Origin & history

Incrocio Manzoni 2.15 is one of the lesser-known grapes from the Manzoni family of crossings created in Veneto during the 1920s and 1930s. It was bred by Professor Luigi Manzoni at the oenological school in Conegliano, a place that played a major role in modern northeastern Italian viticulture.

Unlike the much more famous Manzoni Bianco, this variety remained a red curiosity with a small but persistent following. Modern marker-confirmed records identify its parentage as Cabernet Franc and Glera. That combination already makes the grape unusual: one parent brings structure and herbal red-fruit character, the other is historically linked to the sparkling white world of Prosecco.

The grape’s history is often told with an air of accident and experimentation, and that suits it well. It emerged from a period in which Italian viticulture was actively searching for new combinations, new balances, and new answers to local growing conditions. Incrocio Manzoni 2.15 was part of that broader search, even if it never became a large-scale success.

Today it survives mostly in Veneto, especially in the Treviso orbit, where it remains one of those fascinating minor grapes that tell a deeper story about regional wine history than their acreage would suggest.

Ampelography: leaf & cluster

Leaf

Incrocio Manzoni 2.15 belongs to the world of purposeful twentieth-century breeding rather than to the older mythology of peasant field selections. Its vineyard identity is therefore known more through pedigree, ripening habit, and regional use than through one famous leaf image.

In overall impression, it behaves like a quality-minded red vine for northeastern Italy: vigorous, capable, and more interesting when treated with restraint than when pushed for volume.

Cluster & berry

Incrocio Manzoni 2.15 is a dark-skinned grape used for red wine production, though some producers have also explored sparkling blanc de noir interpretations. The wines are usually not especially tannic or massively extracted, which already suggests fruit that lends itself more to freshness and aromatic nuance than to dense, forceful structure.

The style often points toward red berries, darker fruit beneath, and an herbal edge. In cooler or less ripe years, that herbal tone can become more marked. In better ripening conditions, the fruit fills out and the wine becomes more balanced.

Leaf ID notes

• Status: rare Venetian red grape from the Manzoni crossing family.
• Berry color: red / dark-skinned.
• General aspect: modern Italian breeding variety known through pedigree and wine profile more than famous traditional field markers.
• Style clue: low-tannin, fruit-led red grape with freshness and a possible herbal edge.
• Identification note: official marker-confirmed parentage is Cabernet Franc × Glera.

Viticulture notes

Growth & training

Incrocio Manzoni 2.15 is a vigorous variety, and growers generally need to keep that vigor in check through pruning, canopy work, and careful vineyard balance. This is not a naturally self-limiting little grape. It has energy and wants managing.

It is also considered fairly winter hardy and relatively frost tolerant, which helps explain why it was considered worth keeping in a northeastern Italian context. That said, its ripening is late, and that late cycle means it needs enough season length and warmth to complete physiological maturity properly.

These traits together define its viticultural personality very clearly: resilient in some respects, demanding in others, and always more convincing when planted in sites that give it time.

Climate & site

Best fit: the better-exposed vineyard zones of Veneto, especially around Treviso, Conegliano, and related foothill areas where a long growing season can support late ripening.

Soils: public summaries emphasize regional adaptation and denomination use more than one single iconic soil, but the grape clearly needs sites that do not rush or truncate ripening.

This already suggests a fairly narrow ideal: not too cool, not too fertile, and with enough season length to avoid greenness.

Diseases & pests

Public references emphasize vigor, winter hardiness, and frost resistance more than one singular disease narrative. In practice, the more important challenge appears to be bringing the fruit to full ripeness while maintaining balance in the canopy.

As with many late-ripening reds, site choice matters at least as much as any one vineyard weakness.

Wine styles & vinification

Incrocio Manzoni 2.15 tends to produce red wines with relatively low tannin, moderate body, and a profile that can move between red and black fruit, especially when the grapes are fully ripe. In less favorable conditions, the wines may show more herbaceous notes, a trait often mentioned in tasting descriptions.

This makes the grape especially interesting stylistically. It is not a Venetian answer to Cabernet Sauvignon. It does not usually aim for darkness or density. Instead, it occupies a lighter, fresher, more aromatic space where fruit and herbal energy matter more than extraction.

Some producers have also experimented with blanc de noir sparkling wines from the grape, which says a great deal about its flexibility and its relatively gentle tannic profile.

Terroir & microclimate

Incrocio Manzoni 2.15 appears to express terroir through ripeness level, fruit brightness, and the degree of herbal nuance more than through sheer mass. In stronger, warmer sites it can become more complete and darker-fruited. In cooler or shorter seasons it risks remaining more leafy and angular.

This makes it a grape of site sensitivity rather than blunt adaptability. It rewards places that let it finish properly.

Historical spread & modern experiments

Incrocio Manzoni 2.15 remains a minor grape, but that minor status is part of what makes it attractive today. It represents a more experimental, less standardized side of Veneto, one that sits just outside the best-known stories of Prosecco, Pinot Grigio, and the big international reds.

Its continued life in Colli Trevigiani and related Veneto contexts suggests that it survives because some growers still see value in its originality. It is not a mass-market variety. It is a local specialist.

Tasting profile & food pairing

Aromas: red berries, darker fruit, light herbs, and sometimes a leafy or peppery nuance when less ripe. Palate: fresh, moderate in body, relatively low in tannin, and more energetic than heavy.

Food pairing: Incrocio Manzoni 2.15 works well with salumi, roast chicken, grilled pork, mushroom dishes, pasta with ragù bianco, and lighter Veneto red-meat dishes where freshness and moderate tannin are more useful than density.

Where it grows

• Veneto
• Treviso province
• Conegliano
• Montello
• Colli di Conegliano DOC
• Colli Trevigiani IGT
• Small specialist plantings in northeastern Italy

Quick facts for grape geeks

Field	Details
Color	Red / Dark-skinned
Pronunciation	een-KROH-choh man-ZOH-nee doo-eh PUN-toh KWEEN-dee-chee
Parentage / Family	Italian Vitis vinifera crossing of Cabernet Franc × Glera
Primary regions	Veneto, especially Treviso, Conegliano, Montello, Colli di Conegliano, and Colli Trevigiani
Ripening & climate	Late-ripening red grape that needs a long season to reach full physiological maturity
Vigor & yield	Very vigorous; quality depends on canopy control and balanced vineyard management
Disease sensitivity	Known more for winter hardiness and frost tolerance than for one singular disease weakness
Leaf ID notes	Rare Veneto red crossing known through low tannin, fruit-and-herb profile, and its unusual Glera parentage
Synonyms	I.M. 2.15, Manzoni 2-15, Manzoni Nero, Manzoni Rosso, Prosecco × Cabernet Franc 2-15