Abrusco is a red

Italian wine Italian wine () is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine in the world, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, as well as the List of wine-producing regions#Countries, world's ...

grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, Zante currant, currant, sultana (grape), sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimp ...

grown primarily in the

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

region where it is a minor blending component permitted in the wines of

Chianti Chianti is an Italian red wine produced in the Chianti (region), Chianti region of central Tuscan wine, Tuscany, principally from the Sangiovese grape. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a ''fia ...

. The grape has long history in the region and was mentioned in 1600, under its synonyms Abrostino and Colore, in the posthumously published work by Italian agronomist Giovan Vettorio Soderini ''Trattato della coltivazione delle viti, e del frutto che se ne può cavare''. There Soderini notes that the grape was often used to add deeper, more red

color Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...

to Tuscan wines.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 4-5, 245, 944 Allen Lane 2012 The variety is considered quite rare and is close to extinction with only 6

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

(15 acres) of the grape variety reported in the 2000 Italian census. The Tuscan producer Le Tre Stelle has worked to keep the variety still viable, producing a limited production ''

Indicazione geografica tipica ''Indicazione geografica tipica'' () is the third of four classification of wine, classifications of wine recognized by the government of Italy. Created to recognize the unusually high quality of the class of wines known as Italian wine#Super Tus ...

'' (IGT) wine made of 100% Abrusco from 20 vines that were discovered growing among other varieties in an old vineyard owned by the winery. Another Tuscan producer Tuscan Soul winery is also working with the centre of research and development for Tuscany to produce wines of 100% Abrusco from 0.2 hectares of land on their estate in Cetona, Siena.

Viticulture and winemaking

The Abrusco vine produces dark, bluish-black grape berries with a pale colored flesh. It is considered a mid-ripening variety that is usually harvested in the middle of the

vintage In winemaking, vintage is the process of picking grapes to create wine. A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine ...

season between the early ripening

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 ...

and the late ripening

Sangiovese Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin , "blood of Jove, Jupiter". Sangiovese Grosso, used for traditionally powerful and slow maturing red wines, is primarily grown in the central regions of Italy ...

. The grape is noted for producing wines with a deep, dark color that has often lend itself as a blending variety for other, more pale-colored varieties such as Sangiovese. As a

varietal A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...

, Abrusco tends to produce well-structured wines with spicy

aroma An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is a smell or a scent caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds generally found in low concentrations that humans and many animals can perceive v ...

and flavor notes.

DOC wines

Abrusco is a minor blending variety permitted in several ''

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

'' (DOC) and ''

Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita The following four classification of wine, classifications of wine constitute the Italy, Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; 'designation of origin'); * ''Indicazione ...

'' (DOCG) regions of Tuscany, most notably the Chianti DOCG. These include the

Capalbio DOC Capalbio is a (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto in Tuscany, Italy, located about south of Florence and about southeast of Grosseto. Capalbio borders the following municipalities: Manciano, Montalto di Castro (Lazio) and Orbetello. It ...

in the hills south of the

Grosseto province The province of Grosseto () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Grosseto. As of 2013 the province had a total population of 225,098 people. Geography The Province of Grosseto completely occupies the southe ...

where along with other local red grape varieties, Abrusco is permitted to make up to 50% of the red and ''

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...

'' blend along with Sangiovese (which must make up at least 50% of the wine). Here Abrusco grapes that are destined for DOC wine production must be harvested to a yield no greater 10

tonnes The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...

