Grape Guide
Inzolia
WhiteInzolia is an old white grape of Sicily, also grown on the Tuscan coast and islands as Ansonica. It ripens early, carries large juicy berries, and gives broad, nutty, lightly citrus-toned whites that need early picking to hold their acidity. It is usually blended, but also bottled alone.
Key Characteristics
- Early flowering and early veraison, ripening early to mid season
- Large, juicy berries with a thin margin between ripeness and flat acidity
- Very susceptible to downy mildew
- Relatively drought tolerant, suited to dry Mediterranean sites
- Sicilian in origin, with Tuscan plantings carrying the name Ansonica
Typical Flavors
Major Regions
Sicily (Palermo, Trapani, Agrigento provinces) · Sicilia DOC · Alcamo DOC · Marsala DOC · Elba DOC (Ansonica) · Ansonica Costa dell'Argentario DOC · Isola del Giglio
Also Known As
Insolia (Sicily) · Inzolia (Sicily) · 'Nzolia (Sicily) · Insolia di Palermo (Sicily) · Insora (Sicily) · Zolia Bianca (Sicily) · Ansonica (Tuscany) · Ansolica (Tuscany) · Ansora (Tuscany) · Anzonica (Tuscany)
Overview
Inzolia ranks among the oldest and most widely planted white varieties of Sicily, historically centred on the province of Palermo and scattered through Trapani and Agrigento. Across the Tyrrhenian Sea the same grape goes by the name Ansonica, grown along the Tuscan coast and on Elba and Giglio. Early ripening and large, juicy berries make the choice of picking date the central decision: fruit harvested late gives a heavy, soft wine with little structure. At its best the wine shows a nutty profile of almond and hazelnut, with lemon peel, yellow orchard fruit and a faint salty or herbal edge. Body runs from medium to full and acidity is moderate. Inzolia most often plays a supporting role beside Catarratto and Grillo in Sicilian DOCs and IGTs, yet varietal bottlings are an established part of both the Sicilia DOC and the Tuscan Ansonica appellations. Italian plantings totalled about 9,500 hectares in 2000, and the area has been shrinking.
Origins & History
Inzolia is cultivated under several names and is usually considered Sicilian in origin. Its earliest appearance in botanical writing dates to 1696, and the variety is thought to have moved from Sicily to Sardinia and then to the Tuscan islands of Elba and Giglio, where it took the name Ansonica. Genetic comparisons with other Sicilian varieties, including Nerello Mascalese, Frappato and Grillo, support an island origin and make the older theories of a Greek, Spanish or French source unlikely. An early marker study of Giglio Ansonica hinted at a Greek link, but it compared very few Mediterranean varieties and has not survived later, broader sampling. Several folk histories remain unproven. Some writers identify the grape with the Irziola mentioned by the Roman naturalist Pliny, and others describe separate introductions to Elba from Spain and to Giglio from Greece. Neither claim has documentary or DNA support. DNA profiling also shows that the black-berried Inzolia Nera did not arise as a colour mutation from Inzolia, and that three of the four Sicilian types once described as Inzolia are in fact other varieties, such as Regina and Valenci Bianco. Only the widespread type is the true Inzolia. Parentage is not settled. A recent proposal names Mantonico Bianco as one parent, with the second parent unidentified, but it rests on a 2021 SNP-based parentage study and should be treated as provisional.
Viticultural Characteristics
Inzolia flowers and goes through veraison early and ripens early to mid season, which suits the hot, dry growing conditions of western Sicily and the Tuscan coast. The berries are large and juicy, so yield control and timely picking matter: fruit left to hang accumulates sugar quickly while acidity falls, giving flabby wine. The vine is relatively drought tolerant, an advantage on windy, arid sites, but it is very susceptible to downy mildew, so humid vintages or sites with poor air flow demand careful canopy and spray management. The main risk in the cellar follows from the vineyard: harvests must be early enough to keep sufficient acidity, since the variety has no great natural reserve of it.
Wine Styles & Characteristics
Most Inzolia ends up in dry white blends, typically alongside Catarratto Bianco and Grillo, under the Sicilia DOC and a long run of smaller Sicilian denominations: Menfi, Monreale, Salaparuta, Sambuca di Sicilia, Sciacca, Vittoria, Delia Nivolelli, Erice, Alcamo, Contessa Entellina and Contea di Sclafani among them. Varietal wines are made under the Sicilia DOC, where naming the grape on the label requires at least 85 percent of it. Typical examples are medium bodied, with almond, citrus and orchard fruit, and are generally best drunk within a few years. Inzolia was long a valued component of Marsala, where the rules permit it (listed as Ansonica) together with Grillo, Catarratto and Damaschino, but its blending partners have largely displaced it there. In Tuscany, both Elba Ansonica and Ansonica Costa dell'Argentario require a minimum of 85 percent Ansonica.