Cococciola is a white wine grape native to Italy. Cococciola was thought to be a biotype of Trebbiano Toscano and and to originate in Puglia. It is likely to be a relative of Bombino Bianco. It was essentially unknown outside its immediate production zone in the Abruzzo region until the 1990s. This was because Cococciola was anonymously blended into wines such as Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC.
Also known as: Cocacciara and Cacciola.
Viticulture: Early ripening, easy to grow and high yielding, Cococciola is adaptable even in less favourable sites; all of which make it very appealing to growers.
Wine style: Cococciola can be a blending component in dry, still whites. Few mono-varietal wines are made from it. Occasional sparkling versions. Pale straw green in colour. Delicate menthol and lemon aromas and flavours. Vibrant acidity, tactile saline, herbal quality.
Wines: Abruzzo: Abruzzo DOC. | Colline Pescaresi IGP. | Terre di Chieti IGP. | Puglia: Puglia IGT. | Also grown in: Molise.
Bibliography
See Ian D’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy (University of California Press, 2014).
Italian Wine Unplugged (Positive Press, 2017), p.93-4.