Ancellotta

“Ancellotta is a dark-colored grape variety that originated in Italy. It is most often used as a blending component in sparkling red Lambrusco wines, but varietal examples can be found in Brazil, Argentina and Switzerland. There, it creates a softly fruity wine with good acidity, ripe tannins and a deep, intense color.

The grape’s homeland is Emilia-Romagna, where it covers large amounts of flat, alluvial land in the vicinity of Reggio Emilia. Here, Ancellotta is widely used in blends to add its considerable color to otherwise-pale red wines. Ancellotta’s skins have a high concentration of anthocyanins and therefore strong pigmentation, so much so that an extract from the grape is often used to color food products other than wine.” – source: Wine-Searcher.com