BAR ROSSO

Albarola: Grape varietal that is mainly use for blending.

Aglianico: Is a deep ruby red grape variety found mostly in the Bascilicata and Campania regions of southern Italy and in the Molise region of central Italy. It was probably brought to Italy from Greece, or it may have been a native vine domesticated by the Greeks. The name Aglianico derives from the Latin Hellenico or Hellenic. It is the major component in one of Bascilicata’s top wines, Aglianico del Vulture. (Taurasi, Anglianico del Vulture)

Arneis: White full bodied and dry, perfumed flavored of melon, pears, almonds and dried herbs. Piemonte region (Roero Arneis DOC)

Barbera: Red from the Piemonte region soft sweet fruit and flavors of spices and wood smoke. (Barbera d’Alba, Barbera d’Asti)

Blanc de Morgeux: Is a white grape variety found in the Aosta Valley region of northern Italy. It is a very acidic grape grown in high altitudes in the Alps.

Bombino Bianco: Is a white grape variety found mostly in the Apulia region of southern Italy, but also found in neighboring regions. The name comes from the clusters’ unusual pyramidal form that reminds one of a child (Bombino or Bambino) with outstretched arms. It is a light grape and usually produces bland wines or vermouth. Some producers have reduced the yield, making fairly good, creamy, citrusy wines.

Bombino Nero: Is a light red grape grown in Apulia. Some people think that it is a mutation of Bombino Bianco. Bombino Nero has a thin skin and extremely juicy pulp, which may make it a fine candidate for rosé wines.

Bonarda: grown as Charbono in California is original from Savoie (Southeast France) and also know as Corbeau or Douce Noir, Croatina (little Croatian girl) or Uva Rara (Rare grape) often confuse with Dolcetto for its similar style.

Bosco: White light grape varietal from the Ligurian region mainly use for blending.

Brachetto: Is a red grape variety found in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It makes the popular, low-alcohol, fizzy, sweet Brachetto d’Acqui wine. Brachetto wines often taste of cherries, raspberries, and strawberries and are very aromatic.

Canaiolo: (Nero) is a red grape in the Tuscany region of central Italy. This variety was once required by law in every bottle of Chianti. Now that its presence is optional, many Chianti producers no longer include it. The best Canaiolo wines taste of leather and very ripe strawberries. The worst are fairly tasteless.

Cannonau: (Grenache) is a red grape is grown mostly in Sardinia region of southern Italy. Cannonau is the Italian name for the French Garnacha or Grenache, produces earthy, red-berry flavored wines.

Carignano: A red varietal that originally comes from Sardinia, probably first planted by Phoenicians and also known as Carignan in France. The wine it produces is ample and robust, that’s why it was commonly used for blending.

Catarratto Bianco: This variety is found only in Sicily, and yet is one of the most planted white grapes in all Italy. The lower-quality Catarratto Bianco Comune is traditionally used in some Marsala blends and industrial alcohol, but can make pleasant, low-acid, dry or sweet wines. The higher-quality Catarratto Bianco Lucido may give more acidic wines, tasting of apricots and grapefruit.

Cesane Latium: Is the most common of several sub-varieties of a red grape found in the Latium region of central Italy. It produces energetic, spicy reds.

Chiavennasca: Nebbiolo grape in the Lombardy region of central Italy.

Ciliegiolo: Is a red grape variety with large, sweet, fragrant berries. It is grown mostly in the Liguria, Tuscany, and Umbria regions of northern and central Italy. As the name suggests, it is often used on the Tuscany coast to make bright, cherry-scented varietal wines.

Coda di Volpe: is a white grape variety grown in the Campania region of southern Italy. Its name, meaning tail of the fox, was given by Pliny in Roman times because of the shape of its grape clusters. It is used as blend in the Vesuvio DOC as well as in aromatic varietals.

