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Teroldego is a deeply colored red wine grape grown mostly in the Trentino wine region of northern Italy where it is the main dark skinned variety. The variety produces deeply pigmented red wines with an intensely fruity characteristic, a style that has become something of an icon for Trentino's wine industry. It is soft and needs very little aging, usually being drunk within three years of bottling, though it can cellar well for up to 10 years.

In blends, it adds color, and is planted in Tuscany, Sicily and the Veneto mainly for this purpose, though some experimental varietal wines are also bottled. There is also a small amount grown in in Australia, California and Brazil.

In Teroldego's traditional home just north of Trento, on the flat land between the mountains, it was traditionally trained on pergolas to keep its vigor in check, but is now mostly trained in the more conventional Guyot system. Growers encounter some other issues – the late-ripening grapes do not always reach full maturity in the cool alpine climate, and are prone to falling off bunches easily, especially in windy sites. In humid years, botrytis bunch rot can cause problems.

There is just one DOC for varietal Teroldego wines: Teroldego Rotaliano. The Campo Rotaliano is a sandy, gravelly plain historically regarded as the best site for the variety. As such, it is one of the few site- and variety-specific appellations in Italy.

Teroldego is an ancient grape variety, and has been cultivated in Italy for hundreds of years. Several theories abound about the variety's name, including that it is derived from Tiroldola, another historic variety. It has also been suggested that the name is the Italian form of "golden Tyrol", based on the status its wines achieved throughout Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries.

DNA testing has revealed that Teroldego is a parent of Lagrein, and a sibling of Dureza which is a parent of Syrah. It is possibly also related to Pinot Noir.

Food matches for Teroldego include:

• Broth with bacon and dumplings
• Corned beef hash
• Beef couscous with raisins