Magliocco Dolce (also known as Marsigliana ) is a red Italian wine

grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...

that is grown mostly in the

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region of southern Italy. In agricultural census counts, plantings of Magliocco Dolce are often grouped with the related, but distinct, red grape variety

Magliocco Canino Magliocco Canino is a red Italian wine grape variety that is predominantly grown in the Calabria (wine), Calabria region of southern Italy. It is often used as a blending grape, often with Gaglioppo of which the varieties are often confused. In t ...

. Throughout history, numerous red southern Italian wine grape varieties have been variously known under the synonyms of "Magliocco" or "Magliocchi", most notably

Gaglioppo Gaglioppo is a red wine grape that is grown in southern Italy, primarily around Calabria. The vine performs well in drought conditions but is susceptible to Uncinula necator, oidium and peronospora. The grape produces wine that is full-bodied, ...

, but recent

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

has shown those grapes to be unrelated to Magliocco Dolce or Magliocco Canino.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 564-565 Allen Lane 2012

History

The first mention of a "Magliocca" grape dates to the late 15th century when it was documented growing in the Calabria region. However, which "Magliocco" grape this was is not yet known.

Ampelographers Ampelography ( ἄμπελος, "vine" + γράφος, "writing") is the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines, ''Vitis'' spp. Traditionally this has been done by comparing the shape and colour of the ...

have speculated that since the name ''Magliocco'' means "tender knot" in Greek that potentially Magliocco Dolce (or Magliocco Canino) could have originated in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. Additionally, Magliocco Dolce has been known under the synonym of ''Greco nero'' around the village of

Lamezia Terme Lamezia Terme (), commonly called Lamezia, is an Italian city and ''comune'' of 70,452 inhabitants (2013), in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region. Geography Lamezia is located on the eastern border of the coastal plain commonly cal ...

. However, DNA evidence in the early 21st century has cast doubt on the validity of that theory with it being far more likely that both grapes originated in southern Italy. The early synonym ''Arvino'' suggest that potentially Magliocco Dolce originated near

Lago Arvo Lago Arvo is a lake in the province of Cosenza, Calabria, southern Italy. It is located in La Sila east of Aprigliano and west of San Giovanni in Fiore. The lake is south of Lago di Ariamacina and Botte Donato and northwest of Ampollino Lake, Lago ...

on the La Sila plateau that straddles the borders of the provinces of Catanzaro,

Cosenza Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...

and

Crotone Crotone (, ; nap, label= Crotonese, Cutrone or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( grc, Κρότων or ; la, Crotona) in Magna Graecia, it was known as Cotrone from the Middle Ages until ...

in Calabria.

Viticulture and confusion with other grapes

Magliocco Dolce is a

late ripening In viticulture, ripeness is the completion of the ripening process of wine grapes on the vine which signals the beginning of harvest. What exactly constitutes ripeness will vary depending on what style of wine is being produced ( sparkling, still, ...

grape variety that tends to produce wines with high

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', ...

levels due to the thick skins of its berries. Like

Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape i ...

and Savagnin, the grape variety is very prone to

mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, mi ...

with several clonal varieties of the grape found throughout Calabria. Over the years, Magliocco Dolce has been confused with several other red Italian grape varieties including Gaglioppo, Magliocco Canino, Castiglione (particularly around

Locride Locride is an area of Calabria, Italy around the town of Locri in the Province of Reggio Calabria. The term takes origin from the Locris, an ancient Greek region. It is divided into 5 areas: * Vallata dello Stilaro * Vallata del Torbido * Epizef ...

Nerello Mascalese Nerello is a name given to two varieties of red wine grapes that are grown primarily in Sicily and Sardinia.J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 213 Mitchell Beazley 1986 *''Nerello Mascalese'', which is named after the Mascali area in Catan ...

(in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

) and Nocera. In fact, the vineyard samples of Nocera planted at the

University of California-Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...

were identified in the early 21st century as actually being Magliocco Dolce.

Wine regions

Today Magliocco Dolce is found almost exclusively in Calabria though the exact number of plantings of the grape variety is hard to determine because for many years the grape was often confused and inter-planted in

field blends Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

with other varieties. Even in the official 2000 census, plantings of Magliocco Canino and Magliocco Dolce were counted together though ampelographers believe that most of the Calabrian plantings in the provinces of Catanzaro, Cosenza and Crotone of the reported are Magliocco Dolce.

Synonyms

Over the years, Magliocco Dolce has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Arvino (in the provinces of Cosenza and Crotone), Catanzarese, Gaddrica (around the village of

Longobardi Longobardi may refer to: * Lombards, a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774 * Longobardi, Calabria, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cosenza, Italy * Longobardi (surname), Italian surname See also

* Longoba ...

), Greco nero (around the village of Lamezia Terme), Guarnaccia (around the village of Verbicaro), Lacrima Cristi (in the provinces of Cozenza and

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

), Magliocco Tondo, Maglioccuni (around the village of Bivongi), Mangiaguerra (around the village of

Ricadi Ricadi ( grc, Ρηγάδιον, translit=Rigádion) is a small rural town, as well as a municipality, located along the Tyrrhenian coast, in the province of Vibo Valentia, in the Italian region of Calabria. Geography Boundaries The municipalit ...

near

Capo Vaticano Capo Vaticano is a wide bathing place in the Municipality of Ricadi in Calabria, Italy. The 'Cape' is formed by a particular white-gray granite, which is examined worldwide for its geologic characteristics. Geography The maximum altitude of the c ...

), Marcigliana, Marsigliana (around the village Lamezia Terme), Merigallo (around the village of

Terravecchia Terravecchia is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. Geography The village is bordered by Cariati Cariati () is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region ...

), Nera di Scilla (around the village of

Scalea Scalea ( Calabrian: , lit. "stair" or "ladder") is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The town takes its name from its terraced layout on a hillside at the bottom of the Capo Scalea promonto ...

) and Petroniere.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magliocco Dolce Red wine grape varieties