Ancellotta may be the most influential wine grape you’ve never heard of. This small, deeply pigmented berry has been flying under the radar for centuries while silently shaping the profile of numerous Italian wines. Known for its vigorous growth and small, very dark berries, it has a unique role in winemaking. Before diving into the rabbit hole of this fascinating variety, let’s set the stage: Ancellotta isn’t just another grape—it’s a colour bomb with enough anthocyanins to make other red varieties look anemic. This is the story of wine’s ultimate team player, enhancing the fresh characteristics of blends.
Ancellotta is the vinous equivalent of that friend who doesn’t need the spotlight but makes everyone around them look better. Native to Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, this small, spherical grape with deep blue-black skin is nicknamed the “blue grape” for good reason. Its thick, consistent blue-black skin contributes to its remarkable ability to produce an almost ink-like color, making Ancellotta the secret weapon of blenders across Italy and beyond.
The grape typically produces medium-alcohol wines with robust character, ripe tannins, and a persistent finish, exhibiting deeply fruity notes of blackberries, cherries, and plums, complemented by hints of violets and spices. Ancellotta grapes are also known for their rich profile on the palate, with notes of ripe red fruits like plum, blackberry, and blueberry. While it can stand alone, Ancellotta’s superpower is its ability to transform other wines through blending. Ancellotta complements the fresh and fragrant characteristics of Lambrusco and other wines, balancing acidity and adding structure to enhance the overall profile.
Unlike attention-seeking varieties that dominate conversations in wine circles, Ancellotta has built its reputation on being the perfect supporting actor—adding depth, color, and structure to wines that need an extra dimension. Its spiciness, often characterized as ‘sweet spice’ or ‘baking spices,’ further enhances its role as a blending grape. It’s the vinous equivalent of a power move: influential without demanding recognition. Ancellotta is used mainly as a blending grape to give warmth, color, and structure to wines.
The origin story of Ancellotta reads like a historical whodunit. Named after its purported discoverer, Professor Ancellotti, the grape's true beginnings remain shrouded in mystery. Documentation dating back approximately 500 years mentions a variety called Ancellotta linked to a wine farmer named Lancellotti, who farmed in Emilia-Romagna. Whether this refers to our modern-day Ancellotta remains difficult to verify.
Despite its mysterious origins, the grape is often described as having aromas of red fruit and flowers, adding to its allure. The Ancellotta grape has few aromas, which makes its blending role even more significant in enhancing other varieties.
Some theories suggest Ancellotta might be a cross between Lambrusco and Malvasia Nera varieties, while others argue it's simply a local mutation that emerged naturally in the region. Adding another layer of intrigue, there are even suggestions that it originated in the Middle East, from the ancient Persian city of Shiraz. Ancellotta is grown in Veneto, Tuscany, Friuli, and the lower Trentino regions of Italy.
What we do know is that Ancellotta has been cultivated since at least the 19th century in its Italian homeland, gradually establishing itself as an essential component in regional blends, particularly with Lambrusco varieties. Its journey from obscurity to becoming the eighth most-planted red grape variety in Argentina is nothing short of remarkable—a testament to its adaptability and value to winemakers worldwide.
Ancellotta is the viticultural equivalent of an adaptable entrepreneur—thriving in various environments but showing its true genius under specific conditions. Sunshine during the growing season in Veneto Orientale contributes to the concentration of flavors and sugars in grapes, enhancing the quality of the wines produced.
This variety showcases high vigor with a semi-upright growth habit, making it somewhat manageable in the vineyard despite its enthusiastic growth. It adapts to different soil types but performs best in medium-textured soils with clay components—think of it as preferring business-casual to either extreme formality or complete looseness.
Ancellotta flourishes in dry, well-ventilated climates, showing its Mediterranean temperament. The vine responds well to various training systems, including Guyot, Sylvoz, and GDC with short and mixed pruning approaches, demonstrating flexibility that would make a yoga instructor jealous.
Like any organism with specific weaknesses, Ancellotta shows average susceptibility to downy mildew and may experience coulure (poor fruit set) during cold, rainy springs. Its ripening period is medium-late, typically reaching harvest readiness in early to mid-October.
Ancellotta's most impressive international success story is in Argentina, where plantings have exploded by 345.7% between 2013 and 2022. As of 2022, Argentina boasted 2,394 hectares of Ancellotta, with Mendoza province claiming 85.3% of these plantings. This makes Argentina the second largest producer of Ancellotta after Italy. Ancellotta has also found success in Eastern Europe, where its adaptability continues to shine.
The variety has also found homes in:
Perhaps most intriguing is Ancellotta's recent arrival in California, where LangeTwins Family Winery has pioneered its cultivation in the Lodi region—so new that the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) doesn't yet formally recognize the variety for labeling purposes.
The sustainability conversation for Ancellotta production must be viewed through the lens of Italian viticulture's broader sustainability initiatives. In 2016, EQUALITAS emerged as a unifying force for sustainable practices in Italian wine production, consolidating over 15 separate sustainability programs.
While Ancellotta-specific sustainability protocols aren't detailed in the search results, Italian sustainable viticulture generally encompasses the following:
Adequate rainfall in Veneto Orientale, particularly in spring and autumn, is essential for vine health and management, further supporting sustainable practices in the region.
The adaptability of Ancellotta to various regions suggests it could play a role in climate change adaptation strategies. Research examining altitude effects on grape varieties indicates that high-elevated wine-growing regions may become increasingly important under global warming scenarios. Ancellotta has shown good qualitative indices and high adaptability in certain regions like Água Doce with thermal conditions similar to Central Italy.
Ancellotta remains primarily a blending grape, rarely taking center stage but consistently elevating the performances around it. Its most traditional appearances include:
The grape's limited appearance as a varietal wine doesn't diminish its importance—if anything, it highlights Ancellotta's unique role as wine's ultimate utility player.
Ancellotta represents the antithesis of wine's celebrity culture. In an industry often obsessed with headline varieties and prestigious appellations, this humble grape has built its reputation on making others look good. It's the ultimate business lesson: sometimes, the most valuable contribution comes from those who enhance the performance of the entire team rather than seek individual glory.
The grape's dramatic expansion in Argentina and recent introduction to California vineyards suggests we may be witnessing just the beginning of Ancellotta's global journey. Its exceptional color concentration, structural contribution to blends, and adaptability to various growing conditions position it perfectly for a wine world increasingly challenged by climate change and seeking distinctive elements for blending.
For consumers, Ancellotta offers an opportunity to explore the unsung heroes of wine—those varieties that may not dominate labels but profoundly influence what's in the bottle. The next time you enjoy a deeply colored Lambrusco or an Argentine red with exceptional depth, remember there might be a touch of Ancellotta magic at work.
In a world obsessed with individual achievement, Ancellotta reminds us that sometimes the most profound contributions come from those who make everything around them better. It's not just a grape—it's a philosophy in berry form.
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