Pinella

Also known as Pinola.

A white grape of very old and uncertain origin: one account traces an early record to a wine from the island of Rab in the Kvarner Gulf that was well regarded in Veneto as far back as the 13th century, though the variety itself is thought to have first been identified in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where it is today almost extinct. In the Colli Euganei there is record of a "Pinella" or "Pinola" since the early Middle Ages; the name may derive from "pigna" or "pinolo" (pine cone/pine nut), for the compact, tapered shape of its clusters.

Small-to-medium, very compact, short, stocky, truncated-pyramidal winged clusters carry medium, roundish berries with thin, transparent, yellow-rose or golden skin on one side. Grown today mainly in Padova province, it is the basis of Colli Euganei DOC's "Pinello" wine. Though it never achieved wide national or international distribution, it has always been locally valued for reliability and the freshness of its wines.