Schiava is an Italian name used to refer to several grape varieties common to the Trentino and Alto Adige regions of northern Italy. It is not unusual for a group of unrelated vine varieties to bear the same name; evidence of this is easily found in relation to the various Malvasia and Muscat vines that are found all around the Mediterranean, and even the interesting case of the four Bonarda varieties.
Naturally, for a variety grown at the junction between the French, Italian and Germanic parts of Europe, Schiava vines have several synonyms, further complicating an already confusing name. These are based mostly on the Germanic name vernatsch (meaning vernacular, and similar to Vernaccia), giving rise to Grauvernatsch (Schiava Grigia), Kleinvernatsch (Schiava Gentile) and Grossvernatsch (Schiava Grossa). Other synonyms include Frankenthaler Blau, Koelner Blau and Trollinger.
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