🍇 Piedirosso

Piedirosso is a red wine grape grown mostly in Campania, in southern Italy. VIVC regards it as an Italian variety with black berries; one parent is named, Tintore, and the other is unknown. The name means "red feet": the Italian Wikipedia links it to the reddish color of the stalk and berry stems at ripeness, like a pigeon's feet.

According to the Italian Wikipedia, the variety is native to Campania and was already described by Pliny the Elder. The bunches are compact, 15–20 cm long; the berries are medium or large, with a thick red-violet skin. It ripens in the first or second ten days of October and is resistant to powdery mildew and botrytis. The area in Italy is estimated at about 700 ha (an estimate with no date given). The English Wikipedia calls Piedirosso a local specialty of the region, from which wines are made for locals and tourists; it is regarded as one of the parents of the Abbuoto variety from central Italy, and genetic analysis showed a close relationship with the white Caprettone.

It is grown mainly in the Campi Flegrei, on Vesuvius, on the Amalfi Coast, in Sannio and in Irpinia. The Campi Flegrei DOC, established in 1994, has a separate Piedirosso type: a ruby-red wine with an intense aroma, dry; there are also Riserva, Rosato and Passito.

VIVC lists 18 synonyms, including Per'e Palummo, Palombina nera, Piede di Colombo and Strepparossa.

Why it matters to you. On a label this variety may appear as Piedirosso, Per'e Palummo or Strepparossa: it is the same grape. Look for the single-variety wine under the name of the zone, for example Campi Flegrei Piedirosso.