Travel

Wines of Romagna meet art
«Vinnaya Karta» №7(98) September 2008

Sangiovese, the most popular indigenous Italian grape, grows far beyond Tuscany.

It produces wines of note in Romagna, a region on the Adriatic shores which is well known through its beaches and generous cuisine.

Until recently the image of winemaking Romagna was quite unremarkable. The region, however, saw some transformations in the past years which changed both attitudes to viticulture, as well as quality of local wines.

In 2001 two flagship estates — Fattoria Zerbina and Drei Dona Tenuta La Palazza — created an independent producer association Convito di Romagna. Today it counts 8 members which take the lead and set quality standards in the region. Beside Fattoria Zerbina and Drei Dona Tenuta La Palazza, the group includes Tre Monti, Stefano Ferrucci, Poderi Morini, Calonga, San Patrignano and San Valentino.

In order to break stereotypes about winemaking in Romagna, and yet understanding that wines should be promoted in a regional context, Convito di Romagna organized first open tasting in Faenza two years ago. This town is located close to Bologna and is famous for its ceramics. The International Ceramic Museum where tastings are held is one of the major cultural attractions in Romagna. It, undoubtedly, adds to the atmosphere of the event which is called Vini ad Arte, or Wines Meet Art.

The tasting became an annual event, and this year it was decided to increase the number of participants. Convito di Romagna estates were joined by over 20 regional producers who pursue the idea of quality. A winery from Barolo, Piedmont, was invited as a special guest. According to Cristina Geminiani, Convito di Romagna president, this was done, firstly, to show guests a wider perspective of Romagna winemaking and, secondly, to give producers an opportunity to enrich their experience, as well as to compare own wines with those from other Italian regions. Local artisanal food producers also took part in the event. Like with the previous editions, the tasting was held over two days. On Sunday it was open for the general public and wine lovers. On Monday the entrance was reserved for professionals — merchants, cavistes, restaurateurs, sommeliers and press. More than a thousand people visited the event — proving its increasing popularity with both the trade and consumers.

Journalists and critics had an opportunity to taste in a separate hall with a service of professional sommeliers. I must say that the experience of assessing wines while being surrounded by historic ceramic objects of rare beauty was quite memorable and doesn’t have precedents in my practice. As for the quality of the wines, this time I chose to taste only wines produced by Convito di Romagna group, in order to understand what quality level has been achieved by leading regional producers and to look at the area’s potential in comparison to other Italian winemaking zones.

The vineyard area in Romagna is large. It stretches for about 100 kilometres, starting close to popular Adriatic beaches in Rimini and ending on the hills next to Imola. Climatic and soil characteristics are heterogeneous within such a large zone that is conventionally divided into maritime and continental parts.

Sangiovese di Romagna, a genotype of the famous Central Italian grape, is a common cultivar. Around 10 autochthonous and some ubiquitous international varieties are grown, too. And here we come across the image issue. Despite the fact that Sangiovese di Romagna has produced wines from at least early 18th century and that critics, as well as winemakers, admit its superiority to other Romagna grapes, local producers haven’t yet successfully differentiated it from the Tuscan genotypes nor made it a signature grape. Which is sad. Romagna historic legacy is just as rich as Tuscan. If we follow the legend, the name Sangiovese was first used by monks who grew vines near Mount Jove in Romagna and who called their wine Sanguis Jovis — God’s Blood. But even without historic curiosities, top modern Romagna wines such as Pietramora by Fattoria Zerbina or Pruno by Drei Dona Tenuta La Palazza compete on equal terms with renowned Sangiovese based wines from famous Tuscan areas.

Sweet wines from local white Albana are also an original, high quality product, though it can be marketed only in a narrow niche. Wines made by passito method are of special interest. Best wines which include Scaccomatto and Arrocco by Fattoria Zerbina and Domus Aurea by Stefano Ferrucci definitely deserve praise in this category of Italian wines.

Besides, Romagna boasts a good number of indigenous grapes such as Ancellotta, Balsamina, Centesimino and Terrano. Their judicious use in blends or in varietal wines, if there is enough potential, helps the wines of the region acquire individuality.

Yet, today many estates try to cater for all tastes rather than build a well defined individual and regional production. Almost all producers irrespective of size offer a large range of white and red, dry and sweet, still and sparkling wines. An average number of wines on offer is around eight even among the Convito di Romagna members, and even reaches 17 for one estate. A great variety of wine labels is too confusing both for the trade and consumers. I understand very well winemakers’ desire to produce wines from different individual plots, but Romagna, alas, is not Burgundy with an established and accepted vineyard hierarchy and not even Piedmont — the only Italian region which proved the viability of a similar system. Romagna needs to create a strong general identity before dividing it into small parts.

Which wines stood out at the tasting? Notable whites were Thea Bianco 2006 by Tre Monti, a blend of several local and international varieties, with clean, nuanced, complex flavours of flowers and fruit; Il Tornese 2006 by Drei Dona Tenuta La Palazza, a refined, well balanced Chardonnay with floral and citrus notes; semisweet Tergeno 2006 by Fattoria Zerbina, an Albana-based wine which can be stylistically compared with a German Riesling auslese thanks to a great harmony between sweetness, acidity and minerality.

Sangiovese di Romagna wines should be especially mentioned in the reds — Pietramora 2004 by Fattoria Zerbina, with a remarkable, elegant fruit and minerals, as well as two other wines by the same producer — Torre di Ceparano 2005 and Marzieno 2004. I also ranked high Pruno 2004 by Drei Dona Tenuta La Palazza, a wine with good concentration of black fruit and with a very good potential; Petrignone 2005 by Tre Monti, with deep, fresh, appealing flavours featuring red fruit and chocolate; Domus Caia 2005 by Stefano Ferrucci, a neoclassic style of wine with silky tannins and excellent drinkability.

In the group of dessert wines, obvious advantage lay with Fattoria Zerbina wines which were made in different styles — Scaccomatto 2006, Arrocco 2006 and AR 2005, as well as Domus Aurea 2006 by Stefano Ferrucci.

Concluding on a sweet topic, I am also happy to recommend jams and jellies made by Stefania Callegari in Faenza. Natural seasonal fruit, creative recipes (some are based on wine), and artisanal methods are main secrets of the superb taste of her products, also acknowledged by the Italian SlowFood association.