Alionza
A rare white grape from Emilia-Romagna with a long history.
Alionza is a white Italian wine grape variety grown in the Emilia-Romagna region of north central Italy. It has been used since the 14th century as both a table grape and a blending grape for wine production. DNA analysis in the early 21st century has suggested that Alionza may be closely related to the Tuscan wine grape Trebbiano.
Quick Facts
- First documented
- early 14th century
- Historical growing regions
- Bologna, Modena, Brescia, Mantova
- Current growing regions
- Bologna, Modena
Facts from the source article.
History
Alionza has been cultivated in the provinces of Bologna and Modena in Emilia-Romagna since at least the early 1300s, when it appeared in Pietro de' Crescenzi's work Ruralia commoda. It was once common in the Lombardy wine areas of Brescia and Mantova, but is now very scarce. The grape has often been mistaken for the Greek variety Sklava, though no link has been found. In the late 1800s, French grape experts thought Alionza grew in southern France, but it has never been shown to have left Italy. In the early 2000s, DNA testing suggested a close genetic tie to Trebbiano, also known as Ugni blanc.
Viticulture
Alionza is a late ripening grape variety that thrives best on warm vineyard soils, particularly in well exposed hillside locations. Like Schiava Grossa, it has been historically trained in a pergola style system along horizontal wires, which explains the common synonym Uva Schiava. The grape is a reliable crop, producing consistent yields and showing strong resistance to botrytis bunch rot, late spring frost and powdery mildew.
Wine regions
As of 2012, there were 43 ha of Alionza in Italy, growing almost exclusively in the Emilia-Romagna provinces of Bologna and Modena. Historically more widely planted, particularly in Lombardy, its numbers have drastically dropped over the last several centuries. Today it is mostly used as a minor blending grape in some IGT and DOC wines of the region. Some vineyards also sell their Alionza grapes for use as table grapes.
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