The Foglia Tonda grape variety was practically extinct but has recently been rediscovered in the Chianti area. Di Rovasenda in his “Saggio per una ampelografia universale” (Essay for a Universal Ampelography) of 1877 places Foglia Tonda in the area surrounding the Castello di Brolio. In 1964, it was identified in Chianti and in 1970, Foglia Tonda was finally registered in the National Register of Grape Varieties. Therefore, Foglia Tonda has been present in Tuscany since ancient times but was at some point abandoned, mainly due to its late ripening. Foglia Tonda resists well to downy mildew, botrytis, and partially to powdery mildew. The black berries of Foglia Tonda ensure a rich phenolic content and good acidity, which determines excellent aging potential. Today, no more than 20 hectares of Foglia Tonda remain in all of Tuscany.

The Foglia Tonda grapes are appreciated for their deep pigmentation and the chromatic boost they bring to wines. Foglia Tonda is therefore a particularly useful complement to Sangiovese, the most widely cultivated wine grape in Tuscany, which, however, lacks depth of color. For this role of adding color, Colorino is especially well-known, often accompanying Sangiovese in Chianti blends. Foglia Tonda has also been used with good results in the DOC Orcia, again as support for Sangiovese, and there are various parallels between Foglia Tonda and another Tuscan black grape variety that has dangerously approached extinction in recent decades, Barsaglina.