Cortese: White grape from the Piemonte, Veneto and Lombardia, full bodied and refreshing with flavors of lime, greens and minerals. (Gavi di Gavi)

Corvina: Red grape from Valpolicella; full bodied herb scented and cherry flavor. (Valpolicella DOC)

Croatina: (Little Croatian girl) see Bonarda

Dolcetto: Red with vibrant cherry flavor to be drunk young; it literally means sweet. (Dolcetto di Dogliani, Dolcetto d’Alba)

Erbaluce: Is mostly grown in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It is a rare, white, ancient Roman grape that makes both dry crisp still wines and fragrant, pungent sparkling wines.

Falanghina: Is a white grape found mostly in the Campania region of southern Italy and the Molise region of central Italy. Probably the ancient Greeks brought it to Italy. Its name may originate from the Greek word phalanga meaning stake or pole. In any case its wines are fresh and lively, resembling many Pinot Grigios. Its aromas and flavors often include green apples and citrus fruits.

Fiano: Is a spicy, smoky and crisp white grape grown in the Campania region of southern Italy for centuries. It produces straw-colored wines that smell and taste of honey, ripe pears, and toasted hazelnuts. DOCG Fiano di Avellino.

Frappato: Is a light and bright red grape found in Sicily. It is a key component of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOC wine in which it adds fruit and acidity to the heavier Nero d’Avola.

Gaglioppo: Is a robust red grape found mostly in the Calabria region of southern Italy. In The Marche region of central Italy, Gaglioppo is called Lacrima. Gaglioppo is the base of the Ciró DOC wine.

Garganega: White grape with full bodied, almond, lemon and honey flavors. (Soave Classico DOCG)

Grecanico: Also called Dorato, is a white grape from the Sicily region of southern Italy. It is crisp and apple-flavored. It is related to the Greco grape that grows in the Campania region of southern Italy.

Grechetto: Is a white grape possibly related to the Greco. It is a native of the Umbria region of central Italy. Its aromas include lime and wild flowers. Grechetto is a major component of the well-known Orvieto wines of central Italy and the famous Vin Santo dessert wine of Tuscany also in central Italy.

Greco: Is a white grape mostly found in the Campania region. It originally came from Greece and may be the ancestor of several similarly named grapes, and also of Trebbiano. It is the base for the Greco di Tufo DOC wines that taste of clover, citrus fruits, and stone fruits.

Greco Bianco: Is a white grape known in the Calabria region of southern Italy since ancient times. It has a high sugar content and medium to high acidity. This quite distinct sub-variety of the Greco grape is used mostly in rare sweet wines and dry whites.

Grignolino: Is a purple grape variety commonly grown in Piedmont. It produces light red and rose wines with very fruity aroma and strong acid and tannins.

Grillo: Is a full-bodied white grape from Sicily. It is most often blended with Catarratto and Inzolia in sweet and dry Marsala wines.

Inzolia: Is a white grape found mostly in Sicily but also in Tuscany central Italy. It is most often blended with Catarratto and Grillo in sweet and dry Marsala wine. It is also made into a varietal wine that tastes of almonds, citrus fruits, and fresh herbs.

Lacrima: Is a red grape from The Marche region of central Italy. Lacrima means tears; some feel that the grape itself or the grape clusters resemble a teardrop. Others say that ripe Lacrima often burst open, releasing teardrops. In any case, Lacrima is the major component in the DOC wine Lacrime di Morro d’Alba, or Tears of the Moor of Alba. In the Calabria region of southern Italy, Lacrima is sometimes called Gaglioppo.

Lagrein: Is a well-known red grape from the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy. The best Lagrein wines taste of alpine grass, black plums, and red cherries. Many people in this region of Italy speak German. Lagrein is known for making dunkel (red) and aromatic kretzner (rosé) wines.

Lambrusco: Is a red grape variety found in the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions of northern Italian. It is thought to be a wild native grape (vitis silvestris in Latin) first domesticated by the Etruscans in pre-Roman times. It makes a rather unusual aromatic red foaming wine that’s dry or semi-sweet, and some still wines that are not at all unusual.

