Aleatico is a moderate to strongly aromatic red wine grape variety (D’Agata, 2019, p.19) native to central Italy with a history dating back to the ancient Romans. An off-spring of Moscato Bianco it is also related to Lacrima and possibly Sangiovese. A biotype of Aleatico in Le Marche region was historically known as Vernaccia di Pergola. See Pergola DOC.
Synonyms: Aleatica. | Aleatica di Firenze. | Aleatico dell’Elba. | Aleatico di Altamura. | Aleatico di Benevento.| Aleatichina.
Viticulture: Round or pentagonal leaf. Medium-large cluster and berry.
Wine style: Aromas and flavors are similar to those of a red Moscato; look for rose, violet, lavender, strawberry, raspberry, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Typically dark in colour.
Wine styles: Red, pink (‘rosato’) and even vinified as a white wine. Dry rosato and sweet passito wines are specialties, the latter often made from air-dried grapes.
Wines: Elba Aleatico Passito or Aleatico d’Elba Passito DOCG, Tuscany. | Aleatico is also used in various IGPs in central Italy (Tuscany to Le Marche) and Puglia.
Bibliography
Dr Ian D’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy (University of California Press, 2014).
Dr Ian d’Agata, Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs (University of California Press, 2019).
Italian Wine Unplugged (Positive Press, 2017), p.79-80.
Oxford Companion to Wine 4th edition ed. Jancis Robinson MW and Julia Harding MW (Oxford University Press, 2015), p.39.