Bonarda

  • Aroma and Flavor: plum,strawberries, blackberries, cassis and cherries with spiced aftertaste (if aged and oaked: aromas of vanilla and tobacco with fig and raisin characteristics)
  • Most are lighter-bodied and fruity however, concentrated fruit from older vines, and especially when oak aged, they can also be big, fruity, dense and tannic
  • AKA: Charbono in California and South America, known in Italy as Dolce Nero, Douce Noir (“Sweet Black”), but is not the same as Piedmont’s Dolcetto or Corbeau
  • Experts are divided as to whether Argentine Bonarda is indeed actually Bonarda Piemontese, or Bonarda Novarese (another Piedmont grape also known as Uva Rara)
  • In Argentina, second in red wine production only to Malbec
  • Need hot weather, plenty of sunshine, low yields and adequate ripening to make good wine
  • Not traditionally been used to produce varietal wines – being used instead for bulk production of table wines
  • Success with blending into the Syrah-Bonarda and Bonarda-Malbec
  • Pairs well with grilled meats and vegetables