red grape · regional staple
Croatina
Oltrepò Pavese, Lombardy, Italy
Say it
kro·ah·tee·nah
Four syllables; the 'oa' is two discrete vowels spoken separately, not a diphthong; stress falls on the third syllable.
On the palate
black cherryraspberryblackberryvioletblack plumblack pepper
How you spot it blind: deep purple color with lush fruit entry and grippy tannic finish
The story
First written down · 1831, Canneto Pavese, Oltrepò Pavese
Count Giorgio Gallesio documented 'Croattino' at Canneto Pavese in 1831; in northern Piedmont the same variety was historically called 'Nebbiolo di Gattinara,' a naming confusion later resolved by ampelography.
Where it lives
Oltrepò Pavese, Lombardy · Colli Piacentini, Emilia-Romagna · Colline Novaresi, Piedmont · Coste della Sesia, Piedmont
Shows up as
still redsparklingsweetBonarda dell'Oltrepò PaveseGutturnioSangue di Giuda