Uva Tosca 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 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 ...

region of east-central Italy, where it is the only grape variety able to grow in the higher elevations of the Val Secchia area. Despite what its name may allude to,

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 little evidence to believe that the grape originated 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 ...

or has any close genetic relationship with the notable Tuscan wine grape,

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 ...

, that is also known under the synonym of ''Uva Tosca''. In 2010,

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 ...

suggested that Uva Tosca may be a natural crossing between the Alto-Adige wine grape

Schiava Grossa Trollinger, Schiava, or Vernatsch, is a red German/Italian wine grape variety that was likely first originally cultivated in the wine regions of South Tyrol and Trentino, but today is almost exclusively cultivated on steep, sunny locations in t ...

and Crepallocchi.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 1105-1106 Allen Lane 2012

History

Ampelographers believe that, despite its name, Uva Tosca originated in the Emilia-Romagna region where it was first described in 1644 by Italian agronomist

Vincenzo Tanara Vincenzo Tanara or Tanari (died 1667) was an Italian agronomist and gastronome. A Bolognese nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below ro ...

. Tanara noted that the grape made pale-colored "reddish wine" that was very healthy to consume and somewhat

sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, ...

and spicy. Another item casting doubt on a potential Tuscan origin is the lack of a close genetic relationship with the notable Tuscan wine grape Sangiovese, of which it shares the synonym of ''Uva Tosca'', with instead DNA profiling suggesting that the grape is a natural crossing of the Alto-Adige wine grape Schiava Grossa and Crepallocchi. Additional DNA studies also found that Uva Tosca may be one of the parent varieties of the Emilia-Romagna grape Lambrusco Monterico, one of the many varieties in the Lambrusco family that can be used to produce the wine of the same name.

Viticulture

Uva Tosca is a mid to late-ripening grape vine that is very susceptible to the

viticultural hazards This is a list of diseases of grapes (''Vitis'' spp.). Bacterial diseases Fungal diseases Miscellaneous diseases and disorders Nematodes, parasitic Phytoplasma, virus and viruslike diseases See also *''Ampeloglypter ater'' *''Ampe ...

powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungus, fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of Ascomycota, ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant disea ...

and

millerandage Millerandage (or shot berries, hens and chicks and pumpkins and peas) is a potential viticultural hazard in which grape bunches contain berries that differ greatly in size and, most importantly, maturity. Its most common cause is cold, rainy or o ...

. Uva Tosca seems to thrive at higher altitude plantings, being one of the few red

Italian grape varieties References Supplemental references used for chart

*J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs XXVIII-XXX Allen Lane 2012. . {{DEFAULTSOR ...

that can fully ripen at elevations between to above sea levels.

Wine regions

In 2000, there were of Uva Tosca planted in Italy, the vast majority of it in the provinces of

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

and

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

. Historically, the grape was often planted at the higher elevation in the foothills of the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

where it was one of the few red wine grapes that could reliably ripen. But in the mid to late 20th century, plantings of Uva Tosca were brought down to the plains along the Secchia river valley and other tributaries in the

Po Valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain (, , or ) is a major geographical feature of northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetian Plain, Venetic extension not actu ...

. While 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 ''

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), the grape is rarely seen 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. ...

and is mostly used a minor blending component.

Synonyms

Over the years, Uva Tosca has been known under a variety of synonyms, including Montanara, Tosca and Tosco.

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)
Uva Tosca
' Accessed: April 14th, 2014

References

{{reflist Red wine grape varieties