Baudains: A rosy future for Ciliegiolo

Ciliegiolo is the diminutive form of ‘ciliegia’ (cherry), and never was a name more apt than for this native grape of central Italy, because fresh red cherry is exactly the way the wine tastes. There might be a hint of other red fruits and there is often a gentle spicy note, sometimes even some rose petal – but cherry is its signature.

For a long time, it was thought that the grape had been brought to Italy by pilgrims returning from Santa Maria de Compostela in Galicia, but Ian d’Agata, in his erudite tome Native Wine Grapes of Italy (2014), cites DNA analysis which dispels this myth by demonstrating that Ciliegiolo is in fact a crossing of Sangiovese and Moscato Violetto.

Interestingly, the leaf and the bunches of Ciliegiolo are very similar in appearance to those of Sangiovese, and in the traditional mixed-variety vineyards the two were often not distinguished. Additionally, the former was rarely vinified alone but rather used in blends with Sangiovese.

Scroll down for 10 scintillating Ciliegiolo to try

Tiny plantings

Ciliegiolo is moderately tannic with medium to rich alcohol and low acidity, which make for a soft, smooth texture on the palate. The potential weak spot is the low acidity. If the alcohol goes up further than the acidity can cope with, the result can be a certain flabbiness, but when everything is in the right place, Ciliegiolo is a delicious and very original wine.

ISTAT data shows that the surface area planted to Ciliegiolo nationally has plummeted from just over 6,000 hectares in the early 1980s, to the current figure of 1,195ha. Almost half of this is in Tuscany (551ha) and of this, more than half is in the province of Grosseto (309ha). Umbria has 130ha and Lazio just over 115ha.

When you consider that in Tuscany, the region with the biggest production, Ciliegiolo represents less than 1% of the total vineyard area, it is clear that we are talking about a niche variety.

Renewed interest

However, there are signs of a revival. The consorzio of the Maremma Toscana DOC puts the current production of Ciliegiolo in the denomination at around 400,000 bottles a year, and reports an increase in plantings of the variety.

Something is moving behind the scenes too: figures from the National Grape Vine Register show a steady up-turn in the number of grafted Ciliegiolo plants produced over the last four years.

According to the same source, nurseries turned out a total of 461,662 vines in 2022. If these were all planted ex novo, it would translate into around 92ha of new vineyard – definitely a sign of interest in the variety.

Another sign of changing attitudes is the Ciliegiolo di Maremma e d’Italia event, created in 2023 and now in its second edition. Over the past two years, the show has brought together around 125 wines from the current vintage releases, and about the same number in single-producer, vertical tastings.

I am very happy to have followed both editions, held in the village of Sorano in the Maremma (incidentally, a real gem), and these are my thoughts on Ciliegiolo gained so far:

Ageability: I am open to be persuaded otherwise, but my impression is that Ciliegiolo drinks best in one to four years. Tasting verticals back to 2012, my experience is that older wines perform unevenly and often dry out. I am also not convinced of the relevance of a Riserva category for Ciliegiolo.

Vinification: Around half of the producers on show vinify and age their wines in stainless steel and/or cement vats, and this maintains the integrity of the fruit. Used with discretion, barrel ageing brings out another dimension, but too much new oak adds a layer which Ciliegiolo does not need.

Vintages: The 2023s are fresh and direct, a little light but very enjoyable. Wines from 2022 are more structured, and drier. The best of the current vintages is 2021, with all the aromas of the variety and a touch more concentration in the fruit. The 2020s are more tannic, with sometimes overripe fruit. Despite my comments above about older wines, in the vertical tastings the 2016s showed very well – head and shoulders above the other older vintages.

Sites: The focus of production is the mid-to-higher slopes of the Maremma, around the villages of Magliano, Manciano and Scansano, where Ciliegiolo thrives in the same soils as the Sangiovese of the Morellino di Scansano DOCG. The tuffaceous soils at Pitilgiano have long been recognised for generously full-bodied wines. In Umbria, the Narni IGT makes – on the basis of limited experience of a small production – refined wines with a marked floral-herby character.

Ciliegiolo’s future

Like Vermentino, which has exploded over the past 10 years on the Tuscan coast, Ciliegiolo is a quintessentially Mediterranean variety, perfectly in its element in the Maremma where international varieties are suffering the effects of climate change.

If Ciliegiolo is going to take off on a larger scale – and there are signs that the ambition is not lacking – the Tuscan coast is going to be the launch pad.

Ciliegiolo: 10 to try

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