Ancellotta is a black grape variety primarily cultivated in Emilia Romagna, particularly in the province of Reggio Emilia, where Ancellotta covers large areas of flat and alluvial land. The Ancellotta grape is often used as a blending variety in sparkling red wines like Lambrusco, to make them more colorful and sweet, especially in Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce DOC (province of Modena), where it can make up to 10% of the total, and in Lambrusco Reggiano DOC (province of Reggio Emilia), where it can constitute up to 15%. One of its main applications is as a colorant for light red wines throughout Italy and it is allowed in about 42 IGT wines.

In fact, the skins of Ancellotta berries have a high concentration of anthocyanins and therefore a strong pigmentation, making it ideal for producing concentrated musts known as “Rossissimo,” which are also used for coloring food products other than wine. Ancellotta is also cultivated in other parts of northern Italy and in southern Switzerland. In Romagna, in the provinces of Forlì-Cesena and Ravenna, Ancellotta can be mixed with Sangiovese to produce Colli di Faenza rosso DOC. In the province of Rimini, it is used in Colli di Rimini DOC wine. To a lesser extent, Ancellotta is cultivated in Piedmont (Vercellese), Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Tuscany.