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.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 121-212 Firefly Books 2004 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.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 127 Oxford University Press 1996

DOC wines

In the Valpolicella region, Negrara is a permitted minor component in the full bodied DOCG straw wine Amarone behind Corvina Veronese (40-70% of the wine), Rondinella (20-40%) and

Molinara Molinara is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 80 km northeast of Naples and about 20 km northeast of Benevento. Molinara borders the following municipalities: Foian ...

(5-25%). Along with Barbera and Sangiovese, Negrara can make up to 15% of the wine provided the grapes used for the DOC wine are harvested to a yield no greater than 8 tonnes/ hectare. The wines are then

aged Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In a ...

a minimum of two years prior to release with a minimum alcohol level of 14%. Similar restrictions and blend composition exist for the regular ''rosso'' wine of the Valpolicella DOC except that the grapes do not have to be dried prior to

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

with yields permitted up to 12 tonnes/ha and a minimum alcohol of 11%. A separate ''Superiore'' bottling is permitted for wines that have been aged at least one year in oak. Around Lake Garda Negrara is also permitted in the

Bardolino DOC Bardolino and Bardolino Superiore are Italian wine, Italian red wines produced along the chain of morainic hills in the province of Verona to the east of Lake Garda. Bardolino takes its name from the town Bardolino on the shores of Lake Garda and ...

(but not the DOCG wine of ''Bardolino Superiore'') where it can account for up to 10% of the blend behind Corvina (35-65%), Rondinella (10-40%) and Molinara (10-20%) with

Rossignola Rossignola is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Veneto wine region of northeast Italy. The variety was first mentioned growing in the province of Verona in the early 19th century and today is a permitted blending variety in seve ...

, Barbera, Sangiovese and Garganega allowed to fill in up to 15% of the wine. Here grapes are limited to yield of 13 tonnes/ha with the wines having a minimum alcohol level of 10.5%. On the southern banks of Lake Garda that spans over into the

Lombardy wine Lombardia (Lombardy) wine is the Italian wine produced in the Lombardy region of north central Italy. The region is known particularly for its sparkling wines made in the Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese areas. Lombardy also produces still red, w ...

region, Negrara can be used in the red and

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. ...

wines of the

Garda Colli Mantovani DOC Garda may refer to: * Police, known as Garda in Hiberno-English * Garda (security company), a security and protection company headquartered in Montreal, Canada * Garda Síochána, the national police of the Republic of Ireland * Garda National S ...

located in the hills of the

Mantuan Morainic Amphitheatre Baptista Spagnuoli Mantuanus ( it, Battista Mantovano, English: Battista the Mantuan or simply Mantuan; also known as Johannes Baptista Spagnolo; 17 April 1447 – 22 March 1516) was an Italian Carmelite reformer, humanist, and poet. Biography ...

. Here the grape is permitted to make up to 15% of the wine along with Molinara and Sangiovese with

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

(20-50%),

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

(20-40%) and Rondinella (20-30%) making up the bulk of the blend. Grapes are limited to a harvest no hreater than 14 tonnes/ha with the finished wine needing a minimum alcohol level of at least 10.5%. In the Valdadige DOC that spans across the Veneto and

Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol wine South Tyrol (called in Italian ''Alto Adige'') is an autonomous province located in north-east Italy producing wine. This Austro-Italian wine region is noted for the distinct Austrian influences on the wine industry due to the region's long histo ...

regions, Negrara is a minor component in the red and rosé wines of the DOC behind

Schiava 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 t ...

(minimum 20%) and Lambrusco (up to 30%). Along with Merlot,

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

Lagrein Lagrein (pronounced lah-GRAH’EEN, lah-GRINE or lah-GRI’NE) is a red wine grape variety native to the valleys of South Tyrol, northern Italy. Along with Marzemino, it is a descendant of Teroldego, and related to Syrah, Pinot noir and Dureza. ...

and

Teroldego Teroldego is a red Italian grape variety grown primarily in the northeastern region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy. Description Wine has been produced since ancient times in "Campo Rotaliano", an alluvial plain between the rivers Adige ...

, Negrara is permitted to make up the remainder of the blend provided the harvest yields do not exceed 14 tonnes/ha and wine reaches a minimum alcohol level of at least 10.5% for the rosé and 11% for the red.

Synonyms

Over the years Negrara has been known under a variety of synonyms including Barthaeuser, Cabonera, Carbonera, Doleana, Doleara, Doveana, Dovenzana, Edelschwarze, Fraccaroli Nera, Keltertraube, Negrara Comune, Negrara Veronese, Negrera di Gattinara, Negruzo, Negrara Trentina, Nera Fraccaroli, Salzen, Schwarzhottler, Terodola, Tirodola, Zottelwaelsche and Zoveana. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC)
Negrara
' Accessed: October 10th, 2012

References

{{reflist Red wine grape varieties