Besgano bianco

Besgano bianco is a white Italian wine grape variety that was historically used in the production of the dessert wine Vin Santo, blended with Malvasia Bianca Lunga and Verdea, but today is rarely planted and is more often used for table grape production than winemaking.

[1] Ampelographers believe that Besgano bianco is native to north central Italy thought the exact place of origin is not yet known.

The two areas listed as the most plausible locations, based on historic associations with the grape, is the commune of Voghera in the province of Pavia in Lombardy and the commune of Bobbio in the province of Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna where the Abbey of San Colombano is located after which the grape's synonym Colombana bianca is derived.

[1] Besgano bianco was historically used in the production of the straw wine Vin Santo, particularly in Liguria and Emilia-Romagna, where it was blended with Malvasia Bianca Lunga and Verdea.

[1] While today Besgano bianco is not widely planted, the grape has historically been associated with the provinces of Genoa and Piacenza and the valleys of the Trebbia and Nure rivers which flow through Liguria, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy.