The red grape variety originates from Italy. Synonyms are Cruaja, Cruajo, Fogarina, Friulara, Friulara di Bagnoli, Friularo, Friularo Rabiosa, Rabosa, Rabosa Friualara, Rabosa Nera, Raboso, Raboso del Piave, Raboso di Conegliano, Raboso di Piave, Raboso Friularo, Raboso Nera, Raboso Nostrale, Raboso Nostrano, Raboso Nostrano Nero and Rabozo Pijave. It should not be confused with the varieties Fogarina, Groppello Gentile, Gruaja or Raboso Veronese, despite seemingly suggestive synonyms or morphological or name similarities. According to DNA analyses carried out in 2006, the Raboso Veronese variety was created from a presumably natural cross between Raboso Piave x Marzemina Bianca. Until then, Raboso Piave and Raboso Veronese were considered to be identical or varieties. The parentage is also supported by the fact that Raboso Piave was first mentioned in 1679, while Raboso Veronese was only mentioned in the 19th century. Furthermore, analyses carried out in 2011 revealed a parent-descendant relationship between Raboso Piave and Fogarina.
The assumption published by some wineries that the wine "Picinia omnium nigerrima" (wine blacker than tar) mentioned by Pliny the Elder (23-79) was vinified from a Raboso ancestor is unlikely or can no longer be proven. The name "Raboso" (rabbioso = rabid, wild) probably refers to the distinctly tart and astringent taste of the red wines or to the Piave tributary Raboso. The late-maturing, high-yielding vine is resistant to various fungal diseases such as downy mildew, botrytis, grape rot and esca, but is susceptible to powdery mildew. It yields richly colored ruby red wines that are high in acidity and tannins.
The variety is cultivated in the Italian region Veneto in the two provinces Treviso and Padua. There, it is allowed - mostly together with the Raboso Veronese variety - in the DOC/DOCG wines Bagnoli di Sopra, Bagnoli Friularo, Colli Euganei, Corti Benedettine del Padovano, Merlara, Piave, Piave Malanotte, Riviera del Brenta, Venezia and Vicenza. In the early 1970s, it still occupied over 6,300 hectares of vineyards, but was increasingly replaced by international varieties. The Italian cultivation area amounts to only 641 hectares anymore. In Argentina, this means 24 hectares are occupied. In 2016, a total of 665 hectares of vineyards were reported (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
