Colorino 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 for ...

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 ...

planted primarily in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

. The grape is known for its deep dark colouring and is used primarily as a colouring agent in red blends. J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition pg 137 Abbeville Press 2003 In the

history of Chianti The history of Chianti dates back to at least the 13th century with the earliest incarnations of Chianti as a white wine. Today this Tuscan wine is one of Italy's most well known and recognizable wines. In the Middle Ages, the villages of Gaio ...

it played a minor role, mostly for its affinity and use to the ''

governo Governo is a winemaking technique reportedly invented in Tuscany in the 14th century to help complete fermentation and stabilize the wine. The technique involves saving a batch of harvested grapes and allowing them to partially dry. If fermentat ...

'' winemaking technique. Like

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 berried ...

, Colorino did not rot easily while going through the partial drying process to later be added to the

fermenting 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 ...

grape must. However, the grape did not provide the same level of

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

and softening effect that Canaiolo did and fell out of favour. In the late 1980s, there was a surge of interest in the variety among Tuscan winemakers who saw in this local

similarity to the role

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, c ...

plays in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

blends. Colorino was planted and used to add darker colours and structure from phenolic compounds in the grape's thick skin without the overpowering

aromatics Aromatic compounds, also known as "mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons", are organic compounds containing one or more aromatic rings. The parent member of aromatic compounds is benzene. The word "aromatic" originates from the past grouping ...

that

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' ...

could add. This enthusiasm was short-lived and by the turn of the 21st century Colorino returned once again to a minor role in Tuscan wines. J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 188 Oxford University Press 2006

Wine regions

In addition to Tuscany, the grape is also found in the

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

region of Central Italy. It is a principal grape variety 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 tipic ...

'' (DOC) wines of

Montecarlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is l ...

in Tuscany as well as

Rosso Orvietano Orvieto is an Italian wine region located in Umbria and Lazio, centered on the ''comune'' of Orvieto. It is primarily known for its white wines made from a blend of mostly Grechetto and Trebbiano, which is sold under the ''Denominazione di origin ...

and Lago di Corbara in Umbria. Wine Grape Profiles '
Colorino
'' Accessed: May 6th, 2009

Synonyms

Colorino is known under a variety of

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

s throughout

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. These include Abrostine, Abrostino, Abrostolo Dolce, Abrustano Nero, Broustiana Rose, Colore, Colorino di Lucca, Colorino di Valdarno, Colorino Pisano, Jomarello, Lambrusco, Raverusto and Tintiglia-II.

References

{{reflist Red wine grape varieties