Bracciola nera 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 ...

that is primarily found in the

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

and Toscana wine regions of western Italy. The only ''

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) that Bracciola nera plays a significant role is in the

Colli di Luni DOC Colli di Luni is an Italian ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) located in both Liguria and Tuscany in northwest Italy. The DOC produces both reds and white wines made primarily from Sangiovese and Vermentino with a varietal Verme ...

of Ligura where the grape is permitted to be blended with

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 ...

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 ...

Pollera nera Pollera nera is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Liguria wine region and northwest Tuscany. Ampelographers believe that the vine has a very long winemaking history but it is rarely seen today.J. Robinson ''Jancis Rob ...

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 ...

Vermentino nero Vermentino nero is a red Italian wine grape variety that is predominantly grown in province of Massa-Carrara in Tuscany (wine), Tuscany. After World War II, the vine was almost lost to extinction until Podere Scurtarola, a producer from Massa, Tus ...

and other varieties. A late-ripening variety, Bracciola nera usually contributes

acidity An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid. The first category of acids are the ...

to blends.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 132-133 Allen Lane 2012

History

In his posthumously published work ''Trattato della coltivazione delle viti, e del frutto che se ne puô cavare'' (1600), the Italian

viticulturist Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...

Giovan Vettorio Soderini described a white grape variety, ''Bracciola'', as one of the best

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 ...

varieties being grown in Italy at the time. While

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 th ...

s can't confirm if this is a white berry

color mutation The propagation of grapevines is an important consideration in commercial viticulture and winemaking. Grapevines, most of which belong to the ''Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native t ...

of Bracciola or a completely different variety, it can be confirmed that Bracciola nera was growing in the

Cinque Terre The Cinque Terre (; ; meaning 'Five Lands') is a coastal area within Liguria, in the northwest of Italy. It lies in the west of La Spezia Province, and comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggio ...

region by at least the early 19th century when the Italian naturalist

Giuseppe Acerbi Giuseppe Acerbi (May 3, 1773August 25, 1846) was an Italian naturalist, explorer and composer. Biography Giuseppe Acerbi was born on May 3, 1773, in Castel Goffredo, in Lombardy. He was an Italian naturalist, explorer and composer. In 1798, Ac ...

described the grape, known locally as ''Braciola'', growing in the region in 1825.

Viticulture

Bracciola nera is a late-ripening grape variety that often has very high acid levels at

harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

. The vine can be very productive and high yielding if not kept in check by winter

pruning Pruning is the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. It is practiced in horticulture (especially fruit tree pruning), arboriculture, and silviculture. The practice entails the targeted removal of di ...

and

green harvest Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...

ing.

Wine regions and DOC regulations

In 2000, there 110

hectare 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. ...

s (270 acres) of Bracciola nera planted in Italy, nearly all of it in the

province of Massa-Carrara The province of Massa-Carrara () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is named after the provincial capital Massa, and Carrara, the other main town in the province. History The province of "Massa e Carrara" was born in 1859 from ...

in Tuscany and the

province of La Spezia The province of La Spezia (; Ligurian language, Ligurian: ''provinsa dea Spèza'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of La Spezia. Overview It has an area of and, , a total population o ...

in Liguria where it is a permitted blending

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. ...

in the DOC wine of Colli di Luna. Bracciola nera destined for DOC wine production is limited to a harvest yield of no more than 12

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 ...

. The wine is predominantly Sangiovese (60-70%) with Pollera nera, Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo collectively needing to make up at least 15% of the blend. Bracciola nera,

Colombana nera Colombana nera is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. Despite similarities in name, the grape did not get its name from nor is it grown in the San Colombano al Lambro region of Lombardy nor is it permitte ...

, Vermentino nero and other local red grape varieties are permitted to be used up to a maximum of 25% the wine.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 145-146 Firefly Books 2004

Synonyms

Over the years Bracciola nera has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Barciuola, Bracciola, Bracciula, Bracciuola, Braciola, Brassola, Brassora, Brazolata and Rappalunga.

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)
Bracciola nera
'' Accessed: April 30th, 2013

References

{{reflist Red wine grape varieties