The Ciliegiolo wine
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| Ciliegiolo (named also Ciliegino)
is an AUTOCHTHONOUS TUSCAN VINE whose origins are not
very clear: some people say its presence in Tuscany
dates back to 1870, when some pilgrims coming back from
the Spanish sanctuary of San Giacomo di Campostella
took it to Italy (that’s why it is also called Spanish
Ciliegiolo). On the contrary other experts are convinced
that the grapes in question are that scented “sweet
Ciregiolo”, which was mentioned by the Florentine writer
Soderini in the seventeenth century and whose fragrance
is improved at best by hot climates. But we know for
certain that they were only used for wine-making and
not much popular because only used as blending grapes. |
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In fact, in case of wine-making in pureness, these
grapes produced an almost colourless wine, which was
very fruity and alcoholic, but often plain for its
low acidity content. Moreover, due to their early
maturation, they were normally used as eating grapes
or for the production of not-aged table wines known
as “novelli toscani”.
This vine is now present in Central Italy (Liguria,
Umbria, Marches and Tuscany) where falls under the
following DOC grapes: Parrina, Colli Lucchesi, Chianti,
Chianti Classico, Colli di Luni.
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| But in the last few years
this vine has been rediscovered and rescued from extinction.
According to some recent studies carried out by Istituto
San Michele all’Adige, Ciliegiolo would be one of Sangiovese’s
“parents” together with other two varieties grown in
Campania named Palummina Mirabella and Calabrese Montenuovo.
At our farm, before 2000, a small quantity of these
grapes was normally added to other red grapes for the
production of Chianti Colli Senesi, giving this wine
colour, mellowness and a fresh cherry-flavoured aroma.
But since 2000, thanks to the precious advice of our
oenologist Francesco Bartoletti, the wine-making of
these grapes has been carried out in pureness. |
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| The result is an elegant
wine whose most important feature is, in addition to
its deep ruby colour with violet glints, the rich sweet
cherry-flavoured taste that is enriched by strong aromas
of morello cherry, prune and redcurrant/bilberry jam
due to its ageing in wooden casks. Since the very beginning
of its production our Ciliegiolo has always obtained
excellent acknowledgements and in the last few years
also important mentions at international level. |
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| In July 2005 our farm
officially joined the ARSIA project (Improvement of
Tuscan wine productions through the development of minor
autochthonous vines) in collaboration with Dipartimento
di Coltivazione e Difesa delle Specie Legnose (Department
of Cultivation and Defense of Wooden Species) of the
University of Pisa. |
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