Albanello bianco (or just Albanello) is a white

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 ...

grown primarily in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

where it has a long tradition producing

sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketone ...

dessert-style wines from grapes that have been dried in the sun on mats for several days after harvest. In the eighteenth century, the grape was an important component in the rare and expensive Marsala-style wine ''Ambrato di Comiso''.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 22 Allen Lane 2012 In recent years, plantings of Albanello have been steadily declining and as of the 2000 census there were 125

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 (309 acres) of the variety still planted in Italy, nearly all in Sicily. Part of the decline has been attributed to the variety's difficulties to cultivate and tendency to ripen late.

Wine regions

While plantings of Albanello has sharply declined over the last couple centuries, it can still be found in the Sicilian provinces of

Caltanissetta Caltanissetta (; scn, Nissa or ) is a ''comune'' in the central interior of Sicily, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Caltanissetta. Its inhabitants are called ''Nisseni''. In 2017, the city had a population of 62,797. It is the 14th ...

, Catania, Ragusa and Siracusa. In Siracusa, it is still a permitted variety in white wines from the

Eloro DOC Helorus, Heloros, Helorum, or Elorus (Greek: or , Ptol., Steph. B. or , Scyl.; it, Eloro), was an ancient Greek city of Sicily, situated near the east coast, about 40 km south of Syracuse and on the banks of the river of the same name. ...

where it is a minor blending component complementing Catarratto bianco and

Grillo Grillo, also known as Riddu and Rossese bianco, is a white Italian wine grape variety that withstands high temperatures and is widely used in Sicilian winemaking and, in particular, for making Marsala. Its origins are uncertain, but it may h ...

Relationship to other grapes

Albanello bianco is often confused with the similarly named

Albanella Albanella is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is located 51 kilometers from the city of Salerno. The town slogan is , which translates to "the land of the olive trees" in English. ...

from the Pesaro region of Marche along the Adriatic coast. DNA profiling has determined that there is some relationship between Albanello and the

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

n wine grape

Albaranzeuli bianco Albaranzeuli bianco is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in Sardinia. Ampelographers use to believe that the grape was originally Spanish in origin and was introduced to the island when it was ruled by the Crown of Aragon. ...

but the exact connection is unclear.

Synonyms

Over the years Albanello has been known under a variety of synonyms including Alablanca, Albanella, Albanello Bianco di Siracusa, Alvanella, Alvanello, Arnina Bianca, Arvina and Claretta.

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)
Albanello
'' Accessed: December 26th, 2012

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties