Colorino 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 ...

planted primarily in

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 ...

. 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 pg 137 Abbeville Press 2003 In the history of Chianti it played a minor role, mostly for its affinity and use to the '' governo'' winemaking technique. Like Canaiolo, Colorino did not rot easily while going through the partial drying process to later be added to the

fermenting Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduced ...

grape must. However, the grape did not provide the same level of

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

and softening effect that Canaiolo did and fell out of favour. In the late 1980s, there was a surge of interest in the variety among Tuscan winemakers who saw in this local

similarity to the role

Petit Verdot Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape, principally used in classic Bordeaux blends. It ripens much later than the other varieties in Bordeaux, often too late, so it fell out of favour in its home region. When it does ripen it adds tannin, ...

plays in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

blends. Colorino was planted and used to add darker colours and structure from phenolic compounds in the grape's thick skin without the overpowering

aromatics Aromatic compounds or arenes are organic compounds "with a chemistry typified by benzene" and "cyclically conjugated." The word "aromatic" originates from the past grouping of molecules based on odor, before their general chemical properties were ...

that

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 ...

could add. This enthusiasm was short-lived and by the turn of the 21st century Colorino returned once again to a minor role in Tuscan wines. J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 188 Oxford University Press 2006

Wine regions

In addition to Tuscany, the grape is also found in the

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

region of Central Italy. It is a principal grape variety in the ''

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) wines of Montecarlo in Tuscany as well as Rosso Orvietano and Lago di Corbara in Umbria. Wine Grape Profiles '
Colorino
'' Accessed: May 6th, 2009

Synonyms

Colorino is known under a variety of

synonym 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 ...

s throughout

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. These include Abrostine, Abrostino, Abrostolo Dolce, Abrustano Nero, Broustiana Rose, Colore, Colorino di Lucca, Colorino di Valdarno, Colorino Pisano, Jomarello, Lambrusco, Raverusto and Tintiglia-II.

References

{{reflist Red wine grape varieties