Biancone di Portoferraio is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown almost exclusively on the island of Elba off the coast of Tuscany. Some

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 the grape may have originated on the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

island of

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

where the grape shares a close genetic relationship with the

Corsican wine Corsica wine is wine made on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Located 90 km west of Italy, 170 km southeast of France and 11 km north of the island of Sardinia, the island is a territorial collectivity of France, but many of the ...

grape Biancu Gentile (also known as just Biancone).J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 105 Allen Lane 2012

History

While Biancone di Portoferraio is today found almost exclusively on the Italian island of Elba, ampelographers suspect that the grape may have French origins with

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 ...

in the early 21st century revealing that the grape has a potential parent-offspring relationship with the Corsican wine grape Biancu Gentile (Biancone). Further analysis revealed the red Tuscan wine grape

Mammolo Mammolo is a red Italian wine grape that is planted primarily in Tuscany. While its use has been diminishing, Mammolo was historically included in the blended Sangiovese-based wines of Chianti where it contributed a distinctive violet or ''mammol ...

as another potential parent and listed the

Italian grape varieties References Supplemental references used for chart *J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs XXVIII-XXX Allen Lane 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Itali ...

Caloria ''Caloria'' is a genus of colorful sea slugs, aeolid nudibranchs. They are marine gastropod molluscs in the family Facelinidae.MolluscaBase (2018)''Caloria'' Trinchese, 1888.Accessed on 2018-02-17 Species Species within the genus include: * '' ...

Colombana nera Colombana nera is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. Despite similarities in name, the grape did not get its name from nor is it grown in the San Colombano al Lambro region of Lombardy nor is it permit ...

and Pollera nera as potential half-siblings.

Viticulture and confusion with other grapes

Biancone di Portoferraio 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 is often one of the last grapes in Tuscany to be harvested during the

growing season A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Whil ...

. Due to similarities in appearance and synonyms, the grape is often confused with the Corsican grape Biancu Gentile (which may be a parent variety) and the

Ligurian wine Liguria is an Italian wine region located in the northwest region of Italy along the Italian Riviera. It is bordered by the Piedmont wine region to the north, the Alps and French wine region of Provence to the west, the Apennine Mountains and the ...

grape Rollo.

Wine regions

While some plantings of Biancone di Portoferraio may have previously existed on Corsica, where the grape was known as Biancone and Uva bianca, today the grape is found almost exclusively on the island of Elba located in the Tyrrhenian Sea between Corsica and the

Tuscan coast it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

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 ...

, Biancone di Portoferraio tends to produce simple, easy drinking wines that are usually just

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper *The Classified, a 1980s American roc ...

as " table wines".

Synonyms

Over the years, Biancone di Portoferraio has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Biancona, Biancone (in Corsica), Biancone blanc, Corcesco, Folle Verte d'Oleron, Pagadebiti di Porto S. Stefano, Pagadebiti di Porto San Stefano and Uva bianca. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC)
Biancone di Portoferraio
'' Accessed: April 24th, 2014

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties