You can get a site directory by clicking on the “hamburger” icon () in the upper right of this page.
Or you can search this site with Google (standard Google-search rules apply).
(Be aware that “sponsored” links to other sites will appear atop the actual results.)
Search term(s):
Welcome to That Useful Wine Site!
You have apparently come to this page from a link on a search engine or another site. If this is your first visit here, I much recommend that you take a few minutes to look over the introductory material accessible via the blue “Introductory” zone of the Site Menu available from the “hamburger” icon in the upper right of this (and every) page. An understanding of the purposes and principles of organization of this site will, I hope and believe, much augment your experience here, for this page and in general. You can simply click this link to get at the site front page, which, unsurprisingly, is the best place to start. Thank you for visiting.
Grignolino is a red-wine grape originating in the Piedmont region of Italy, and dates back to, at the very least, the 1200s. Once widely grown across that region, Grignolino is nowadays mainly produced in the hills around Asti and Alessandra provinces; the chief DOCs are Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese, Grignolino d’Asti, and Piemonte Grignolino, the Grignolino of first of those being the most respected. The variety is also grown in a few other locales in Italy and also in the U.S.—famously, by one winery in Napa (Heitz) reknowned for its proprietor’s six-decade dedication to the grape.
Grignolino wines are most noted for three things: their extraordinarily pale color (looking more like a rosé or even an “orange wine”; their extraordinarily dense tannins—the latter a consequence of the grape’s unusually high density of seeds (3 to 4 times that of any other wine grape); and their extraordinarily high acidity. Besides those qualities, the wines tend to be light on alcohol and to possess a floral/herbal tone sometimes called “Alpine”. They are typically best consumed young, but their tannin content often allows them to withstand significant bottle aging.
Factoid: The king of Italy, when he was housed in Torino, used to have Grignolino on his table before Barolo was “invented”.
“It makes light colored wines and rosés with very fruity aromas, strong acidity and tannins. The name Grignolino derives from the word grignole which means ‘many pips’ in the local Piedmontese dialect of the Asti region. The abundance of pips, or seeds, contributes to the strong, bitter tannins associated with the wine. Modern winemaker try to avoid the excess tannins with gentle and slow pressings…Producers in the Asti region try to model Grignolino on the wines of Beaujolais and those made from the Dolcetto grape in the Cuneo. These light bodied, pale colored wines are made to be consumed young…Wines made from Grignolino can have noticeably strong acidity and fruity aroma with alpine notes…Grignolino is highly prone to mutation, creating a significant amount of clonal variation. These different clones of Grignolino can impart different aromas and flavor characteristics ranging from green herbal, leafy notes and vegetable stock to raspberry and fruit. The grape is also highly reflective of its terroir and the different types of vineyard soils that it may be planted in.”
“The name Grignolino derives from the Piedmontese dialectal term grignolo, which means ‘pip’. It serves as a warning that the variety produces grapes abundant in pips, and therefore tannins. The name does not, however, give any hint as to the grapes’ searing acidity. Naturally high levels of tannin and acidity might suggest that Grignolino could rank alongside Piedmont’s two most successful red varieties, Nebbiolo and Barbera, whose tannin and acid structure is a key element in their success. But this has not proven to be the case. The absence of warmth and intrigue in Grignolino wines has left the variety as a kind of back-up…Grignolino was [once] tipped to become to Barolo and Barbaresco what Beaujolais is to Burgundy. But even now, in the early years of the 21st Century, there is little sign of this prediction proving accurate…That said, Piedmontese vignerons like a challenge (evidenced in their devotion to the awkward Nebbiolo grape), so a Grignolino revival is not out of the question.”
“Grignolino is traditionally found in Monferrato, a town in southern Piedmont. This is a wine meant to drink fresh and young…Many Grignolino lovers feel that this wine comes close to Gamay in a fruit-forward style, and to Pinot Noir as well. While this may be true in aroma and flavor, Grignolino does not have the structure of a top Pinot Noir, nor the length. But why would this matter? Grignolino is meant to be a simple, easy to drink and enjoy wine. Though its home is in Italy, it is increasingly planted in California as well. ”
“It’s a unique variety, as the color is quite delicate—typically pink/garnet—with rich tannins, yet this is not a powerhouse wine in the manner of the most famous regional reds, many of which are produced from the Nebbiolo variety. Rather, this is a medium-bodied, distinctively spicy red wine that in some cases can be enjoyed with a slight chill or at cellar temperature, either upon release one or two years after the vintage, or as long as 7-10 years post harvest…The quality of Grignolino keeps improving, and [winemaker Giuseppe] Bologna sees even greater success for the wine. ‘A vigorous search for new expressions of the Grignolino grape is underway,’ he remarks, ‘aimed at raising the quality of the wine by vinifying grapes grown in crus, late harvesting, use of amphorae and a return to the use of wood.’”
“Grignolino, the wine, which Jancis Robinson, the renowned British wine writer, described as ‘the flirtatious aromatic side of Piemonte’s…wines’, has fallen out of favor. Consumers clamor over round robust reds. Grignolino, by contrast, is the opposite. This lightly colored wine…just a shade darker than many rosés—takes on orange hues with only a year or two of bottle age…The best Grignolino comes, not from the more famous Langhe hills, but from the Monferrato hills around Asti in the DOC zones of Grignolino di Asti and Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese. Grignolino di Asti comes from the area’s sandy soil, which means it’s lighter compared to Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese, which has more structure and a fuller body because of that zone’s loamy clay and limestone soil. The distinction is relative since Grignolino from both areas are lightly colored, light-bodied reds.”
“It’s quite rare to see a new wine emerge from such a traditional region as Piedmont, but this summer [2019] sees not only the release of the first wine from the Barolo cru of Raviole, but also the first aged Grignolinos labelled as Monferace. Monferace is the ancient name of the Monferrato region, where an association of ten Piedmontese producers has rediscovered the intriguing concept of ageing the red Grignolino variety, holding it back for at least 40 months, 24 of which are in oak.”
“Grignolino is an intense grape variety. It produces some intense red wines that are high in tannins as well as acids and provides for some warm relief during Piedmontese winters. In fact, Grignolino possesses characteristics that are very similar to globally popular varieties like Nebbiolo and Barbera, whose tannins and acids rank very similar to Grignolino. This puts the latter grape in the same league of high quality reds, although Grignolino has for long, and still in present times, a very locally consumed variety…Grignolino is both intense as well as a light bodied grape. One of the first things of notice that comes to mind is its translucent colour which is cranberry-hued and a shade that is darker than the rose…The Grignolino is a thin skinned grape, meaning that it does not give its wines that jammy touch that is experienced with other grapes like Nebbiolo that have a thick skin structure. This is, however, offset by the grape’s fresh flavours and notes. The zippy acidity of Grignolino matches perfectly with its fresh fruit flavours of raspberries and tart strawberries. Mixed with a ton of warm notes of cinnamon and cloves, makes this grape a very refreshing choice to the tongue.”
“Grignolino is generally light-bodied, with strawberry and cherry notes and a bitter almond finish, which can sometimes be more rhubarb-like in character…While Grignolino from northern Italy is especially earthy, you can actually find a few producers making it in California in a softer, perfumed style with slightly less bitterness.”
If you have found that this site lives up to its name, “useful”, we would be grateful if you would post a link to it wherever you post on the internet—social media, websites, whatever—and also mention it to any wine-loving friends or co-workers. But, in any event, thanks for visiting!
) in the upper right of this page.
Some Descriptions of Grignolino Wines
“It makes light colored wines and rosés with very fruity aromas, strong acidity and tannins. The name Grignolino derives from the word grignole which means ‘many pips’ in the local Piedmontese dialect of the Asti region. The abundance of pips, or seeds, contributes to the strong, bitter tannins associated with the wine. Modern winemaker try to avoid the excess tannins with gentle and slow pressings…Producers in the Asti region try to model Grignolino on the wines of Beaujolais and those made from the Dolcetto grape in the Cuneo. These light bodied, pale colored wines are made to be consumed young…Wines made from Grignolino can have noticeably strong acidity and fruity aroma with alpine notes…Grignolino is highly prone to mutation, creating a significant amount of clonal variation. These different clones of Grignolino can impart different aromas and flavor characteristics ranging from green herbal, leafy notes and vegetable stock to raspberry and fruit. The grape is also highly reflective of its terroir and the different types of vineyard soils that it may be planted in.”
