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Trebbiano (or Ugni Blanc in France) is a white-wine grape originally from Italy, where it generates large quantities of simple but refreshing white wine. The variety has spread northwards from the Italian peninsula into various parts of Europe, most notably France, where it has become the quintessential ingredient in both Cognac and Armagnac. There are in fact a number of varieties that bear the name Trebbiano; some are genetically related, some not. This page is about the most common form, Trebbiano Toscano.

Despite being the most widely used white-wine variety in the world's top two wine countries (Italy and France), Trebbiano is far from famous. The reason is that the variety lacks prestige, so its name almost never appears on labels. Most wine made from Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc grapes disappears into blends, or is distilled into brandy.

In Italy, Trebbiano Toscano is sanctioned for use in about 85 of the country's 300-plus DOCs, but just three DOCGs (confirming its status as a grape of quantity rather than quality). Its most common use is as a blending component, although a handful of DOCs specifically cover single-variety Trebbiano wines. The best known of these is Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, the white-wine answer to red Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. The variety is relatively common in Umbria, where it goes by the name Procanico, and plays a key role in the wines of Orvieto. Neighboring Lazio is the only Italian region where this workhorse variety is used in wines of DOCG quality, specifically Frascati Superiore and sweet Cannellino di Frascati. In both of these wines, Trebbiano is blended with its most common partner, Malvasia Bianca.

The grape is most prevalent in Tuscany, however, as implied by the suffix Toscano. It was once so widespread there that it was used even in Tuscany's famous red wines – a practice so common that the wine authorities were forced to officially permit it in the appellation laws. As of 2014, Trebbiano Toscano was still permitted (up to 10 percent of the blend) in red Carmignano.

It is believed that Trebbiano was introduced to France during the 14th Century, when the papal court moved from Rome to Avignon, in the southern Rhone Valley. In 15th and 16th Centuries, the variety was used in various parts of southeastern France, under the name Ugni Blanc. Its popularity dwindled in subsequent centuries, and it is now only rarely found in any of France's Mediterranean wine regions. It has enjoyed resounding success, however, on the Atlantic side of France, specifically in the Charentais (Cognac) and Gascony (Armagnac). Here, it is used to produce vast quantities of light, crisp, relatively neutral-tasting white wine, the majority of which is distilled into brandy.

Ugni Blanc is extremely well matched to the needs of Cognac and Armagnac brandy producers, who need their grapes to be high in acidity, low in sugar and resistant to disease. Low sugar levels translate to low alcohol levels in the base wines, which allows them to be distilled for longer before they reach their intended alcoholic strength (53-60 percent in Armagnac and 72 percent in Cognac). The more the base wines are distilled, the purer the resulting spirit. High acidity acts as a natural antiseptic, keeping the grapes and wines free from bacterial spoilage. Sulfur, the wine industry's ubiquitous anti-bacterial agent, is not used in Cognac or Armagnac, as distillation would concentrate it into strong aromas, such as stewed cabbage or rotten eggs.

Ugni Blanc's disease resistance is key to its success in the Charentais (where it accounts for 95 percent of all Cognac production), whose cool, damp climate increases the risk of rot in the vineyards. Rot-prone grape varieties would simply not be useful here; rotten grapes make bad wine, bad wine makes awful brandy.

Outside France and Italy, the variety has a small presence in Portugal (where it is known as Tália), but has never seemed necessary in Spain, whose widely planted Airen more than satisfies demand for brandy and light white wines. It is also known in several New World wine nations, mainly South America (Argentina and, to a lesser extent, Uruguay) but also Australia, where it was most likely introduced by Italian migrants.

Other "Trebbiano" grape varieties include Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Trebbiano Giallo, Trebbiano Modenese, Trebbiano Romagnolo and Trebbiano Spoletino. The names Trebbiano di Lugana, Trebbiano di Soave and Trebbiano Valtenesi are synonyms for Verdicchio.

Synonyms include: Clairette Ronde, Procanico, Biancame (erroneously)

Food matches for Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc include:

• Sardines in vinegar (escabèche)

• Vietnamese savory pancakes (bánh xèo)

• Crayfish laksa