The Alionza is a variety of white wine grape cultivated in Emilia-Romagna, where it has been used since the 14th century both as a table grape and as a blending grape for wine production. Until recently, it was believed that Alionza had an affinity with the Greek grape variety Sklava, but recent DNA analysis has suggested that Alionza might actually be closely related to Trebbiano Toscano. Alionza has been grown in the provinces of Bologna and Modena since the early 14th century. Over the years, it spread to a fair extent, being widely cultivated in the provinces of Brescia and Mantova, but today it is a rather rare grape variety. As of 2012, there were only 43 hectares of Alionza in Italy, almost exclusively in the Emilia-Romagna provinces of Bologna and Modena.

Alionza is a late-maturing grape variety that thrives best on warm soils, particularly in well-exposed hillside locations. Historically, Alionza was trained on pergolas, which explains the common synonym of Uva Schiava, similar to the Schiava grape variety in Trentino-Alto Adige. Alionza is considered a reliable grape variety, with consistent yields and strong resistance to various vine risk factors, such as botrytis, powdery mildew, and spring frosts. Today, Alionza is primarily used as a minor blending grape in some of the region’s Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) wines. In addition to wine production, some producers also sell their Alionza grapes as table grapes.