Located in central Italy, Emilia Romagna is often cited as the country’s food capital. Home to the cities of Bologna, Parma and Modena, famed of course for ragù, prosciutto and balsamic vinegar, the region’s wines also offer plenty of excitement.
To some extent the region’s most important wine is Romagna Albana, the DOCG wine focussed on the white Albana grape. As the first DOCG created in Italy there was plenty of hype around and controversy around its establishment. While some highlighted the potential of the variety to create complex wines, many others laughed at the typically Italian levels of bureaucracy and cronyism that enabled this fairly obscure territory to find itself leading Italy’s wine hierarchy. Regardless, it can produce curious white wines with plenty of mineral character. With age they can take on extra nutty flavours. It’s not always easy to produce good Albana and there are plenty of poor examples floating around.
Of increasing interest is the white Otrugo grape which, is cultivated in the hills surrounding the town of Piacenza. Although local to the area, it only really caught on in the 1970s and eventually achieved appellation status in 1984 as Ortrugo dei Colli Piacentini DOC. In recent years the wine has benefited from reduced yields and increased understanding of the variety. When produced in a frizzante or Spumante style it can make for a very pleasant refreshing fizz.
Bosco Eliceo is home to white wines made predominantly with Trebbiano Romagnolo and Sauvignon Blanc. There is also some red wine produced from Merlot and the local Fortana grape.
One of the oldest DOCs in Emilia Romagna, the hills around Bologna, or the Colli Bolognesi are home to range of different wine styles. Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon are behind the majority of red wines in the area while Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco are common white wines.
Colli Bolognesi Pignoletto broke away from the Colli Bolognesi DOC in 2010 in order to showcase and promote the quality of the Grechetto di Todi grape grown in the hills around Bologna. A sparkling wine can also be made. Some producers refer to the variety as Grechetto Gentile.
The small DOC of Colli di Faenza cultivates a range of different grape varieties to make both red and white wine.
