Ancellotta: an In-Depth Wine Profile

What is Ancellotta?

Ancellotta is a red grape variety originating from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, specifically the provinces of Parma, Modena, and Reggio Emilia. Named after the Lancellotti family, who promoted the cultivation of the Ancellotta grape variety in the 14th century. This grape variety has earned the nickname “rossissimo” (the reddest) for good reason.

While primarily used as a blending partner of other grapes to add colour, warmth, and structure to lightly hued red wines, the grape is often used in various wine styles, particularly within Lambrusco wines. Ancellotta is primarily used as a blending grape in various Italian wines, including Lambrusco, where it enhances the overall profile. Ancellotta wine grapes can stand proudly on their own as varietal wines, especially in Brazil and Argentina, where winemakers have embraced their unique characteristics.

Ancellotta’s identity crisis perfectly mirrors our modern relationship with utility: it’s the vinous equivalent of that friend who makes everyone around them look better without needing the spotlight. It belongs to the Lambrusco family, though of superior quality, and represents the wine world’s ultimate team player. Ancellotta is also blended with other grapes to enhance colour and flavour in red wines.

Fun fact: Did you know that Ancellotta is also used in blends to craft sparkling red Lambrusco wines?

Ancellotta Wine Styles

Ancellotta, the deeply pigmented "blue grape" native to Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, plays a crucial role in various wine styles despite its relatively low profile among international wine consumers.

Primary Wine Applications

Ancellotta rarely appears as a varietal wine; instead, it functions as a key blending component, especially in sparkling red Lambrusco wines. Its primary contributions are:

• Colour Enhancement: With exceptionally high anthocyanin content, Ancellotta serves as a natural colourant for lighter red wines throughout Italy.
• Lambrusco Blending: It's used to make sparkling red Lambrusco wines more "amabile" (slightly sweet) while adding warmth and structure.
• Concentrated Must Production: Creates "Rossissimo" – concentrated must used for colouring both wines and food products.

Wine Characteristics

When featured in wines, Ancellotta contributes:

• Medium alcohol content with robust character
• Ripe tannins and a persistent finish
• Deep fruit notes of blackberries, cherries and plums
• Structural balance to Lambrusco's natural acidity and lighter body

While most prominent in Italian winemaking, Ancellotta has found success in Brazil, Argentina, Switzerland, and Eastern Europe, where it occasionally appears as a varietal wine exhibiting soft, floral qualities with vibrant fruit characteristics

Marketing and Sales

The marketing and sales of Ancellotta grapes and wines are largely driven by their unique characteristics and benefits. The grape’s ability to add colour and depth to lightly hued red wines makes it a valuable component in blends, particularly in the production of DOC wine. Additionally, Ancellotta’s rich flavours and aromas, including notes of plum, blueberry, and sweet spice, make it a popular choice for varietal examples. With its great structure and ripe tannins, Ancellotta is also well-suited for aging, making it a popular choice for wine collectors and connoisseurs. In terms of sales, Ancellotta wines are often marketed as premium products, with a focus on their high quality and unique characteristics.

The Historical Backdrop

Tracing back approximately 500 years, Ancellotta’s documentation links to a wine farmer named Lancellotto or Tommasino Lancillotto, who cultivated this variety throughout the Reggio Emilia area in the 1300s. While its exact origins remain somewhat mysterious, what’s clear is that Ancellotta has been essential to winemaking throughout Emilia-Romagna for centuries.

Although historical documents reference Ancellotta, verifying its exact lineage remains challenging.

Winemaking Process

The transformation of Ancellotta grapes into wine involves distinct processes depending on whether it's being produced as a varietal wine or for blending purposes.

Harvesting and Initial Processing

Ancellotta vines have a semi-upright growth habit. For this reason, it is well-suited to training systems such as low or mid-level cordons with vertical shoot positioning. Harvesting typically occurs in early to mid-October, as Ancellotta has a medium to late ripening period. At this point, some premium producers employ special techniques like immediate cooling of grapes after harvest to preserve freshness and phenolic compounds. The grapes are carefully sorted and destemmed before processing begins.

Fermentation and Maceration

For varietal Ancellotta wines:

• Cold maceration with skins for around 3-7 days is common to extract the intense colour and phenolic compounds
• Fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks
• Various techniques, including délestage (rack and return), pumping over, and punch downs, are used to maximize extraction
• Complete malolactic fermentation is often carried out, sometimes directly in barrels

Aging and Maturation

Higher-quality Ancellotta wines often undergo extensive aging:

• 14 months or more in French oak barrels (Allier 228l), with a mix of new and second-use oak.
• Bottling sometimes occurs without filtration to preserve complex flavours.
• Some producers age the wines for an additional 18+ months in bottle before releasing the wines for sale.

When used for blending, Ancellotta's contribution is primarily its intense colour, structural elements, and ability to add depth and richness to lighter varieties like Lambrusco. In Italy, Ancellotta is used in small amounts in blends for several types of Lambrusco, allowed up to 15%.

Sensory Profile

Ancellotta is the colour bomb of the wine world, with a distinct profile that sets it apart from other red wines.

Visual Appearance

The most striking feature of Ancellotta is its extraordinary depth of colour, an almost ink-like, impenetrable blue-black hue with deep ruby red reflections. This visual intensity comes from exceptionally high levels of anthocyanins in the grape skins. The grapes themselves are small and very dark, further contributing to their high anthocyanin content.

Aromatic Profile

On the nose, Ancellotta presents:

• Primary aromas of dark berries like blackberry, blueberry, and black cherry
• Floral notes of violets with hints of spices
• When aged in oak, additional notes of sweet baking spices, vanilla, and woody nuances emerge

Palate and Structure

When tasted, Ancellotta delivers:

• A full-bodied, structured mouthfeel with considerable weight
• Flavours of ripe dark fruits, plum, blackberry, and blueberry predominate
• Medium alcohol content (typically 13-15%) with surprisingly low acidity
• Rich, ripe tannins that provide excellent structure
• A persistent finish that lingers with fruity notes. Ancellotta is capable of producing deeply colored wines with ripe red fruit flavours like plum, blackberry, and blueberry, making it a standout in both blends and varietal expressions.