As early as the Roman polymath Pliny the Elder (23-79) spoke of a "Vinum trebulanum" from a place called Trebulanis in Campania. And Petrus de Crescentiis (1230-1320) described Trebbiano as a noble, long-lasting wine in 1303. But actually, it is wrong to speak of a grape variety. In 2001, the result of a study was published. According to DNA analyses, there are hardly any relations between the many Trebbiano varieties. So, it would be wrong to speak of a grape variety family (the same phenomenon applies to the four name groups Lambrusco, Malvasia, Muscatel, and Vernaccia). However, there are similarities regarding the whitish-yellow berry color, grape size, frost hardiness, as well as high yield. Some of them are also quite similar in taste - rather weak in extract with low alcohol content, but strong acidity. That is why they are also used for distillation.
For my many years of work as an editor with a wine and culinary focus, I always like to inform myself about special questions at Wine lexicon. Spontaneous reading and following links often leads to exciting discoveries in the wide world of wine.Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien