Croatina - The grape that shall remain mis-named

The “Rare grape series” continues…In this installment, we consider…Croatina…

Croatina - the name almost always “isn’t”, but the grape most definitely “is”…so what the hell am I talking about? Well, first things first - Croatina is a black grape that hails from the confluence of the borders of the three northern Italian regions of Lombardia, the Emilia part of Emilia Romagna, and Piedmont. So back to the nomenclature…Croatina is the most proper name for this grape, though there are very few producers that actually use this name (it’s a long story). The name that they DO use most often is BONARDA. “So what’s in a name?” you ask? Well, in many cases the subjects still do smell as sweet, but in this case we’ve got something rotten in the state of Italy (sorry)…

The essence of the problem here is that there are four different varieties called “Bonarda”, but in fact there is only one TRUE Bonarda. First, we’ve got our subject, Croatina. Next, there is a variety called “Bonarda Novarese” which is also not true Bonarda but rather a variety most properly called Uva Rara. Then there is the Argentinian variety with the moniker “Bonarda”. This grape is actually a variety called Charbonneaux (AKA California’s Charbono). And then (drumroll) there is the REAL Bonarda, which is most fully called “Bonarda Piemontese”. It is an aromatic variety…

OK, enough writing about things OTHER than our subject. Croatina is a thick-skinned variety that buds and ripens late, and produces very deeply colored wines that are more tannic than acidic, but are often known for a supple, dense, dark fruit with good tannic grip. Croatina often shows aromas and flavors of plums, black cherry, and ground cloves.

The Craotina grape appears most commonly in the Oltrepo` Pavese DOC, but it makes an appearance with Barbera playing a supporting role in the Gutturnio DOC, and in the excruciatingly obscure San Colombano del Lambro, Colli di Parma appellations in Emilia, and the Bramaterra, Colline Novaresi, and Coste della Sesia appellations in Piemonte.

Croatina pairs well with egg pastas with meat and tomato sauces, boiled and roasted poultry, especially the more “noble” varieties (turkey, duck, pheasant, et al.), beans with sausages, and salamis.

The link below will take you to the two Croatina wines (yes, I know, they’re labelled as Bonarda - I thought that we went over this;-)) As always, if you pick one or both (or some other) of these wines up, please post your tasting notes here as comments.

TOM CIOCCO

CROATINA #1

CROATINA #2