“The name Grignolino derives from the Piedmontese dialectal term grignolo, which means ‘pip’. It serves as a warning that the variety produces grapes abundant in pips, and therefore tannins. The name does not, however, give any hint as to the grapes’ searing acidity. Naturally high levels of tannin and acidity might suggest that Grignolino could rank alongside Piedmont’s two most successful red varieties, Nebbiolo and Barbera, whose tannin and acid structure is a key element in their success. But this has not proven to be the case. The absence of warmth and intrigue in Grignolino wines has left the variety as a kind of back-up…Grignolino was [once] tipped to become to Barolo and Barbaresco what Beaujolais is to Burgundy. But even now, in the early years of the 21st Century, there is little sign of this prediction proving accurate…That said, Piedmontese vignerons like a challenge (evidenced in their devotion to the awkward Nebbiolo grape), so a Grignolino revival is not out of the question.”
“Grignolino is traditionally found in Monferrato, a town in southern Piedmont. This is a wine meant to drink fresh and young…Many Grignolino lovers feel that this wine comes close to Gamay in a fruit-forward style, and to Pinot Noir as well. While this may be true in aroma and flavor, Grignolino does not have the structure of a top Pinot Noir, nor the length. But why would this matter? Grignolino is meant to be a simple, easy to drink and enjoy wine. Though its home is in Italy, it is increasingly planted in California as well. ”
“It’s a unique variety, as the color is quite delicate—typically pink/garnet—with rich tannins, yet this is not a powerhouse wine in the manner of the most famous regional reds, many of which are produced from the Nebbiolo variety. Rather, this is a medium-bodied, distinctively spicy red wine that in some cases can be enjoyed with a slight chill or at cellar temperature, either upon release one or two years after the vintage, or as long as 7-10 years post harvest…The quality of Grignolino keeps improving, and [winemaker Giuseppe] Bologna sees even greater success for the wine. ‘A vigorous search for new expressions of the Grignolino grape is underway,’ he remarks, ‘aimed at raising the quality of the wine by vinifying grapes grown in crus, late harvesting, use of amphorae and a return to the use of wood.’”
“Grignolino, the wine, which Jancis Robinson, the renowned British wine writer, described as ‘the flirtatious aromatic side of Piemonte’s…wines’, has fallen out of favor. Consumers clamor over round robust reds. Grignolino, by contrast, is the opposite. This lightly colored wine…just a shade darker than many rosés—takes on orange hues with only a year or two of bottle age…The best Grignolino comes, not from the more famous Langhe hills, but from the Monferrato hills around Asti in the DOC zones of Grignolino di Asti and Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese. Grignolino di Asti comes from the area’s sandy soil, which means it’s lighter compared to Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese, which has more structure and a fuller body because of that zone’s loamy clay and limestone soil. The distinction is relative since Grignolino from both areas are lightly colored, light-bodied reds.”
“It’s quite rare to see a new wine emerge from such a traditional region as Piedmont, but this summer [2019] sees not only the release of the first wine from the Barolo cru of Raviole, but also the first aged Grignolinos labelled as Monferace. Monferace is the ancient name of the Monferrato region, where an association of ten Piedmontese producers has rediscovered the intriguing concept of ageing the red Grignolino variety, holding it back for at least 40 months, 24 of which are in oak.”
“Grignolino is an intense grape variety. It produces some intense red wines that are high in tannins as well as acids and provides for some warm relief during Piedmontese winters. In fact, Grignolino possesses characteristics that are very similar to globally popular varieties like Nebbiolo and Barbera, whose tannins and acids rank very similar to Grignolino. This puts the latter grape in the same league of high quality reds, although Grignolino has for long, and still in present times, a very locally consumed variety…Grignolino is both intense as well as a light bodied grape. One of the first things of notice that comes to mind is its translucent colour which is cranberry-hued and a shade that is darker than the rose…The Grignolino is a thin skinned grape, meaning that it does not give its wines that jammy touch that is experienced with other grapes like Nebbiolo that have a thick skin structure. This is, however, offset by the grape’s fresh flavours and notes. The zippy acidity of Grignolino matches perfectly with its fresh fruit flavours of raspberries and tart strawberries. Mixed with a ton of warm notes of cinnamon and cloves, makes this grape a very refreshing choice to the tongue.”
“Grignolino is generally light-bodied, with strawberry and cherry notes and a bitter almond finish, which can sometimes be more rhubarb-like in character…While Grignolino from northern Italy is especially earthy, you can actually find a few producers making it in California in a softer, perfumed style with slightly less bitterness.”