Criolla Grande (also known as Criolla and Criolla Grande Sanjuanina) is a red

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

grape commonly found in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. It is different from the

Chilean wine Chilean wine has a long history for a New World wine region, as it was the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors brought ''Vitis vinifera'' vines with them as they colonized the region. In the mid-19th century, French wine varieties s ...

grape

Pais : Pais is a red wine grape that has played a prominent role in the Chilean wine industry. Up until the turn of the 21st century, it was Chile's most planted variety until it was overtaken by Cabernet Sauvignon. Today it is most commonly used in t ...

, also known as ''Criolla Chica'', but

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 both grapes share a common parent, and it is now listed as a crossing of

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

and

Muscat of Alexandria Muscat of Alexandria is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of ''Vitis vinifera''. It is considered an "ancient vine", and wine experts believe it is one of the oldest genetically unmodified vines still in existence.J. Robi ...

. As of 2006, Criolla was the third most widely planted

Argentine wine Argentina is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world.H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 300-301 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 Argentine wine, as with some aspects of Argentine cuisine, has its roots in Spain. Dur ...

grape (22,500 hectares) after

Cereza Cereza (Spanish for "cherry") is a white Argentine wine grape variety. Like Gewürztraminer and Pinot gris, Cereza is a pink skinned variety.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition pg 101 Abbeville Press 2003 J. Robinson ''Jan ...

(30,000 hectares) and the more widely

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

Malbec Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...

(24,400 hectares). It is primarily found in the Mendoza region. The grape has pink skin, which is thicker than in its Chilean cousin, Pais, and is used to produce deeply colored white wine. It is sometimes used to produce a light colored '' rosé''. The grape is rarely exported outside of Argentina where it is used to produce massive quantities of

box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

and

jug wine "Jug wine" is a term in the United States for inexpensive table wine (or "bulk wine") typically bottled in a glass bottle or jug. Historically, jug wines were labeled semi-generically, often sold to third parties to be relabeled, or sold direc ...

s.J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 210 Oxford University Press 2006

History

The grape belong to the '' Criollas'' group of varieties. Along with Chile's Pais and the Mission grape of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, the grape is believed to be a descendant of the Spanish "common black grape" brought to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in 1520 by the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

conquistador Hernán Cortés.K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 836 Workman Publishing 2001 Although it has previously been speculated that Criolla Grande as such was brought to the Americas, the presence of Mission in its pedigree makes it likely that the crossing resulting in Criolla Grande took place in America.

Synonyms

Criolla Grande is also known under the synonyms Criolla Grande Sanjuanina, Criolla San Juanino, Criolla Sanjuanina, Italia, Sanjuanina Rosada, and Uva Tierna.Criolla Grande Sanjuanina
,

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 ...

, accessed 2010-07-14

References

{{Wines Red wine grape varieties Argentine culture Argentine wine