Uva Rara

Uva Rara is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Piedmont and Lombardy wine regions of northern Italy. The grape is a permitted blending variety along with Nebbiolo in the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wines of Ghemme. In the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) wine region of Oltrepò Pavese the grape is often blended with Barbera and Croatina. While Uva Rara's name means "rare grape" in Italian, the variety is actually widely planted with 608 hectares (1,502 acres) of the vine recorded in Italy in 2000.

Uva Rara has a long history of being grown in the Piedmont and Lombardy region, particularly in the provinces of Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Novara, Torino, Vercelli and Pavia. Here the grape has been historically used as a blending grape, with Nebbiolo in Piedmont and with Barbera and Croatina in Lombardy.

Uva Rara is often confused with the Gattinara and Oltrepò Pavese grape Vespolina that is also known as Uva Rara, which means "rare grape" in Italian. Around the communes of Novara, Pavia and Vercelli, Uva Rara is known as Bonarda which has led it to be confused with many of the other , particularly Bonarda Piemontese. However, despite the similarities of synonyms and use in many of the same wines, there is no known relationship between Uva Rara and these other grape varieties.

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