Oseleta is a rare red grape of Veneto, native to the Valpolicella hills north of Verona. It gives very dark, tannic wines with black fruit and spice, and producers add small amounts to Valpolicella and Amarone for colour, structure and ageing potential.
The name comes from oseo, "bird" in the local dialect: birds like to eat its small, sweet berries. Oseleta was almost forgotten in the twentieth century, because its yields are very low. In the 1980s Masi began studying and replanting it, and other Valpolicella producers followed. It is now an accepted part of the Valpolicella blend, and a few producers bottle it on its own.
Oseleta grows almost only in Valpolicella, in the hills between Lake Garda and Verona: the classic area of Fumane, Marano, Negrar and Sant'Ambrogio, and the eastern valleys such as Mezzane and Illasi. The soils are limestone, marl and clay.
The grape has small bunches, small, thick-skinned berries and a very high skin-to-juice ratio. That is why it gives deep colour and strong tannins, and why it resists rot when the grapes are dried for Amarone.
On its own Oseleta is powerful and tannic, and needs time in bottle. In a blend, even 5–10% makes Valpolicella and Amarone darker, more structured and longer-lived.
You will usually meet Oseleta in an Amarone or Valpolicella Ripasso: producers that use it include Zenato, Tommasi, Allegrini, Zymé, Tenuta Sant'Antonio, Prà, Tedeschi and Musella. To taste the grape on its own, look for a varietal Oseleta from the Verona IGT, such as Masi's Osar.
Oseleta is blended with Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara. Read our Amarone wine guide, the best Veneto wines, or browse the grape varieties index.