/hectare for the red wine and 12 tonnes/ha for the ''rosé''. In order to attain DOC designation the finished ''rosé'' must attain a minimum

alcohol level Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest of the solution, ...

of at least 10.5% and 11% alcohol by volume for the reds.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 133-192 Firefly Books 2004 Vigneto nel chianti

In the

Orcia DOC The Val d'Orcia or Valdorcia () is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. Its gentle, cultivated hills are occasionally broken by gullies and by towns and villages such as Pienza (rebui ...

that lies between the

Brunello di Montalcino Brunello di Montalcino is a red DOCG Italian wine produced in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montalcino, in the province of Siena, located about 80 km south of Florence, in the Tuscan wine region. Brunello, a diminutive of ''bruno'' ...

and

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 varieta ...

zones, Abrusco is permitted along with other local grape varieties to make up to 40% of the red wine blend along with Sangiovese (minimum 60%). Here grapes are limited to a maximum harvest yield of 10 tonnes/ha with the finished wines having a minimum alcohol level of 12%. In the

Pomino DOC Pomino is a village belongs to the municipality of Rufina, in the province of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The village of Pomino is 7,36 kilometers far from the same town of Rufina to whom it belongs. The locality of Pomino rises 585 meters above ...

based around the

Rufina Rufina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about east of Florence. Rufina borders the following municipalities: Dicomano, Londa, Montemignaio, Pelago, Pontassieve, Pratovec ...

sub-district of the Chianti zone, Abrusco is permitted along with other local red grape varieties to make up to 15% of the blend along with Sangiovese (60–75),

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 berrie ...

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 Lebano ...

Cabernet franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

(collectively 15-25%) and

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

(10-20%). Grapes destined for DOC wine production are limited to yields of 10.5 tonnes/ha with the finished wines having at least 12% alcohol by volume. A separate ''

Riserva Reserve wine is wine of a higher quality than usual, a wine that has been aged before sale, or both. Traditionally, winemakers would reserve some of their best wine rather than sell it immediately, coining the term. In some countries the use of t ...

'' bottling can be produced from this DOC from wines that have been

aged Ageing (or aging in American English) is the process of becoming older until death. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi; whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologi ...

for a minimum of three years with at least 18 months of that period being spent in

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

and the finished wines having an alcohol level of at least 12.5%. In the greater Chianti DOCG, Abrusco is permitted along with other local red grape varieties to make up to 10% of the blend along with Sangiovese (75-100%), Canaiolo (up to 10% on its own) and the white grapes

Trebbiano Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it ...

and

Malvasia Malvasia (), also known as Malvazia, is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region and Macaronesia, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. In the past, the names Malvasia, Malvazia, ...

(up to 10% collectively). Its use is far less common in the Chianti Classico DOCG (which also no longer include the

white wine White wine is a wine that is Fermentation in winemaking, fermented without undergoing the process of Maceration (wine), maceration, which involves prolonged contact between the juice with the grape skins, seeds, and pulp. The wine color, colou ...

grapes among its permitted varieties) though it is technically still allowed. Grapes destined for Chianti DOCG production must be harvested to a yield no greater than 8 tonnes/ha with the finished wines needing to attain a minimum alcohol level of at least 12%.

Relationship to other varieties

Despite the similarities in

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely 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 a ...

DNA profiling DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting and genetic fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is cal ...

has shown Abrusco to be distinct from the Tuscan wine grape

Colorino Colorino is a red Italian wine grape variety planted primarily in Tuscany (wine), 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' ...

and the

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

grape

Lambrusco Lambrusco (, ) is the name of both an Italian red wine grape and a wine made principally from the grape. The grapes and the wine originate from four zones in Emilia-Romagna and one in Lombardy―principally around the central provinces of Moden ...

. Research from Dr.

José Vouillamoz 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 ...

has also shown that Muscat Rouge de Madère, which was once thought to be a synonym of Abrusco, is actually its own variety.

Synonyms and name origin

Over the years Abrusco has been known under a variety of synonyms including Abrostalo, Abrostine, Colore, Colorino, Lambrusco, Raverusto, Abrusco Nero di Toscana and Abrusio.

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 G ...

(VIVC)
Abrusco
'' Accessed: December 25th, 2012 The name Abrusco and the synonyms Abrostine and Lambrusco are believed to derive from the same

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

phrase meaning ''wild vine''.

References

{{reflist Red wine grape varieties