Vernaccia Nera

Vernaccia Nera is a black Italian wine grape of the Marche, grown around the village of Serrapetrona in the province of Macerata. Despite the shared name it is unrelated to the white Vernaccia grapes of Tuscany and Sardinia — 'Vernaccia' has historically been a loose label applied to many unrelated local vines. Vernaccia Nera is the sole flagship variety of one of Italy's rare red sparkling wines.

It is best known for Vernaccia di Serrapetrona, a red spumante made by drying part of the crop (appassimento) and running the must through multiple fermentations, finishing with a charmat sparkling. The grape gives a wine of ruby color tending to garnet, aromatic and vinous, recalling ripe red fruit, jam, and dried flowers, soft and balanced with gentle tannins and a characteristic pleasantly bitter-almond finish. It is also vinified as a still, dry red in the Serrapetrona DOC and blended in San Ginesio.