Grape Groups and Families - Native Wine Grapes of Italy - page 38

similarly named grapes sharing close enough
genetic ties (such as parent-offspring relation-
ships) that I can speak of a family in the true
sense of that word—as in the case of the Rabo-
so s, since Raboso Veronese is an offspring of a
Raboso Piave × Marzemina Bianca crossing.

giovese blend is something the Colorino s can
only dream of.
In this respect, Colorino s are very similar to
France's Petit Verdot and other coloring agents,
known there as teinturiers, from teinture, or dye.
And just like the teinturiers (and many other
groups of grapes, such as the Greco s and the
Trebbiano s) , Colorino s are not a family, but very
much a group of generally unrelated grapes: so
much so that it is incorrect to speak or write of
Colorino singly (without further specifi cations,
such as “di Lucca” or “del Valdarno”). Just like
Greco s and Trebbiano s, Colorino s come in
numerous Colorino-Something varieties. Color-
wise, another important aspect of the Colorino
varieties is that their leaves turn dark reddish
when grapes are near optimal ripeness: in fact,
it is extremely easy to recognize a Colorino vine
from afar, as it will stick out amid a green sea of,
say, Sangiovese and Canaiolo Nero.
Unfortunately for identifi cation purposes,
the Colorino s also share noticeable similarities
with other less-common Tuscan varieties that
are not part of the Colorino group, but are also
coloring agents: among them, Giacchè, Gra-
noir, Morone, Abrusco, and Abrostine are
becoming increasingly known. Regrettably,
many less-than-scrupulous nurseries, or sim-
ply inattentive ones, sell these and other grapes
(including Alicante Bouschet, Ancellotta, Tein-
turie, and others) as Colorino s, though they are
in fact distinct varieties. Therefore, when pro-
ducers tell you they have Colorino in the vine-
yards and that they make a Colorino wine, it
behooves you to fi nd out exactly what is being
grown (if the producer even knows, that is),
since all these cultivars give wines that are com-
pletely different from one another.
There are four main varieties that include
the Colorino name (the Colorino-Somethings)
in Italy: Colorino del Valdarno (once referred to
as Colorino Toscano), Colorino di Pisa, Color-
ino di Lucca, and Colorino Americano. Mau-
rizio Castelli, the well-known consultant wine-
maker, believes that the Colorino s share at least
some features, such as small bunches and very
stable colors imparted to wines. Attilio Pagli,

THE COLORINO GROUP

where it's found: Tuscany, Liguria, Lazio,
Marche, and Umbria. national registry
code number: 67 (though with all the sub-
types and distinct varieties, it's hard to under-
stand why there would be just one registry list-
ing; offi cia lly, it refers to Color ino del Va ldar no ) .
grape/wine color: red.
Colorino is a small name for a powerful
grape: should you get carried away in bouts of
overenthusiastic wine tasting, be warned that
there are fewer varieties in Italy capable of
making deeper stains on your clothes than the
Colorino s. Despite its - ino ending (a diminu-
tive meaning small), there is nothing smallish
about the color imparted by Colorino s to the
blends they are used in. In fact, this has always
been their calling in life: usually lacking suffi -
cient aroma and fl avor complexity to make
monovarietal wines, they have been histori-
cally used as coloring agents, hence their name.
For example, Colorino s greatly augment the
hue of wines made with Sangiovese, notori-
ously a light-colored variety, and, not surpris-
ingly, have always been used by Chianti pro-
ducers with this very purpose in mind. Paolo
Masi of Fattoria di Basciano, believes that in
this role, as part of the blend for his Sangio-
vese-based Chianti Rufi na wines, Colorino s in
general have three advantages over Canaiolo
Nero (Chianti's more traditional blending
grape): “First, Colorino is a low yielder, second
it has a sparse bunch, and third, it's very dis-
ease resistant. It practically never succumbs to
oidium, while Canaiolo Nero is too productive
and is sickly.” In fairness to Canaiolo Nero, I
should point out that Masi is well known for
liking bigger, blacker wines and that the degree
of elegance that Canaiolo Nero brings to a San-