Study / Region guides
Emilia-Romagna
2 DOCGs and 19 DOCs. Examined in Unit 1: Northern Italy.
- Borders
- Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Liguria, Tuscany, Marche
- Wine provinces
- Modena, Bologna, Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Ferrara, Parma
The land
Emilia-Romagna runs almost from coast to coast along the old Roman road, the Via Emilia. The Po plain is to the north and the Apennines to the south.
It is really two regions. Emilia, west of Bologna, is the land of Lambrusco and of the Colli Piacentini. Romagna, to the east, grows Sangiovese and Albana on the Apennine foothills.
The grapes
The Lambrusco family has several members. Sorbara is the palest and most delicate, Grasparossa the darkest and most tannic, and Salamino sits between them.
Romagna's grapes are Sangiovese, Albana and Trebbiano Romagnolo. Pignoletto, grown around Bologna, is Grechetto Gentile.
Which grape leads which appellation
- Barbera 1
- Gutturnio
- Grechetto Gentile 1
- Emilia-Romagna
- Lambrusco di Sorbara 1
- Lambrusco di Sorbara
- Lambrusco Grasparossa 1
- Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro
- Lambrusco Salamino 1
- Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce
- Ortrugo 1
- Ortrugo
Local names
- Montuni
- Montù, in Reno
- Pignoletto
- Grechetto Gentile, in Colli Bolognesi Pignoletto, Emilia-Romagna
- Rebola
- Grechetto Gentile, in Colli di Rimini
- Uva d'Oro
- Fortana, in Bosco Eliceo
In the vineyard and cellar
Fizzy wine is the tradition here, red and white. Most Lambrusco is made in tank, though refermenting in bottle is coming back. Albana is made dry and as a passito.
History and trade
This is Italy's food capital, and the wines grew up alongside rich cooking. Large cooperatives make much of the volume. Albana di Romagna became Italy's first white DOCG in 1987.
The DOCGs
Oldest first. The year is when each one became a DOCG.
| Appellation | DOCG since | Grapes | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romagna Albana | 1987 | Albana | Forlì-Cesena, Ravenna, Bologna, Rimini |
| Colli Bolognesi Pignoletto | 2010 | Grechetto Gentile (Pignoletto) | Bologna, Modena |
The DOCs
| Appellation | DOC since | Grapes | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosco Eliceo | 1989 | Fortana (Uva d'Oro), Trebbiano, Sauvignon, Merlot, Malvasia | Ferrara, Ravenna |
| Colli Bolognesi | 1975 | Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Riesling Italico | Bologna, Modena |
| Colli d'Imola | 1997 | Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Chardonnay, Trebbiano, Grechetto Gentile | Bologna |
| Colli di Faenza | 1997 | Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Merlot, Ancellotta, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Trebbiano | Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena |
| Colli di Parma | 1982 | Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, Barbera, Bonarda (Croatina), Sauvignon Blanc, Lambrusco | Parma |
| Colli di Rimini | 1996 | Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rebola (Grechetto Gentile), Biancame, Trebbiano | Rimini |
| Colli di Scandiano e di Canossa | 1976 | Spergola, Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia, Lambrusco Grasparossa, Malbo Gentile, Marzemino, Cabernet Sauvignon | Reggio Emilia |
| Colli Piacentini | 1967 | Barbera, Croatina (Bonarda), Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, Ortrugo, Pinot Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon | Piacenza |
| Colli Romagna Centrale | 2001 | Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Merlot, Chardonnay, Trebbiano, Bombino Bianco | Forlì-Cesena |
| Emilia-Romagna | 2021 | Pignoletto (Grechetto Gentile), min 85% | Bologna, Modena, Ravenna |
| Gutturnio | 2010 | Barbera (55 to 70 percent), Croatina (Bonarda, 30 to 45 percent) | Piacenza |
| Lambrusco di Sorbara | 1970 | Lambrusco di Sorbara (min 60 percent), Lambrusco Salamino | Modena |
| Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro | 1970 | Lambrusco Grasparossa (min 85 percent) | Modena |
| Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce | 1970 | Lambrusco Salamino (min 85 percent) | Modena |
| Modena | 2009 | Lambrusco varieties (Sorbara, Grasparossa, Salamino, Marani, Maestri, Ancellotta), Grechetto Gentile, Trebbiano | Modena |
| Ortrugo | 2010 | Ortrugo (min 90 percent) | Piacenza |
| Reggiano | 1971 | Lambrusco Salamino, Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Maestri, Lambrusco Montericco, Ancellotta, Lambrusco di Sorbara | Reggio Emilia |
| Reno | 1987 | Montù (Montuni), Albana, Trebbiano Romagnolo, Grechetto Gentile | Bologna, Modena |
| Romagna | 2011 | Sangiovese, Trebbiano Romagnolo, Bombino Bianco (Pagadebit), Terrano (Cagnina), Albana | Bologna, Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini |
Facts that get tested
The kind of thing an exam asks about Emilia-Romagna. Cover the answers and try them.
How is most Lambrusco made sparkling?
A second fermentation in tank. Most is made by the Martinotti method. A few producers have gone back to refermenting in bottle.
Which Lambrusco is the palest and most delicate?
Lambrusco di Sorbara. Sorbara is light in colour, high in acid and floral. It sets fruit poorly, so it is planted with Salamino as a pollinator.
Which Lambrusco gives the darkest, most tannic wines?
Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro. Grasparossa grows on the hills south of Modena and makes the fullest wines of the family.
Which grape leads the reds of Romagna, east of Bologna?
Sangiovese. Emilia to the west is Lambrusco country. Romagna to the east is Sangiovese country.
Gutturnio, from the Colli Piacentini, is a blend of
Barbera and Croatina. Croatina is called Bonarda locally. Gutturnio is made both still and frizzante.
Pagadebit, Romagna's debt payer, is the local name for which grape?
Bombino Bianco. It cropped so reliably that growers counted on it to pay off their debts.
Think you've got it?
Twenty questions on Emilia-Romagna, with every wrong answer drawn from the region and its neighbours.
Quiz me on Emilia-Romagna