W hilethe export market is flooded with pale pink Pinot Grigio and Chiaretto, and more recently with pink Prosecco, the trends in planting paint a confusing picture. Italy appears to be one of the few countries where the production of rosé is declining, even if there are more and more producers adding rosé to their portfolio. Italy’s rosé (rosato) is still widely regarded as a ‘lesser’ wine lacking historical antecedents, made of varieties seen as having failed as a red wine – acheap wine for the beach and export.
To counter this widespread negative image, president of the Chiaretto di Bardolino DOC Angelo Peretti, who spearheaded its rosé revolution in 2014, launched a charter in 2018 validating the historic and traditional character of Italian rosé, focusing on DOCs based on traditional varieties: Chiaretto di Bardolino (Corvina), Chiaretto di Valtènesi (Gropello), Castel del Monte (Bombino Nero, the only DOCG rosato), Salice Salentino (Negroamaro) and Cirò (Gaglioppo).
There are many more traditional Italian rosés made with indigenous varieties, however: Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo in Abruzzo; Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo and Alicante (a genetic match with Spain’s Garnacha)
