Albarola

A white grape registered in Italy's national vine catalog since 1970 (149 ha nationally). Liguria and Tuscany both claim native status; DNA testing shows affinities with Bianchetta Genovese, tilting the balance of evidence toward a Ligurian origin, though it is long-established across the border in Lunigiana (Colli di Luni, Val di Magra).

Gives a neutral, almost imperceptible-tasting wine on its own, but contributes alcohol and structure — traditionally blended with Vermentino and Bosco for Liguria's white wines, and central to Cinque Terre's celebrated Sciacchetrà passito. Colli di Luni's disciplinare (spanning both Liguria and Tuscany) describes it, alongside Vermentino, as present only within the delimited zone.