Abrusco is a red Italian wine grape variety grown primarily in the Tuscany region where it is a minor blending component permitted in the wines of Chianti. The grape has long history in the region and was mentioned in 1600, under its synonyms Abrostino and Colore, in the posthumously published work by Italian agronomist Giovan Vettorio Soderini Trattato della coltivazione delle viti, e del frutto che se ne può cavare. There Soderini notes that the grape was often used to add deeper, more red color to Tuscan wines. The variety is considered quite rare and is close to extinction with only 6 hectares (15 acres) of the grape variety reported in the 2000 Italian census. The Tuscan producer Le Tre Stelle has worked to keep the variety still viable, producing a limited production Indicazione geografica tipica (IGT) wine made of 100% Abrusco from 20 vines that were discovered growing among other varieties in an old vineyard owned by the winery. Another Tuscan producer Tuscan Soul winery is also working with the centre of research and development for Tuscany to produce wines of 100% Abrusco from 0.2 hectares of land on their estate in Cetona, Siena. Viticulture and winemaking The Abrusco vine produces dark, bluish-black grape berries with a pale colored flesh. It is considered a mid-ripening variety that is usually harvested in the middle of the vintage season between the early ripening Ciliegiolo and the late ripening Sangiovese. The grape is noted for producing wines with a deep, dark color that has often lend itself as a blending variety for other, more pale-colored varieties such as Sangiovese. As a varietal, Abrusco tends to produce well-structured wines with spicy aroma and flavor notes. DOC wines Abrusco is a minor blending variety permitted in several Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) regions of Tuscany, most notably the Chianti DOCG. These include the Capalbio DOC in the hills south of the Grosseto province where along with other local red grape varieties, Abrusco is permitted to make up to 50% of the red and rosé blend along with Sangiovese (which must make up at least 50% of the wine). Here Abrusco grapes that are destined for DOC wine production must be harvested to a yield no greater 10 tonnes/hectare for the red wine and 12 tonnes/ha for the rosé. In order to attain DOC designation the finished