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Canaiolo is a black-skinned Tuscan wine grape variety that was the main constituent of the Chianti blend up until the late 19th Century. It is still grown today throughout central Italy, and used as a blending grape in a wide range of Sangiovese-based wines. Just a handful of varietal Canaiolo wines are produced, although interest in the largely forgotten variety is increasing.

Canaiolo was once extensively planted in Tuscany, Lazio, Marche and Sardinia, and it still exists, to a limited extent, in these regions. Canaiolo’s downfall was largely due to its resistance to grafting to American rootstock, so it was not commonly replanted after Tuscany’s vines were ravaged by the phylloxera epidemic in the 19th Century.

However, Canaiolo has been of considerable importance historically in Chianti. In the days before electricity and temperature-controlled fermentation, winemakers were much more vulnerable to inclement weather; if external temperatures plummeted during the crucial fermentation phase then the winemaker risked losing the entire production of wine.

One of Canaiolo’s great strengths is its ability to dry without rotting, and winemakers in Chianti soon learned that a ferment that had been prematurely arrested by cold weather could be reinvigorated by adding a portion of semi-dried grapes to the tank. The extra sugar of the semi-dried Canaiolo grapes would kick-start the ferment again and save the harvest. Some even argue that Canaiolo is the grape responsible for the development of Chianti wine.

Canaiolo makes for soft and mellow wine with elegant aromatics and gentle tannins. It blends exceptionally well with Sangiovese and can accent herbaceous flavors found in the Chianti blend.

A white wine sub-variety called Canaiolo Bianco is grown in Umbria, where it is known as Drupeggio and used in the Orvieto blend.

Synonyms include: Canaiolo Nero, Caccione, Tindillaro, Uva Fosca.

Food matches for Canaiolo include:

• Wild boar and mushroom ragu with pappardelle
• Lamb and tahini koftas
• Skirt steak with herbed crust