The red grape variety originates from Italy. Synonyms are Carosaella Nera, Coda di Volpe Nera, Coda di Volpe Rossa, Due Code, Mangiaguerra, Oliorpa, Pallagrella Nera, Pallagrello Nero di Pico, Piede Lungo de Cellera, Piedilungo and Piedimonte Rosso. It is not a colour mutation of the varieties Coda di Volpe Bianca or Pallagrello Bianco. According to DNA analyses carried out in 2001, there is a genetic relationship with the Casavecchia variety. However, the parentage is unknown. In any case, it is not a colour mutation of Pallagrello Bianco. Both varieties were planted under the then names Piedimonte Bianco and Piedimonte Rosso in the famous "Vigna del Ventaglio" on Monte San Leucio. Located near the royal palace of Caserta in Campania, this vineyard, which has now disappeared, was completed by the famous architect Luigi Vanvitelli (1700-1773) or his son in 1775 for King Ferdinand I of Sicily (1751-1825). It was laid out in a semicircular shape in the form of a fan divided into ten segments with ten grape varieties.
Both Pallagrello varieties were almost extinct and were reactivated by the lawyer and amateur winemaker Peppe Mancini in the 1990s. The medium to late ripening, low-yielding vine is resistant to botrytis. It yields tannin-rich red wines with cherry aromas. The variety is cultivated in small quantities mainly in the Campanian province of Caserta, as well as in Avellino and Campobasso. In 2016, a total cultivated area of 107 hectares was reported, with a strong downward trend; in 2010, the figure was 169 hectares (Kym Anderson statistics).
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Images: M.I.P.A.F - National Vine Certification Service
