Ortrugo is a white wine grape native to Italy. Its original name was ‘Altruga’ but this was something of an insult and meant ‘from somewhere else’ or ‘another grape’ but not one to be highly considered, despite it producing consistently acceptable yields of enjoyable, lemony-crisp whites. It was initially used for blending but in the 1970s local growers decided to ferment and age it on its own.

Where grown: Today Ortrugo is the most common white wine grape in the Piacenza area of Emilia Romagna. Historically it was mainly used for blending –the name comes from “Altruga” or “Artruga” meaning “the other grape” in the Piacenza dialect. Thanks to the foresight of some producers, who started making Ortrugo on its own, it was rediscovered as a wine in its own right in the early 1970s, and still enjoys success today, even outside regional boundaries. This renewed interest in Ortrugo led to its attaining DOC status in the early 1980s. Ortrugo is mainly made as a semi-sparkling and sparkling wine thanks to its crisp green apple acidity. In Emilia-Romagna Ortrugo’s stamping ground is the Piacenza area (the Ardia, Nure, Tidone, and Trebbia valleys) or Colli Piacentini where it features in the Colli Piacentini DOC. See Ortrugo dei Colli Piacentini or Ortrugo Colli Piacentini DOC and Colli Piacentini DOC Vin Santo. In Lombardy Ortrugo is found in the Oltrepo Pavese (see Oltrepo Pavese DOC).

Wines: Bianco di Castelfranco Emili IGT. | Colli Piacentini DOC. | Colli Piacentini Vin Santo DOC. | Emilia IGT. | Forlì IGT. | Ortrugo DOC (min. 90%). | Ravenna IGT. | Rubicone IGT.