Magliocco Canino: Was once perhaps the most widespread red grape variety in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It fell out of favor but has recently been revived. Its wines have an aroma of dark fruit and taste of pepper and spice as well.

Malvasia: Is a white grape probably of Greek origin that is found in all regions of Italy. It is among the most heavily cultivated grapes in Italy and comes in many varieties. For example, Malvasia Blanco can be used as a blending grape or dried and made into dessert wine.

Marzemino: Is a dark, fruity red grape said to have come from Ancient Greece, or from Austria. It is now found in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy. Marzemino wine was enjoyed by the Imperial Court of Vienna, and immortalized by Mozart in the opera Don Giovanni.

Molinara: Is a red grape from the Veneto region of northern Italy. Along with Corvina and Rondinella it is a component in Bardolino and Valpolicella wines, bringing fruit flavor and acidity to the blends.

Monica: Is a lightly-colored, delicately-flavored red grape of Spanish origin widely grown in the Sardinia region of southern Italy. It may be the Mission grape of the Central Valley of California.

Montepulciano: Red grape from central Italy with light and easy drinking flavors of cherries, blackberries and spices. (Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC)

Moscato Bianco: Is a white grape found in all regions of Italy, but especially in the Piedmont region It is the oldest and perhaps the best variety of Muscat, a grape with literally dozens of subvarieties, many of which are found in Italy.

Mueller-Thurgau: Is quite unique among the grape varieties. It was created by a Swiss scientist as a cross between two white varieties, the sometimes great Riesling, and the quite pedestrian Sylvaner. Mueller-Thurgau is very productive. It is often found in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy, where on occasion it produces fine wines, in particular in Alpine areas.

Nebbiolo: Red grape responsible for the legendary Barolo and Barbaresco; gloriously perfumed nose of violets, roses and spices, with high acidity, sweet fruits and powerful tannins.

Negroamaro: Red grape mainly planted in the South, it literally means black bitter; it’s use for blends for its deep color concentrated tannins and full bodied flavor of licorice, cherry, bitter and black currant.(Salice Salentino)

Nerello Mascalese: Is a red grape variety from the Sicily region of southern Italy that makes dark and spicy wines including the DOC Etna Rosso. According to the Greek author Homer, this was the wine that Ulysses used to intoxicate the Cyclops.

Ormeasco: Is a red grape grown in the Liguria region of northern Italy since the Fourteenth Century. It is the Liguarian version of Dolcetto that grows in neighboring Piedmont.

Petite Arvine: It is a white grape variety from the Aosta Valley in northern Italy that is made into lightly-colored dry and sometimes sweet wines.

Petite Rouge: Is a light and fruity Gamay-like grape used in light red and rosé wines in the Aosta Valley region of northern Italy.

Pigato: Is a white, sharp, herbal-flavored grape of disputed origins that grows in the Liguria region of northern Italy. Some say it was planted by the ancient Greeks; others credit its Italian presence to the Roman legions.

Piedirosso: Is a light red grape in the Campania region of southern Italy. Its name literally means red feet, in other words red stalks.

Plavac Mali: Is a red grape originally from Croatia now found in the Apulia region of southern Italy. Its wines are rich and tannic with plenty of alcohol. They taste and smell of blackberries and pepper. Plavac Mali is probably a relative of Primitivo and Zinfandel.

Prie Blanc: This is the only white grape native of the region, and takes its name from the typically early ripening of the grapes. It is cultivated in the vineyards of the High Aosta Valley, from La Salle to Morgex, this grape produce an easy to drink, straw yellow colored wine with greenish highlights, strong fruity perfume, intense, dry and fresh to the palate.

