Perricone (also known as Pignatello) is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in Sicily. In the late 20th century there was around 1000 hectares/2,500 acres of the grape planted throughout the island. [1] Red berry flavors and medium alcohol content are commonly attributed to Perricone wines, but Oz Clarke describes them as full-bodied and alcoholic. [2]
In Sicily, Perricone is a permitted variety in the Contea di Sclafani DOC which includes vineyards in the Caltanissetta and Agrigento provinces. Here Perricone can be made as a varietal wine provided it represents at least 85% of the wine's total content or it can be used in the DOC red wine where together with Nero d'Avola (Calabrese) it must represent at least 50% of the blend with local varieties, such as Nerello Mascalese, and Sangiovese as well as international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Pinot noir permitted to fill in the remainder of the blend. Perricone destined for Contea di Sclafani DOC wines must be harvested to a yield no greater than 14 tonnes/hectare with the finished wine attaining an alcohol level of at least 11%. [3]
Similar laws governs Perricone's use in the Delia Nivolelli DOC located in the province of Trapani near Marsala where the grape can be made either as a varietal or blended with Nero d'Avola, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sangiovese. Grapes destined for this DOC wine have a maximum harvest yield of 14 tonnes/ha with a minimum alcohol level of the finished wine being 11.5%. A separate riserva wine can be made with Perricone provided the wine is aged a minimum of two years prior to release. [3]
In the Eloro DOC, Perricone is known as Pignatello and produced as varietal wine when comprising at least 80% of the wine. It is also used in the DOC red and rosé along with Nero d'Avola and Frappato together making up at least 90% of the blend. Perricone destined for these DOC wines must be harvested to a yield no greater than 12 tonnes/ha with the finished red wines attaining a minimum alcohol level of 12% and the finished rosés having an alcohol level of at least 11.5%. [3]
In fortified dessert wine Marsala Perricone is the main component in the Rubino style where it is blended with Nero d'Avola (Calabrese) and/or Nerello Mascalese and a maximum of 30% white grape varieties such as Grillo, Inzolia, and Catarratto. [3]
In the Monreale DOC Perricone can be made a varietal (at least 85% of the wine) or blended with Nero d'Avola (Calabrese) to make up at least 50% of the DOC red wine with International varieties, including Pinot noir permitted to make up the remainder. Perricone intended for the DOC wines are limited to yields of 11 tonnes/ha with the finished wines having a minimum alcohol level of 11%. [3]
Over the years Perricone has been known under a variety of synonyms including Cattarato rouge, Guarnaccia Nera, Nieddara, Niuru, Perricone Nera, Perricone Nero, Perricone noir, Picnatelo, Pignateddu, Pignatelle, Pignatello, Pirricone nera, Quarnaccia and Tuccarino di Catania. [4]
Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin sanguis Jovis, "blood of Jupiter".
Trollinger, Schiava, or Vernatsch, is a red German/Italian wine grape variety that was likely first originally cultivated in the wine regions of South Tyrol and Trentino, but today is almost exclusively cultivated on steep, sunny locations in the Württemberg wine region of Baden-Württemberg. It is primarily known under the synonyms Trollinger in Germany, Vernatsch in South Tyrol and Schiava in other Italian regions. As a table grape the variety is sometimes known as Black Hamburg, which is commonly confused with the similar synonym for Black Muscat—a variety that is actually a cross of Trollinger and Muscat of Alexandria.
Lizzano is a comune of 10,175 inhabitants (2013) in the province of Taranto in the Apulia region of southeast Italy.
Merlara is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Padua in the Italian region of Veneto, located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) southwest of Venice and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) southwest of Padua. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,980 and an area of 21.4 square kilometres (8.3 sq mi).
Capalbio is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in Tuscany, Italy, located about 150 kilometres (93 mi) south of Florence and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) southeast of Grosseto. Capalbio borders the following municipalities: Manciano, Montalto di Castro (Lazio) and Orbetello. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Terret noir is a dark-skinned French wine grape variety grown primarily in the Rhône valley region of France. It is a mutation of the old Vitis vinifera vine Terret. It is a permitted blending grape for Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Like the related Terret gris and Terret blanc, the vine tends to bud late and grow vigorously. Terret noir produces a light color wine that is perfumed and tart.
Montepulciano is a red Italian wine grape variety that is most noted for being the primary grape behind the DOCG wines Colline Teramane Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Offida Rosso; and the DOC wines Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Rosso Conero, and Rosso Piceno Superiore.
