Perricone (also known as Pignatello) 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 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. ...

. In the late 20th century there was around 1000

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/2,500

acres The acre ( ) is a unit of land area used in the British imperial and the United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, ...

of the grape planted throughout the island.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 148 Oxford University Press 1996 Red berry flavors and medium alcohol content are commonly attributed to Perricone wines, but Oz Clarke describes them as full-bodied and alcoholic.Oz Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 167 Harcourt Books 2001

DOC wines

In Sicily, Perricone is a permitted variety in the Contea di Sclafani DOC which includes vineyards in the

Caltanissetta Caltanissetta (Sicilian language, Sicilian: ''Cartanissètta)'' is an Italian comune with a population of 58,012 inhabitants, serving as the capital of the Province of Caltanissetta, free municipal consortium of Caltanissetta in Sicily. The earl ...

and

Agrigento Agrigento (; or ) is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. Founded around 582 BC by Greek colonists from Gela, Agrigento, then known as Akragas, was one of the leading cities during the golden ...

provinces. Here Perricone can be made 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. ...

wine provided it represents at least 85% of the wine's total content or it can be used in the DOC red wine where together with

Nero d'Avola Nero d'Avola (; ) is "the most important red wine grape in Sicily"winecountry.iSicily Grape Varieties and is one of Italy's most important indigenous varieties. It is named after Avola in the far south of Sicily, and its wines are compared to New ...

(Calabrese) it must represent at least 50% of the blend with local varieties, such as Nerello Mascalese, and

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 ...

as well as international varieties like

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 ...

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 ...

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...

and

Pinot noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

permitted to fill in the remainder of the blend. Perricone destined for Contea di Sclafani DOC wines must be harvested to a yield no greater than 14 tonnes/hectare with the finished wine attaining an alcohol level of at least 11%.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pp. 153-181 Firefly Books 2004 Similar laws governs Perricone's use in the Delia Nivolelli DOC located in the province of

Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the mai ...

near

Marsala Marsala (, ; ) is an Italian comune located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth largest in Sicily.The town is famous for the docking of Giuseppe Garibal ...

where the grape can be made either as a varietal or blended with Nero d'Avola, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sangiovese. Grapes destined for this DOC wine have a maximum harvest yield of 14 tonnes/ha with a minimum alcohol level of the finished wine being 11.5%. A separate '' riserva'' wine can be made with Perricone provided the wine is aged a minimum of two years prior to release. In the Eloro DOC, Perricone is known as ''Pignatello'' and produced as varietal wine when comprising at least 80% of the wine. It is also used in the DOC 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 ...

along with Nero d'Avola and

Frappato Frappato di Vittoria or Frappato is a red Italian wine grape variety planted primarily in Sicily. As a varietal, Frappato produces body (wine), light bodied wines with a distinct grapey aroma. J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third E ...

together making up at least 90% of the blend. Perricone destined for these DOC wines must be harvested to a yield no greater than 12 tonnes/ha with the finished red wines attaining a minimum alcohol level of 12% and the finished rosés having an alcohol level of at least 11.5%. In the

fortified A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...

dessert wine Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines in the United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert. There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a mea ...

Perricone is the main component in the ''Rubino'' style where it is blended with Nero d'Avola (Calabrese) and/or Nerello Mascalese and a maximum of 30% white grape varieties such as Grillo, Inzolia, and Catarratto. In the Monreale DOC Perricone can be made a varietal (at least 85% of the wine) or blended with Nero d'Avola (Calabrese) to make up at least 50% of the DOC red wine with International varieties, including

permitted to make up the remainder. Perricone intended for the DOC wines are limited to yields of 11 tonnes/ha with the finished wines having a minimum alcohol level of 11%.

Synonyms

Over the years Perricone has been known under a variety of synonyms including Cattarato rouge, Guarnaccia Nera, Nieddara, Niuru, Perricone Nera, Perricone Nero, Perricone noir, Picnatelo, Pignateddu, Pignatelle, Pignatello, Pirricone , Quarnaccia and Tuccarino di Catania.

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)
Perricone
' Accessed: October 2nd, 2012

References

{{reflist Red wine grape varieties