Recent molecular studies have shown that this variety has a direct relationship (parent-child type) with Sangiovese and Moscato violetto (Vouillamoz et al., 2001, 2004; Di Vecchi et al., 2007; Cipriani et al., 2010).

Soderini (1590) describes the 'Ciregiuolo dolce' as follows: it is a variety with long and loose bunches, with a bigger and hairier berry than any other sort of grapes, its taste  is sweet and fragrant; it  is good in hot countries and lands. Breviglieri and Casini (1964) said that it was not easy to prove the correspondence to Ciliegiolo on the base of this description of cultivars such as Salvadori had instead argued. Micheli (1679) described a 'Ciliegiona rossa tonda di Spagna' but that, however, has berries ’beautiful red’ and another ’Ciliegiona tonda di Spagna‘ with different shape of  berries, which does not appear to correspond to the variety of grape currently known. In the absence of precise references , its existence in Italy and particularly in Tuscany, has been dated back to around 1870. According to Racah (1932) it would have been brought by pilgrims coming back from St. James of Compostela’s sanctuary. This hypothesis hasn’t found confirmation in Bruni researches (1947) .
The variety was described by Marzotto (1925), De Astis (1937), Dalmasso (1946) and more in detail by Cosmo (1948) in an ampelographic comparative study with other varieties of grapes such as ‘Montepulciano’ ‘Canaiolo’ and ‘Sangiovese’, as it was often indicated as a ‘Sangiovese’.
The most complete description is that by Breviglieri and Casini (1964).

Diffusion

In Tuscany it is particularly cultivated in Maremma; it is also cultivated in Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Lazio, Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise, Basilicata, Sicilia. The cultivated area has considerably decreased since 1982 changing from over 6000 hectares to the current 1600, of which 327 can be found in Tuscany.

Agronomic characteristics

Budbreak time is later than Sangiovese, and it has a lower fertility of basal buds, making it less suitable for short pruning. This variety shows high vigour, bunches of medium or large size, and big berries which are often dense. It can be cultivate in several environments, however, gives the best products in hilly and not too fertile soils, in temperate-warm and dry climate, where it can get an optimal vegetative-productive equilibrium. The variety is intermediately sensitive to downy mildew and acid rot, particularly it is affected by the attacks of gray mold and wind. It tolerates fairly powdery mildew, esca disease and the drought. In the past it was frequently cultivated together with Sangiovese and this was a limitation because Ciliegiolo’s veraison and ripening times are earlier than Sangiovese’s ones.

It is exclusively used for winemaking. In the past, for his precocity, was locally used for direct consumption. Sometimes it may be lacking in acidity, as it is normally harvested at advanced ripening stage because shows a delay of seed phenolic maturity that oblige to a late harvest. For these characteristics it is well suited to the blend with other wines. In purity can provide wines of good quality with excellent performance to the aging.
In previous descriptions Ciliegiolo was designed as variety with poor polyphenol content. The results of our analysis indicate, however, a good phenol content often higher than Sangiovese, combined with a good anthocyanin richness also characterized by high presence of malvidina, which increases the colour stability. When it is cultivated in not very fertile soil, and if it is properly regulated in the production, provides very structured wines, especially in several  places of Maremma, hilly of Pisa and Siena, where a small number of farms having specific environmental conditions are able to produce young wines and good aging wines. The grapes is used successfully to make the wine  ‘Novello Tuscano’ and for the production of DOP and IGP  wines like ‘Colli Lucchesi’, ‘Colli di Luni’, ‘Morellino di Scansano’, ‘Montecucco’, ‘Monteregio di Massa Marittima’, ‘Maremma’,  ‘Parrina’, ‘Toscana’, ‘Sovana’ and ‘Golfo del Tigullio’.