This week’s indigenous variety from Italy hails from Tuscany. It’s called Morone Nero and is a large black grape as the name suggests. Moro in Italian means black. It is used as a blending grape in small quantities and is said to bring color to the blend. I found one winery where is it mentioned, Fattoria Ruschi Noceti but their website doesn’t give much information other than that they are bringing back older varieties that are no longer grown such as Morone. Apparently the University of Pisa is studying the grapes they are growing in their vineyards. The winery is in an area in Tuscany that I love and that is not that well-known called the Lunigiana. They are located on the border with Emilia Romagna and Liguria and have strong influences from both in terms of their cuisine, landscape and character but they are Tuscany at heart.

I have friends who have a home in Pontremoli so I have spent some time their eating the amazing foods that include porcini mushrooms, Testaroli with Pesto, and their amazing dessert called Amor. I found a lovely article about Pontremoli by a journalist who just visited. His name is Bill Breckon and he writes for The Florentine. Click here to read his piece on Pontremoli.

The next seven varieties I am going to discuss are all Moscato related. I look forward to this periods with one grape family as with the Malvasia posts of last year. I just marvel at home many grape varieties start with “M” and call Italy their native home. This is my 195th post on Italian indigenous varieties. I’ve been writing this series for over nine years off and on but it is striking just how many their are and I’m only on the 13th letter of the Alphabet so halfway through, although I have fewer grape varieties in the second section of the Alphabet.