Bonarda Wine

Bonarda is a pseudonym used for four entirely distinct red grape varieties; three from northern Italy, and one from Argentina.

The oldest 'Bonarda', and the only one without a current synonym, is Bonarda Piedmontese. This is an aromatic variety, now near extinction but which once rivaled Barbera and Nebbiolo in the vineyards of western Piedmont. Although quite capable of producing distinctive wines of good quality, this 'Bonarda' was replanted only sparsely after the phylloxera epidemic of the 1880s, its plots often reallocated to Barbera. This is most likely because Bonarda Piedmontese vines offered only very low yields, and winegrowers at that time were forced to think in pragmatic, economic terms as they attempted to re-establish their vineyards.

The other two Italian 'Bonarda' vines are also from the country's north, and both are currently used in the Po Valley, slightly to the east of where the original Bonarda Piedmontese grew. Croatina, whose name betrays its origins in Croatia, is the most significant of these. It has long masqueraded under the name 'Bonarda' in southern Lombardy, most notably in the Oltrepo Pavese DOC, whose vineyard it shares with Barbera, Vespolina and increasing quantities of Pinot Noir. There are now even varietally labeled Oltrepo Pavese Bonarda wines (including a sparkling frizzante version) made from Croatina. The grape is also used slightly further down the Po Valley, in the Colli Piacentini hills of western Emilia-Romagna. Piacenza, the city at the heart the hills, lies just 30 miles (50km) south-east of Pavia, so it is easy to see how the name Bonarda spread gradually from west to east over the years, albeit to identify three completely different vine varieties.

Uva Rara is the final Italian 'Bonarda' grape, in this case Bonarda Novarese. It is called this because it hails from the hills above Novara, a Piedmontese town located just south of Lake Maggiore. Like Croatina, Uva Rara is used in Oltrepo Pavese wines, thankfully going under its Uva Rara title. As might be obvious from the name, Uva Rara was once quite a rare vine here, although it is now one of the key red varieties around Pavia.

The majority of 'Bonarda' grapes grown in the world are planted in Argentina, not Italy. Here, the grapes are used both in blends (often with the Argentine icon Malbec) and in varietal wines. But even this story is not simple, as the Argentine version is most probably Charbono, which has itself been confused with various varieties. The job of an ampelographer is rarely simple.