Colombana nera is a red

Italian wine Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted fo ...

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

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

and

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

. 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 permitted in the ''

Denominazione di origine controllata The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipi ...

'' (DOC) wine of the same name. Rather,

ampelographer 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 ...

s believe that Colombana nera is named after the Abbey of San Colombano located in the commune of

Bobbio Bobbio ( Bobbiese: ; lij, Bêubbi; la, Bobium) is a small town and commune in the province of Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is located in the Trebbia River valley southwest of the town Piacenza. There is also an abbey and a di ...

in the Piacenza province of Emilia-Romagna where the grape has had a long history of cultivation.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 257 Allen Lane 2012

History

Ampelographers believe that first mention of Colombana nera was likely in the posthumous work of the Italian viticulturist Giovan Vettorio Soderini that described a grape known as ''San Colombane'' growing in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna in 1600. That early synonym and the grape's current name is believed to be taken from the Abbey of San Colombano in Bobbio where Colombana nera has a long history of being grown. The exact origin of Colombana nera is unknown but DNA evidence showing a parent-offspring relationship between the grape and the old 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 ''mammo ...

suggest that Tuscany may be the variety's homeland.

Viticulture and relationship to other grapes

Colombana nera is a late ripening grape variety that can be very vigorous and high yielding if not kept in check by winter

pruning Pruning is a horticultural, arboricultural, and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. The practice entails the ''targeted'' removal of diseased, damaged, dead, ...

and green harvesting. In the early 20th century, DNA profiling found a link between Colombana nera and another Tuscan wine grape, Mammolo. The evidence suggest that Mammolo is one of the parent varieties of Colombana nera which would make the grape a sibling to

Pollera nera Pollera nera is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Liguria wine region and northwest Tuscany. Ampelographers believe that the vine has a very long winemaking history but it is rarely seen today.J. Robinson ''Jancis Ro ...

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: * '' ...

and

Biancone di Portoferraio 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 (wine), Tuscany. Some ampelographers have speculated that the grape may have originated on the French (wi ...

Wine regions

In 2000, there were 172

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

s (425 acres) of Colombana nera growing in Italy. In Emilia-Romagna it is found mostly in the province of Piacena while in Tuscany it can be found in the provinces of Livorno,

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one ...

, Massa-Carrara, Pisa and Pistoia. It is used primarily as a blending grape and is a permitted variety in the

Colli di Luni DOC Colli di Luni is an Italian ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) located in both Liguria and Tuscany in northwest Italy. The DOC produces both reds and white wines made primarily from Sangiovese and Vermentino with a varietal Vermentino a ...

that includes both northern Tuscany and southeastern

Liguria it, Ligure , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. Here the grape is permitted up to a maximum of 25% with other local red grape varieties such as

Bracciola nera Bracciola nera is a red Italian wine grape variety that is primarily found in the Liguria and Toscana wine regions of western Italy. The only ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) that Bracciola nera plays a significant role is in the Co ...

and Vermentino nero in the predominantly

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 ...

-based (60-70%) wine along with Pollera nera,

Canaiolo Canaiolo (; also called Canaiolo nero or Uva Canina) is a red Italian wine grape grown through Central Italy but is most noted in Tuscany. Other regions with plantings of Canaiolo include Lazio, Marche and Sardegna. In Umbria a white ber ...

and

Ciliegiolo Ciliegiolo is a variety of red wine grape from Italy, named after the Italian for 'cherry'. It is a minor component of traditional blends such as Chianti, but interest has revived in recent years. In Umbria it is made into a light quaffing wine, ...

rounding out the blend.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 145-146 Firefly Books 2004 Despite similarities in name, the Colombana nera is not grown in the San Colombano al Lambro DOC of Lombardy nor is it permitted in the DOC wine.

Synonyms

Over the years, Colombana nera has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Basgana, Basgana nera, Basgano, Basgnano, Bazano, Bersegano, Besagana, Besegano, Besgano nero, Besgana, Besgano Di San Colombano, Besgano rosso, Bezgano nero, Colombana and Colombano rosso.

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)
Colombana nera
'' Accessed: April 30th, 2013

References

{{reflist Red wine grape varieties