Magliocco Dolce (also known as Marsigliana ) 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 grown mostly in the

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

region of southern Italy. In agricultural census counts, plantings of Magliocco Dolce are often grouped with the related, but distinct, red grape variety Magliocco Canino. Throughout history, numerous red southern Italian wine grape varieties have been variously known under the synonyms of "Magliocco" or "Magliocchi", most notably

Gaglioppo Gaglioppo is a red wine grape that is grown in southern Italy, primarily around Calabria. The vine performs well in drought conditions but is susceptible to oidium and peronospora. The grape produces wine that is full-bodied, high in alcohol ...

, but recent

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

has shown those grapes to be unrelated to Magliocco Dolce or Magliocco Canino.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 564-565 Allen Lane 2012

History

The first mention of a "Magliocca" grape dates to the late 15th century when it was documented growing in the Calabria region. Which grape this was is not yet known.

Ampelographers 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 ...

have speculated that since the name ''Magliocco'' means "tender knot" in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

that potentially Magliocco Dolce (or Magliocco Canino) could have originated in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Additionally, Magliocco Dolce has been known under the synonym of ''Greco nero'' around the village of

Lamezia Terme Lamezia Terme (), commonly called Lamezia, is an Italian city and ''comune'' of 70,452 inhabitants (2013), in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region. History The municipality of Lamezia Terme was formally created on 4 January 1968. It ...

. DNA evidence in the early 21st century cast doubt on the validity of that theory, making it seem more likely that both grapes originated in southern Italy. The early synonym ''Arvino'' suggest that potentially Magliocco Dolce originated near Lago Arvo on the

La Sila La Sila, also simply Sila, is the name of the mountainous plateau and historic region located in Calabria, southern Italy. The Sila National Park is known to have the purest air in Europe. Geography The Sila occupies part of the provinces of Co ...

plateau that straddles the borders of the provinces of

Catanzaro Catanzaro (; or ; ), also known as the "City of the two Seas" (), is an Italian city of 86,183 inhabitants (2020), the capital of the Calabria region and of its province and the second most populated comune of the region, behind Reggio Calabr ...

Cosenza Cosenza (; Languages of Calabria#Northern Calabrian (Cosentian), Cosentian: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city located in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000, while the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. ...

and

Crotone Crotone (; ; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( or ; ), it became a great Greek city, home of the renowned mathematician-philosopher Pythagoras amongst other famous citizens, and one ...

in Calabria.

Viticulture and confusion with other grapes

Magliocco Dolce is a

late ripening In viticulture, ripeness is the completion of the ripening process of wine grapes on the vine which signals the beginning of harvest. What exactly constitutes ripeness will vary depending on what style of wine is being produced ( sparkling, still, ...

grape variety that tends to produce wines with high

tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widel ...

levels due to the thick skins of its berries. Like

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 ...

and

Savagnin Savagnin () or Savagnin blanc is a variety of white wine grape with green-skinned berries. It is mostly grown in the Jura region of France, where it is made into Savagnin wine or the famous vin jaune and vin de paille. History The history of S ...

, the grape variety is very prone to

mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, ...

with several clonal varieties of the grape found throughout Calabria. Over the years, Magliocco Dolce has been confused with several other red Italian grape varieties including Gaglioppo, Magliocco Canino, Castiglione (particularly around

Locride Locride is an area of Calabria, Italy around the town of Locri in the Province of Reggio Calabria. The term takes origin from the Locris, an ancient Greek region. It is divided into 5 areas: * Vallata dello Stilaro * Vallata del Torbido * Epizefir ...

), Nerello Mascalese (in

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

) and Nocera. In fact, the vineyard samples of Nocera planted at the

University of California-Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institution was ...

were identified in the early 21st century as actually being Magliocco Dolce.

Wine regions

Today Magliocco Dolce is found almost exclusively in Calabria though the exact number of plantings of the grape variety is hard to determine because for many years the grape was often confused and inter-planted in

field blends 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, ...

with other varieties. Even in the official 2000 census, plantings of Magliocco Canino and Magliocco Dolce were counted together though ampelographers believe that most of the Calabrian plantings in the provinces of Catanzaro, Cosenza and Crotone of the reported are Magliocco Dolce.

Synonyms

Over the years, Magliocco Dolce has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Arvino (in the provinces of Cosenza and Crotone), Catanzarese, Gaddrica (around the village of

Longobardi Longobardi may refer to: * Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''His ...

), Greco nero (around the village of Lamezia Terme), Guarnaccia (around the village of

Verbicaro Verbicaro ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in, Calabria, southern Italy. International relations Verbicaro is twinned with Oberstenfeld, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is ...

), Lacrima Cristi (in the provinces of Cozenza and

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

), Magliocco Tondo, Maglioccuni (around the village of

Bivongi Bivongi ( Calabrian: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria The province of Reggio Calabria () was a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was the southernmost province in mainland Italy and is separated f ...

), Mangiaguerra (around the village of

Ricadi Ricadi () is a small rural town, as well as a municipality, located along the Tyrrhenian coast, in the province of Vibo Valentia, in the Italian region of Calabria. Geography Boundaries The municipality of Ricadi is located between the gulfs of ...

near

Capo Vaticano Capo Vaticano is a wide bathing place in the Municipality of Ricadi in Calabria, Italy. The 'Cape' is formed by a particular white-grey granite, which is examined worldwide for its geologic characteristics. Geography The maximum altitude of th ...

), Marcigliana, Marsigliana (around the village Lamezia Terme), Merigallo (around the village of Terravecchia), Nera di Scilla (around the village of

Scalea Scalea ( Calabrian: , lit. "stair" or "ladder") is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. The town takes its name from its terraced layout on a hillside at the bottom of the Capo Scalea promontory ...

) and Petroniere.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magliocco Dolce Red wine grape varieties