Bosco Eliceo is one of the most distinctive wine-growing areas in the Emilia-Romagna region. This area runs along the Adriatic coast, between the Ferrara and Ravenna provinces, bordered to the north by the mouths of the river Po and to the south by the municipality of Cervia.
Crossed by the Po Delta Nature Reserve, the Bosco Eliceo area is also known as the area of Sabbie (meaning 'sandy) wines, owing to the sandy soil in which the four grape varieties grow: Fortana, Merlot, Sauvignon and Bianco del Bosco.
Legend has it that it was Renée of France, daughter of Louis XII, who brought her future husband, the Duke of Ferrara Ercole II d'Este, a vine from Burgundy’s Côte d’Or as a gift, in 1528. This is where the Uva d’Oro is thought to have originated from, which is another name for the red Fortana grapes that grow in this area.
No matter how grafting took place, this vine variety found its natural habitat in these lands with their wet and misty climate, and salty air and sandy soil, which is strongly conditioned by the lack of fresh water. This is what grants these wines their distinctive character, and eventually earned them the PDO label.
All four types are low in alcohol, between 10.5 and 11 percent, and have a light, aromatic taste with savoury notes that evoke the nearby sea.
The two red wines, PDO Bosco Eliceo Fortana and PDO Bosco Eliceo Merlot, are ruby red in colour, whilst the former has a vinous taste, and the latter a herbaceous taste. On the other hand, the PDO Bosco Eliceo Sauvignon and PDO Bosco Eliceo Bianco white wines, the latter made from Trebbiano, Sauvignon and Malvasia di Candia varieties, have a straw-yellow hue and a delicate aroma.
Their organoleptic properties make the Bosco Eliceo wines the perfect accompaniment to meat and fish-based dishes.
