The Bonarda grape is a black grape variety native to Piedmont. It is often confused with Croatina and Uva Rara because these are also synonyms used for Bonarda outside the region. The first citations of the grape date back to the 1700s in Piedmontese documents. In 1799, Bonarda was described as a grape from the Turin area. Acerbi, in his famous 1825 work “Delle viti italiane,” recorded it as a grape from the Alessandria area. However, the first to differentiate Bonarda from other genetically similar grapes was Rovasenda in 1877. Confusion still exists even within Piedmont. In the Colli Piacentini and Oltrepò Pavese, Bonarda is a synonym for Croatina, while in Novara and Vercelli it is the local name for Uva Rara. However, Bonarda is an indigenous Piedmontese grape that was widespread before the phylloxera outbreak and is now nearing extinction, mostly used in blends with Barbera.

Today, Bonarda is predominantly cultivated in Piedmont, specifically in the Turin area, along the hilly strip from Chieri to Monferrato and in the province of Asti. A few hectares are also cultivated in the Pinerolo area, Val di Susa, and Canavese. Outside of Piedmont, its spread is quite limited, confined to the areas of Piacenza and Pavia. Large plantings of Bonarda are present in Argentina and Brazil, although the hypothesis of the Italian introduction of the grape to South America is still under verification. Ampelographically, Bonarda has medium to large clusters, pyramidal and winged, with medium density. The berries are small, oval, and very pruinose, with almost black-blue colors. Bonarda is a vigorous and fertile grape variety, best trained with the Guyot system although it tolerates short pruning forms. It suffers from downy mildew and frost but has good resistance to powdery mildew, rot, and moths. It can sometimes present issues with berry shatter. It is predominantly cultivated on clayey and less fertile soils.