red grape · rare
Groppello
Valtènesi, Lombardy, Italy
Say it
grop·pel·lo
Stress the second syllable: grop-PEL-lo.
On the palate
cherrystrawberrywhite pepperalmondspice
How you spot it blind: Pale, peppery Valtènesi red with a faint bitter-almond finish.
The story
Native to the Brescia side of Lake Garda, where Groppello Gentile and Groppello di Mocasina are registered as distinct varieties. DNA work shows the Trentino grape called Groppello di Revò is unrelated to the Garda Groppelli and has a parent-offspring link with Rèze. The creation of the Valtènesi DOC in 2012 focused renewed attention on Groppello in both red and Chiaretto wines.
Where it lives
Valtènesi, Lombardy, Italy
Shows up as
still redrosésparkling