Canaiolo (; also called Canaiolo nero or Uva Canina) 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 grown through Central
Italy but is most noted in
Tuscany. Other regions with plantings of Canaiolo include
Lazio,
Marche and
Sardegna. In
Umbria
it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman)
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a white berried
mutation known as ''Canaiolo bianco'' exists. Together with
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 grap ...
and
Colorino
Colorino is a red Italian wine grape variety planted primarily in Tuscany. 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 ...
it is often used to create
Chianti
A Chianti wine (, also , ) is any wine produced in the Chianti region of central Tuscany. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a '' fiasco'' ("flask"; ''pl. fiaschi''). However, the ''fiasco'' is ...
wine and is an important but secondary component of
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red wine with a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita status produced in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montepulciano, Italy. The wine is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape varietal (know ...
. 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 Gaiol ...
it has been a key component blend and during the 18th century may have been the primarily grape used in higher percentage than Sangiovese. Part of its popularity may have been the grape's ability to partially dry out without rotting for use in 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 fermentatio ...
'' method of prolonging
fermentation. In the 19th century, the Chianti recipe of
Bettino Ricasoli
Bettino Ricasoli, 1st Count of Brolio, 2nd Baron Ricasoli (; 9 March 180923 October 1880) was an Italian statesman. He was a central figure in the politics of Italy during and after the unification of Italy. He led the Moderate Party.
Biography ...
called for Canaiolo to play a supporting role to Sangiovese, adding fruitiness and softening tannins without detracting from the wine's
aromas. In the aftermath of the
phylloxera epidemic
The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid waste to the wine industry. It was caused by an aphid that originated in North America and was carried across the A ...
, the Canaiolo vines did not take well to
grafting onto new American
rootstock and the grape began to steadily fall out of favor. As of 2006, total plantings of Canaiolo throughout Italy dropped to under 7,410 acres (3,000 hectares). Today there are renewed efforts by Tuscan winemakers to find better clonal selections and re-introduce the variety into popular usage.
A white sub-variety exists, known as
Canaiolo bianco
Drupeggio (also known as Canaiolo bianco) is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Central Italy wine regions of Tuscany and Orvieto. The grape is often confused for the white Tuscan variety Vernaccia di San Gimignano,J. Robinson ...
, which is a permitted
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 V ...
in the Umbrian wine region of
Orvieto
Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are comp ...
where is known as Drupeggio.
In recent years plantings have been declining.
In Tuscany
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 Canaiolo is most likely native to Central Italy and perhaps to the Tuscany region. It was a widely planted variety in the
Chianti region and most likely was the dominant grape variety in Chianti blends throughout the 18th century. The writings of Italian writer
Cosimo Villifranchi Giovanni Cosimo Villifranchi (or Villafranchi, 1646–1699) was, according to Robert Lamar Weaver, "the most productive and creative Italian comic librettist
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended ...
noted the grape's popularity and that it was often blended with Sangiovese,
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 ''mam ...
and
Marzemino
Marzemino is a red Italian wine grape variety that is primarily grown around Isera, south of Trentino. The wine is most noted for its mention in the opera ''Don Giovanni'' of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ("Versa il vino! Eccellente ''Marzimino''!") ...
.
Part of Canaiolo's success in the region may have been its affinity for 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 fermentatio ...
'' winemaking technique that was used to ensure complete fermentation.
At the time various
wine faults would plague unstable Chiantis because they were not able to fully complete fermentation and
yeast cells would remain active in the wine. The lack of full fermentation was partly due to cooler temperatures following
harvest that stuns the yeast and prohibits activity prior to technological advances in temperature control fermentation vessel. The technique of ''governo'' was first developed by Chianti winemakers in the 14th century. This involves adding half-dried grapes to the
must to stimulate the yeast with a fresh source of
sugar that may keep the yeast active all through the fermentation process.
Canaiolo's resistance to rotting while going through the partial drying process made it an ideal grape for this technique.
In the 19th century, the Baron Bettino Ricasoli created the modern Chianti recipe that was predominantly Sangiovese with Canaiolo added for it fruitiness and ability to soften the tannins of Sangiovese. Wine expert
Hugh Johnson has noted that the relationship between Sangiovese and Canaiolo has some parallels to how
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 Leban ...
is softened by the fruit of
Merlot in the traditional
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 prefecture ...
style blend.
The rise in prominence of Sangiovese herald the decline of Canaiolo as more winemakers rushed to plant more Sangiovese. Outside of Chianti, Canaiolo role in the Sangiovese based on
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red wine with a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita status produced in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montepulciano, Italy. The wine is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape varietal (know ...
was also declining though it was never as prominent as it once was in Chianti. The
phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...
devastation at the end of the 19th century highlighted the unique difficulties that Canaiolo has with grafting as many plantings on new American rootstock failed to take.
Today there are a few vineyards in the Chianti Classico region specializing in Canaiolo, two of them being the family estates of Bettino Ricasoli in
Brolio
The Castello di Brolio is a rural castle, palace and gardens located in San Regolo, in the municipality of Gaiole in Chianti, about 20 km NE of Siena, region of Tuscany, Italy.
The palace has belonged to the Ricasoli family for nearly 800 ...
and
Gaiole in Chianti
Gaiole in Chianti is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about northeast of Siena. '' Forbes'' named it number one in its list of "Europe's Most Idyllic ...
as well as a scattering of vineyards in
Barberino Val d'Elsa
Barberino Val d'Elsa is a '' frazione'' of Barberino Tavarnelle which was until December 2018 a sovereign '' comune'' (municipality).
Barberino Val d'Elsa is located above the valley from which it takes its name. The centre of town is still ringed ...
. There are renewed efforts and research in clonal selections to revive the variety in Tuscany.
Other regions
Outside of Tuscany, Canaiolo is also found throughout central Italy with significant plantings in Lazio, Marche and Sardegna. Though there are efforts in Tuscany to revive the variety, plantings throughout the country continue to drop and fell under 7,410 acres (3,000 hectares) in 2006.
Synonyms
Canaiolo is also known under the synonyms Caccione nero, Cacciuna , Cagnina, Calabrese, Canaiola, Canaiolo Borghese, Canaiolo Cascolo, Canaiolo Colore, Canaiolo Grosso, Canaiolo nero, Canaiolo nero a Raspo rosso, Canaiolo nero Comune, Canaiolo nero Grosso, Canaiolo nero Minuto, Canaiolo Pratese, Canaiolo Romano, Canaiolo rosso Piccolo, Canaiolo Toscano, Canaiuola, Canaiuolo, Canajola Lastri, Canajolo, Canajolo Lastri, Canajolo nero Grosso, Canajolo Piccolo, Canajuola, Canajuolo nero Comune, Canina, Cannaiola, Cannajola, Colore, San Giovese, Tindillaro, Tindilloro, Uva Canaiolo, Uva Canajuola, Uva Canina, Uva Colore Canaiola, Uva Dei Cani, Uva Donna, Uva Fosca, Uva Grossa, Uva Marchigiana, Uva Merla, and Vitis Vinifera Etrusca.
References
{{reflist
External links
Chianti Producers Association
Red wine grape varieties
Tuscany
Wine grapes of Tuscany