Greco Nero

Greco Nero is less a grape than a naming convention. Vines called Greco Nero grow in Calabria, Sardinia, Umbria, Lazio, the Marche, Abruzzo and Campania, and they do not look alike, do not behave alike and do not make remotely similar wines. Even within Calabria, five distinct varieties have carried the name. Untangling them is one of the more entertaining problems in Italian ampelography.

Origins and history The Greco prefix has been attached for centuries to grapes thought to have arrived from Greece, and it was applied liberally. What is generally accepted is that the “real” Greco Nero belongs to Calabria, where its presence is documented far back and where it also goes by Maglioccone and Greca Niura. Calling it Magliocco or Marsigliana Nera is wrong; those were shown to be distinct varieties in 2001.

Five grapes, one name Research published in 2008 established that Calabria alone holds five different vines called Greco Nero. The one now treated as authentic is Greco Nero di Cirò, confusingly called Nerello around Lamezia Terme and synonymous with Sicily’s Nerello Mascalese. Greco Nero di Sibari and Greco Nero di Verbicaro are distinct and rare and need further study. Greco Nero di Lamezia Terme and Greco Nero di Scilla are not Grecos at all, being Magliocco Dolce and Castiglione respectively.

Telling them apart Greco Nero di Sibari and Greco Nero di Verbicaro grow on the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts and differ plainly once you look. Sibari has a medium-large round indented leaf, medium-small conical bunches and small elongated oval berries, and ripens in late September. Verbicaro has a much smaller cuneiform or triangular leaf, large cylindrical bunches and medium-large oval berries, and ripens in mid-September. Sardinia has its own Greco Nero, a close relative of the local Vertura, restricted to about eight hectares near Oristano. Umbria’s has been renamed Grero.

A disputed acreage Greco Nero is sometimes described as Italy’s most widely planted Greco, but the figures do not hold still. Around three thousand hectares were reported in Calabria in 2000; by 2010 the same region recorded only two hundred. Whether that collapse reflects genuine grubbing up, far stricter identification or simple error is unclear, and given the naming confusion the second explanation is the most plausible.

In the vineyard Most Greco Nero still grows interspersed with other local varieties in old, promiscuously planted vineyards, alongside Castiglione, Magliocco Dolce, Gaglioppo and a good deal else besides. That arrangement is the main practical obstacle to understanding the grape: growers pick everything together and make a single blended red, because separating a handful of rows of each variety is not worth the effort.

Appearance and structure On its own, Greco Nero di Cirò gives a medium-bodied red that is fresh and vinous, high in acid and notably fragrant. It is not a heavyweight and does not try to be. Some commercial bottlings taste distinctly richer and creamier than the artisanal examples, which raises the reasonable question of what else found its way into the blend.

Aromatic profile Expect red cherry and red plum, a floral lift and a fresh herbal edge, with the acidity keeping everything bright. Given how many different vines share the name, a certain variation in aroma and flavour has to be expected, and the honest answer is that no single profile can stand for all of them.

Key expressions

• Rare monovarietal bottlings of Greco Nero di Cirò.
• Calabrian DOC blends: Lamezia, Bivongi, Savuto and Pollino.
• Old mixed-planting field blends from the Calabrian interior.
• The eight hectares of Sardinian Greco Nero around Oristano.

The question of aging This is a grape for early drinking. The freshness, high acidity and moderate body that make Greco Nero di Cirò appealing are qualities that fade rather than develop, and two to four years is the sensible window. Blends in which it plays a supporting role may live longer, but that longevity belongs to Gaglioppo and the other partners more than to the Greco.

At the table Its acidity and modest weight make it a good all-purpose Calabrian red, at home with ’nduja, pasta with tomato and chilli, grilled vegetables and pecorino. It takes a slight chill well, which helps in the Calabrian summer. Avoid heavy braises that will simply flatten it.

Why it matters Greco Nero is the clearest illustration of why Italy’s native grape catalogue has been so hard to map: a single name, applied for centuries across half the peninsula, covering vines with nothing in common but a vague memory of Greece. Sorting it out has already dissolved several supposed varieties into others and renamed at least one outright. Whatever the final count, the wines from the genuine Calabrian article are worth the trouble.