Primitivo: Red grape genetically identical to Zinfandel it produces wine with fruity bitter cherry flavor and high alcohol content. (Salice Salentino, Primitivo di Manduria)

Prosecco: Is a white grape variety in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions of northern Italy. It is well known for sparkling wines of the same name that taste of apples, pear skins, with an almond finish.

Refosco: Is a red grape in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy. It makes dark and spicy red wines with strong black fruit undertones that age fairly well.

Riesling Italico: It is a wine grape found in Lombardy and some neighboring regions of northern Italy. Riesling Italico does make some fairly good, aromatic wines.

Rondinella: is a red grape of the Veneto region in northern Italy used with Corvina and Molinara in Bardolino and Valpolicella DOCs. Rondinella role is to add color and body to the blend.

Rossese: Not to be mistaken with the white-berried Rossese Bianco, has a long history in Liguria. Cultivated mostly in the province of Imperia, this vine is believed to have arrived in Italy from France toward the end of the 18th century, grown by the Doria family in their Ligurian property of Dolceacqua. The grapes produce the DOC Rossese di Dolceacqua, a ruby red colored wine tending to garnet-red when aged. The perfume is winy and the flavor is delicate, aromatic and warm.

Sangiovese: The most widely planted red grape in Italy, it produces medium to full bodied wines, with grainy tannins and earthy flavors of herbs, vanilla and bitter cherries. (Chianti Classico DOCG, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG)

Sagrantino: Is a rare red grape grown only in the Umbria region of central Italy. This dark and zesty grape is making a comeback after having almost completely disappeared. It makes one of Italy’s most distinctive red wines Sagrantino di Montefalco, a spicy, hearty DOCG wine tasting of blackberries and tobacco.

Sangre de Giuda: Red varietal from the Northwest that produces a slightly sweet and frothy wine with low alcohol content.

Schiava: is the most cultivated red in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy. It is used in light, simple red wines that are often served slightly cooled.

Schioppettino: Is a rare, dark-skinned red grape native to the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy. It dates back to at least the Thirteenth Century. Schioppettino is peppery and is often compared to Syrah. Its wines are highly tannic and age well.

Teroldego: Is a red grape variety exclusive to the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy. It may be related to Marzemino, but to my knowledge has never been praised in an opera. It is moderately tannic and flavorful, often tasting of blackberries.

Tocai Fruilano: Is the most widely grown white grape variety in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy. Its wines are pale straw-yellow with an aroma of pears and wildflowers. They also taste of citrus fruits and herbs. In spite of its name, Tocai Fruilano is unrelated to the French (Alsace) Tokay or the Hungarian Tokaji.

Trebbiano: White grape (Ugni Blanc) widely planted throughout produces dry and crisp wines that are usually blended. (Trebbiano di Romagna DOC, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC)

Uva di Troia: Are violet colored grapes from the Apulia region of southern Italy. They may have come from Greece, and are named after the ancient city of Troia (Troy). Uva di Troia grapes occur mostly in Castel del Monte blends.

Uva Rara: (Rare grape) see Bonarda.

Verdicchio: Dry crisp white wine with lemon, grass and almond character. (Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jes DOC, Verdicchio di Matelica)

Verduzzo Fruilano: Is a light-skinned white grape found in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy. Its dry wines are often acidic with generous citrus fruits. Its sweet wines have a deep golden color and taste of almonds, honey, and tropical fruits.

Vermentino: Is a very hardy crisp, acidic white grape found in the Liguria and Tuscany regions of central Italy and the Sardinia region of southern Italy. It also grows in Corsica, and may be related to the Vermentino grape of Portugal and Spain. It smells and tastes of citrus fruits, grass, almonds, and herbs.

Vernaccia: White grape that produces crisp white wines with distinctive flavors of nuts and spices. (Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG)

Vespolina: Is a red grape native to the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It is a blending variety, often combined with its famous neighbor Nebbiolo. Vespolina smells and tastes of black and red fruits, mushrooms, and wildflowers as does Nebbiolo, but its tannins are soft