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Croatina grapes

by | Nov 17, 2016

Croatina is a very popular variety of red wine grapes which is primarily grown in the region of Oltrepo Pavese of Lombardy as well as the Province of Piacenza that falls within the Emilia Romagna.

Croatina

This variety also marks its presence in the Veneto as well as Piedmont. Both of these regions belong of northern Italy and these are the areas where this variety of grape is cultivated in abundance.

The name of this grape has been given after Croatia. This grape is cultivated in the coastal region of Primorska Hrvatska. This is the same region where the cultivation of two other varieties, namely, Primitivo as well as Zinfandel, its American version is cultivated.

These vines of Croatina do not find their roots in Croatia but have been apparently brought across the Adriatic Sea, arriving firstly in Ravenna or Venice.

This variety of grape is considered as one probable source of a variety of distinctive wines such as Primitivo, which is considered as one of the most admirable wine of Italy. Today, this grapevine covers the majority of regions in Italy, where it is finally cultivated and taken care by the locals.

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This grape is used in a number of wines as a blending grape and the results of this blending give birth to some of the most tasteful wines of the world. In some of the wines, the contribution of this grape variety remains monovarietal while in the others the case remains very contrary.

This grape appears monvarietal in the wines that include the names like Piemontese, Colli Tortionesi, Coste della Sesia Croatina, Oltrepo Pavese Bonarda.

In all other varieties of Italian wines, the percentage of this grape falls on a smaller side. This grape wine is sometimes addressed by its synonym called Bonarda.

Bonarda is nothing but a nickname that Croatina shares with Bonarda Piedmontese as well as Uva Rara.

Origin

According to the name of this wine grape, the ultimate origin of this grape is in Croatia. But today, this wine grape is well established in the various regions of Italy.

The plantings of Croatina covered an area of less than 9000 acres in the early 21st century. It clearly means that the existence of this wine is slowly getting threatened by other grapevines cultivated in the regions.

With the rising popularity of various international varieties like Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon as well as Cabernet, the future and fate of Croatina will completely rely upon the local wine producer who would probably be able to bring back the attention and charm of this wine among all the wine lovers.

Features

The characteristics of this variety of red wine grape are very much similar to that of Dolcetto grape. The wines produced out of Croatina are fruity, deeply colored as well as mildly tannic. These wines can also benefit from the bottle aging.

All the varieties of wines that are produced from Croatina are usually described as dark as to their appearance, fruity as to their taste along with a certain crisp or bite entertained by them.

In terms of their ageing these wines differ from one-another. The sources too contradict the opinions of aging of this wine. Some sources claim that the wines produced out of this grape taste the best when they are drunk in their younger version.

On the contrary, other sources say that the more mature is the wine the better is its taste. The wines made out of this grape are mostly compared with the Dolcetto wines.

Some of the Croatina wines are vinified off-dry as well as sparkling. The ripening, which circles mid to late delvers the dark color of these wines. These wines are low in terms of their acidity which is an impressive characteristic.

In terms of their expressions, these wines mostly resemble Montepulciano or Dolcetto. All the wines produced out of Croatina are attractive in terms of their qualities and serve you a good value for the money that you invest into them. The aromas as well as flavors of these wines are pretty admirable.

Though this variety of wine grape is not a strong player on the world stage of wines, but it sure produces a majority of satisfactory wines that are well worth attention.

Food Pairing

The wines produced from Croatina taste the best when they are served with Pappardelle pasta along with mushroom, any barbecued food item as well as zucchini.

Author

Michael Bredahl

Michael Bredahl

Wine Writer

Michael is an online enthusiast, with a lot of knowledge about online marketing. Traveling around the world to hunt for the perfect wine. Latest on Sicily, where Etna has a huge impact on the taste, which is strong with a bitter aftertaste for the youngest wines, but older wines are fantastic. Drinking wine, and writing about them, are one the passions. Remember to drink responsibly 🙂

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