Albanella is a white 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 in the Marche region where it is a primary component in the white '' Denominazione di Origine Controllata'' (DOC) wines of Colli Pesaresi. The grape is often confused with the similarly named Sicilian wine grape

Albanello Albanello bianco (or just Albanello) is a white Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in Sicily where it has a long tradition producing sweet dessert-style wines from grapes that have been dried in the sun on mats for several days after harv ...

and was long thought to be identical to the

Tuscan wine Tuscan wine (Italian ''Toscana'') is Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, Tuscany is home to some of the world's most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di ...

grape

Trebbiano Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it h ...

but has established through

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 ...

to be its own distinct variety.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 21-23 Allen Lane 2012

History and relationship to other grapes

While long thought to be a

clone Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...

of Trebbiano, Albanella has also been confused with the southern Italian grape Greco bianco and the Sicilian grape Albanello. In recent years, DNA testing has determined that Albanella is its own distinct variety with possible close genetic relationship to the

Sardinian wine Sardinian wine is Italian wine produced on the island of Sardinia.T. Stevenson, ed. ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia (5th Edition)'' pgs 347-357 Dorling Kindersley (2011) Grape varieties *Albaranzeuli bianco *Albaranzeuli nero *Arvesiniadu *Barbe ...

grape Albaranzeuli bianco and the

German wine German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Ancient Rome, Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the state of Rhine ...

grape Elbling.

Wine regions

While once widely planted throughout the Marche, today Albanella is almost exclusively grown in the province of Pesaro where it is the main component in the white wines of the Colli Pesaresi DOC. Here the grape can be blended with Trebbiano,

Verdicchio Verdicchio (, also , ) is a white Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in the Marche region of central Italy.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 195 Oxford University Press 1996 The name ''Verdicchio'' derives from ' ...

, Biancame, Pinot gris,

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.' ...

Riesling Italico Welschriesling is a white wine grape variety, unrelated to the Rhine Riesling, that is grown throughout Central Europe. Origin The descendance of Welschriesling is uncertain. The German name ''Welschriesling'' literally means ' Romanic Riesling' ...

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

and Pinot blanc.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pg 148 Firefly Books 2004

Wine styles

According to Master of Wine

Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...

, Albanella tends to produce dry white wines that have notable

aging potential The aging of wine is potentially able to improve the quality of wine. This distinguishes wine from most other consumable goods. While wine is perishable and capable of deteriorating, complex chemical reactions involving a wine's sugars, acids and ...

Synonyms

According to the

Vitis International Variety Catalogue The Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) is a database of various species and varieties/cultivars of grapevine, the genus ''Vitis''. VIVC is administered by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding (''Institut für Rebenzüchtung Gei ...

(VIVC), there are no officially recognized synonyms of Albanella.

(VIVC)
Albanella
'' Accessed: February 18th, 2014

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties