Nerello

Nerello is a name given to two varieties of red wine grapes that are grown primarily in Sicily and Sardinia.^[1]

• Nerello Mascalese, which is named after the Mascali area in Catania where the grape is thought to have originated. It is grown mainly on the northeastern side of Sicily and is thought to be superior in quality to the Nerello Cappuccio. While it can be used for blending, the grape is often made into varietal wine.^[1] The grape is believed to be an offspring of the Calabrian wine grape Mantonico bianco.^[2]
• Nerello Cappuccio It is widely used in the Etna Rosso DOC as a blending grape that adds color and alcohol to the wine. It is one of the three grapes used to make the wine Corvo Rosso.^[1]

An Italian study published in 2008 using DNA typing showed a close genetic relationship between Sangiovese on the one hand and ten other Italian grape varieties on the other hand, including Nerello. It is therefore likely that Nerello is a crossing of Sangiovese and another, so far unidentified, grape variety.^[3]

Wine styles

Around the village of Messina in northeast Sicily, both Nerellos are sometimes blended with the local red grape Acitana in wines made outside the regulations of the Faro DOC.^[2]

References

1. J. Robinson Vines, Grapes & Wines pg 213 Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1-85732-999-6
2. J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours pgs 5, 593-594 Allen Lane 2012 ISBN 978-1-846-14446-2
3. ‘Sangiovese’ and ‘Garganega’ are two key varieties of the Italian grapevine assortment evolution, M. Crespan, A. Calò, S. Giannetto, A. Sparacio, P. Storchi and A. Costacurta, Vitis 47 (2), 97–104 (2008)