Nerello is a name given to two varieties of red wine grapes that are grown primarily in Sicily and Sardinia:
Calabrian wine is Italian wine from the Calabria region of southern Italy. Over 90% of the region's wine production is red wine, with a large portion made from the Gaglioppo grape. Calabria has 12 denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) regions, but only 4% of the yearly production is classified as DOC wine. The region is one of Italy's most rural and least industrialized with per capita income less than half of the national average. Following World War II, many of Calabria's inhabitants emigrated to Northern Italy, the United States, Australia and Argentina. Those left behind have been slow to develop a vibrant wine industry with only the red wines of Cirò garnering much international attention. Today Calabrian wines are mostly produced to high alcohol levels and sold to co-operatives who transfer the wines to the northern Italian wine regions to use as blending component. Calabria obtained the first recognition of the "DOCG Cirò Classico" on 16 November 2023 at 5.00 pm in Cirò Marina at the "Borgo Saverona" hall. Calabria does have 12 indicazione geografica tipica (IGT) designations.
Bombino bianco is a white Italian wine grape variety planted primarily along Italy's Adriatic coast line, most notably in Apulia. The vine is prone to high yields and often produces neutral flavor wines. The grape is known under many synonyms throughout Italy including Debit and Pagadebit, names which came from the grape's reputation for being a high yielding and reliable crop for vineyard owners to grow that would assure them that on each vintage they could pay off their debts.
Abrusco is a red Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in the Tuscany region where it is a minor blending component permitted in the wines of Chianti. The grape has long history in the region and was mentioned in 1600, under its synonyms Abrostino and Colore, in the posthumously published work by Italian agronomist Giovan Vettorio Soderini Trattato della coltivazione delle viti, e del frutto che se ne può cavare. There Soderini notes that the grape was often used to add deeper, more red color to Tuscan wines.
Bombino nero is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in southern Italy, particularly the regions of Apulia, Basilicata, and Lazio, as well as on the island of Sardinia. It is a permitted grape variety in the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) wines of Castel del Monte and Lizzano. The grape is primarily a blending grape but it can also be used as a varietal for red and rosé wines. Though DNA evidence has shown that Bombino nero is not a dark-berried color mutation of the similarly named Bombino bianco, ampelographers still believe that the two varieties are related in some way.
Pollera nera is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Liguria wine region and northwest Tuscany. Ampelographers believe that the vine has a very long winemaking history but it is rarely seen today. It is believed to have been descended from the Chianti wine grape Mammolo and the Corsican wine grape Sciacarello which would make it a half-sibling of Colombana nera.
Colli di Luni is an Italian Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) located in both Liguria and Tuscany in northwest Italy. The DOC produces both reds and white wines made primarily from Sangiovese and Vermentino with a varietal Vermentino also being produced in the DOC.
Pascale di Cagliari is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in Sardinia.
Negrara is a red Italian wine grape variety grown in north east Italy including the Veneto region where it is a permitted variety in the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) wine Amarone. While the grape was once more widely planted in the region its numbers have been steadily declining for most of the late 20th and early 21st century.
Abbuoto is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Lazio region of central Italy. Historically the grape was believed to be responsible for the Ancient Roman wine Caecubum that was praised by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Horace but historians and wine experts such as Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding note that connection is likely erroneous.
Bracciola nera is a red Italian wine grape variety that is primarily found in the Liguria and Toscana wine regions of western Italy. The only Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) that Bracciola nera plays a significant role is in the Colli di Luni DOC of Ligura where the grape is permitted to be blended with Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Pollera nera, Ciliegiolo, Vermentino nero and other varieties. A late-ripening variety, Bracciola nera usually contributes acidity to blends.
Avanà is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Piedmont wine region of northwest Italy. Historically, the grape has also been grown in the Dauphiné and Savoie wine region of eastern France where it was known as Hibou noir and in the Valais region of Switzerland. The grape is most often used as a blending variety in the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) zones of Pinerolese, with Barbera, Persan, Freisa and Neretta Cuneese, and Valsusa, with Barbera, Dolcetto, Neretta Cuneese and other local red Piemontese varieties.
Avarengo is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Piedmont wine region of northwest Italy where it is a permitted blending component in the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) wines of Pinerolese. Here the grape is usually blended with Avanà, Neretta Cuneese and other local red Piemontese varieties.