Mention wine in Romagna and you think of Albana and Sangiovese. The production zone for Romagna’s PDO wines is the largest in the region and owes its fame precisely to the grapes of the very typical, white Albana, with its dry and full-bodied flavour, and the legendary Romagna Sangiovese PDO, which is also produced in New, Superior and Reserve versions.
Sangiovese embodies the very essence of Romagna: frank, exuberant, blunt, robust and welcoming, sometimes outwardly harsh, but always sincere and delicate. A precious nectar of black grape varieties that can be found throughout central Italy, it is perfect for accompanying steaming meat sauces and delicious barbecues with friends. Sangiovese grapes prosper in Bertinoro, considered the capital of hospitality in Romagna, epitomised by the white stone Ring Column (or Colonna degli Anelli or “delle Anella”).
Near Ferrara we find the PDO wines of Bosco Eliceo, known also as the Sand Wines: four grape varieties that thrive on the sandy soil and in the humid climate of the coast between Ferrara and Ravenna. This is where the red wines Bosco Eliceo PDO Fortana and Bosco Eliceo PDO Merlot and the white wines, Bosco Eliceo PDO Sauvignon and Bosco Eliceo PDO Bianco are produced.
Rebola has been present in the Rimini area since ancient times; it is referred to as “Ruibola or Greco” in documents dating from 1378. It is a white grape variety that comes from the area around Greece and that bears many similarities to other varieties found in central and southern Italy, like Greco or Grechetto. Rebola had been on the point of dying out in the Rimini area, but thanks to the commitment and hard work of local winegrowers, in particular in the Coriano area, this pale golden-coloured wine was recovered and its great potential highlighted.
The wines of Romagna have always narrated this land and visitors will find plenty of wine cellars and farms where they can come together for harvest celebrations or to share the first taste of new wine. This is a long-standing tradition, now consolidated thanks to new grape processing methods that have given us some premium organic and biodynamic wines.
