Mantonico bianco
A late-ripening Calabrian white grape used for dry and passito wines.
Mantonico bianco is a white wine grape from Italy's Calabria region. It is distinct from the similar-sounding Montonico bianco and from Guardavalle, which is called Mantonico in Cosenza province. Early 2000s DNA testing indicated Mantonico bianco might be a parent of the red grape Gaglioppo, also known as Mantonico nero.
Quick Facts
- Region
- Calabria, southern Italy
- First documented
- 1601 by Girolamo Marafioti
- Probable origin
- District of Locri in Reggio Calabria
Facts from the source article.
Wine regions
Mantonico bianco is grown almost exclusively in Calabria, with most plantings found along Calabria's coastline on the Ionian Sea, particularly around the seaside communes of Bianco and Casignana. Here the grape is used in the production of IGT wines in both dry and passito-style wines, either as a varietal or part of a blend. It can potentially be used in the DOC wines of Bivongi in the Vallata dello Stilaro of Reggio Calabria and Donnici on the La Sila plateau in the province of Cosenza, but the DOC regulations do not differentiate Mantonico bianco from Montonico bianco, with most producers using only the later variety in those wines.
More in White Wine Grape Varieties from Italy
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