the palate with citrus notes. According to wine expert Jancis Robinson, well made examples from favorable vintages can have flavors of lemons and slight bitter almond notes. Robinson also notes that the naturally high acidity of the grape makes it a good base cuvee variety for producing sparkling wine. According to Oz Clarke, the quality of Verdicchio wines has improved since the later half of the 20th century as producers limit yields even beyond DOC regulation to produce fuller flavored grapes that can better balance its high acidity. Clarke goes on to note that the subtlety of Verdicchio flavors allows it to pair very well with a variety of foods. Clonal variation and plantings The Verdicchio grapevine is very susceptible to clonal mutations with several sub-varieties of the grape known to exist in central Italy under various synonyms (see section below). Like with many varieties of Italian wine grapes, this makes an exact cataloging of the number of plantings difficult. In her book, Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes, Robinson reports in 1996 that there were nearly of Verdicchio found mostly in the provinces along the Adriatic coast. That number is dramatically reduced from the number of plantings of Verdicchio in the mid-1980s when there was an estimated 65,000 hectares (all in Italy). However, some wine experts, including Jancis Robinson, speculate that it is likely that some of those plantings were actually Trebbiano. Synonyms Over the years Verdicchio and its wines have been known under various synonyms including Boschera bianca, Giallo, Maceratese, Maggiore, Marchigiano, Mazzanico, Niuivres, Peloso, Peverella, Peverello, Peverenda, Peverise bianco, Pfeffer, Pfeffertraube, Terbiana, Torbiana, Trebbiano di Lugana, Trebbiano di Soave, Trebbiano verde, Trebbiano Veronese, Turbiana, Turbiana Moscato, Turbiano, Turviana, Uva Aminea, Uva Marana, Verdello duro persico, Verdicchio bianco, Verdicchio Dolce, Verdicchio Doratel, Verdicchio Doratello, Verdicchio Giallo, Verdicchio Marchigiano, Verdicchio Marino, Verdicchio Peloso, Verdicchio Scroccarello, Verdicchio Seroccarello, Verdicchio Straccione, Verdicchio Stretto, Verdicchio Verdaro, Verdicchio verde, Verdicchio Verzaro, Verdicchio Verzello, Verdone, Verzaro and Verzello verde. See also List of Italian grape varieties References White wine grape varieties Wine grapes of Italy