Mantonico bianco

[1] Today Mantonico bianco is used to make both dry varietal and sweet passito-style dessert wines under several Calabrian Indicazione geografica tipica (IGT) designations.

Ampelographers believe that this is the earliest mention of Mantonico bianco and that the grape is probably a native of the district of Locri in Reggio Calabria.

It was also once thought that the grape was potentially a white-berried color mutation of one of the several varieties that are known as Mantonico nero, including Gaglioppo.

[1] Even in the very warm climate of southern Italy, Mantonico bianco is late ripening and often one of the last varieties to be harvested in a growing season.

The grape has strong resistance to many viticultural hazards including downy and powdery mildew.

DNA evidence suggest that Mantonico bianco is one of the parent varieties to the red Calabrian wine grape Gaglioppo (pictured).
Most plantings of Mantonico bianco are found along the Ionian coast of Calabria in communes like Bianco.