Pignolo

Pignolo is a rare red wine grape of the Colli Orientali del Friuli, nearly extinct by the late twentieth century and revived from a handful of surviving vines, notably at the Abbazia di Rosazzo. Its name is thought to refer to the tight, compact ('pigna', pine-cone-like) shape of its bunches.

Pignolo produces deeply colored, powerfully structured reds with firm, abundant tannins and dark-berry, blackberry, spice and balsamic character, built for long ageing. It is usually vinified as a small-production varietal within the Friuli Colli Orientali denomination.