This week’s Italian indigenous variety is called Negrara. There are two different Negrara’s though, one is that of the Veneto and the other of Trentino-Alto Adige. The former is an essential component in wines from the Veneto such as Amarone and Valpolicella which is why I put a picture of Verona at the top of this page. It is also a component of wines from Bardolino, Breganze Rosso and other doc wines made in Lombardy.  The latter can be found in wines from the Valadige and is the only one used to make a monovarietal wine and is apparently the more one that is making a comeback, according to Ian d’Agata in his Native Grapes treatise. It is a black skinned grape that is particularly sensitive to vine diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew and even botrytis.

I’m going backward through the “N” series of grape varieties as I had left out some of the very important ones such as this variety. I have always had an awkward relationship to Amarone. I’m hoping to improve an that this year.