Rondinella

Rondinella is the reliable supporting player of Valpolicella, blended with Corvina and Corvinone in every wine the region makes, from the lightest everyday red to Amarone.

Its virtues are agricultural rather than aromatic. It is disease-resistant, crops consistently, ripens dependably and — crucially for the region — dries extremely well. During appassimento, when bunches spend months on racks losing water, Rondinella's thick skins and loose bunches resist the rot that destroys more delicate varieties. It is the insurance policy in the blend.

What it contributes to the glass is colour, moderate tannin and a certain herbaceous, faintly bitter note along with cherry and dried plum fruit. It is not an especially perfumed or complex grape and is rarely bottled alone; where it is, the wine tends to be pleasant and somewhat one-dimensional.

Its name derives from rondine, swallow, though explanations for the connection vary — the dark colour of the berries and the bird's arrival at flowering are both offered.

DNA analysis has shown it to be an offspring of Corvina, which explains the family resemblance and its suitability to the same treatment.

In the appellation rules it may make up between five and thirty per cent of the blend, and most producers use it at the lower end, treating it as a useful dilution of risk rather than a positive contribution. A handful argue it adds a savoury lift that Corvina alone lacks.