RARE GRAPE VARIETAL RESOURCE

Located on a promontory rising above the Tyrrhenian sea, the ancient town of Pizzo Calabro already had a flourishing economy at the end of the 1300s, when the Basilian monks built a new port here, creating an important trade in spices, silk, salted fish, oil and fruit. The terraces looking out over the sea were planted with olive trees and grape vines.
The grapes were all Moscato d’Alessandria, also known as Zibibbo, a variety from North Africa grown since the 11th century in this area as well as in the Sicilian islands, where it found ideal soil and climate conditions.
Until the second half of the 20th century, the Moscato d’Alessandria grown in Pizzo was mainly used as a table grape, appreciated for its fragrance, sweetness and freckled golden berries. Only very small quantities were vinified, for drinking by the family during convivial moments or special occasions. The tradition of producing raisins was not common here, as it was in other parts of southern Italy. In the 1960s, with the introduction of specialized Californian table grape varieties, more productive and often seedless, cultivation in Pizzo declined and much of the vines were gradually uprooted. 

(Source: Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity – Ark of Taste) https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/?fwp_arca_settore=wines-and-grape-varietals-en)