Emilia-Romagna stretches from the Ligurian border in
northeastern Italy to the Adriatic Sea. As the name indicates,
historically it was composed of two regions, Emilia and Romagna.
It may be the only region of Italy named for a road, one
constructed by the Ancient Romans almost 2200 years ago. It is
one of the most prosperous regions of Italy with strong
agricultural, industrial, and tourist economic activity. Its
total population is about 3.9 million.
Emilia-Romagna produces a very wide variety of pasta, fruits and
vegetables, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cheese, and fresh and
cured meats. Two of its biggest stars are a cheese, Parmigiano
Regianno, and a ham, Prosciutto di Parma. Parmesan cheese as
it's known in English, was mentioned by the famous Italian
author of the Fourteenth Century, Giovanni Boccaccio. We review
it below. Parma ham, as it's known in English, is an uncooked
ham that is dry cured for at least ten months. Usually it is
served in very thin slices, often as appetizer with melon.
Bologna whose population is about 375,000 is the administrative
center of Emilia-Romagna. It is the home of the first university
in the Western World, founded in the 11th Century. Bologna is
also considered the capital of Italian gastronomy, in spite of
its unfortunate association with a low-quality sandwich meat.
Another city of interest is Rimini, a resort center on the
Adriatic Sea with a population of 135 thousand.
Emilia-Romagna devotes about 178,000 acres to grapevines, it
ranks 5th among the 20 Italian regions. Its total annual wine
production is about 125 million gallons, giving it a 4th place.
About 57% of the wine production is red, leaving 43% for white.
The region produces 18 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione
di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination
of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine and 1 DOCG
white wine, Albana di Romagna. The G in DOCG stands for
Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are
truly superior. In fact, while this wine was the first white
wine to be accorded the DOCG designation in Italy (1987), many
feel that Albana di Romagna does not deserve such an award. (I
have never tasted this wine, and from the reviews that I've
read, I'm in no hurry to taste it.) About 21% of Emilia-Romagna
wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation. Emilia-Romagna is home
to more than four dozen major and secondary grape varieties, a
few more red than white.
Widely grown international white grape varieties include
Malvasia and Trebbiano. The best known strictly Italian white
varieties are Albana (source of the DOCG wine) and Pignoletto.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the only widely grown international red
grape variety. The best known strictly Italian red variety is
Bonarda. The Italian red varieties Barbera and Sangiovese are
found elsewhere, including California.
Before we reviewing the Emilia-Romagna wine and cheese that we
were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local
Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat
with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start
with Gelato di Parmigiano, Parmigiano "Ice Cream", which
includes heavy cream and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese,
suggested as an appetizer. A more traditional dish is Scaloppine
di Vitello alla Bolognese, Veal Scaloppine all Bolognese, which
also includes Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, as well as other local
specialties Prosciutto di Parma and balsamic vinegar. For
dessert (as if the ice cream wasn't a dessert) try Torta
Bonissima, a Honey and Nut Pie.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY While we have communicated with well over
a thousand Italian wine producers and merchants to help prepare
these articles, our policy is clear. All wines that we taste and
review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Donini Lamberti Trebbiano-Chardonnay IGT 2005 12%
alcohol about $8 (liter)
Everybody has prejudices. I approached this bottle with several
of them. It seems to me that a liter of wine is usually too big,
accentuating quantity at the expense of quality. Given the
economics of the wine industry, I am usually reticent to
purchase a bottle for $8, which would be $6 for a regular-sized
bottle. And finally while Emilia-Romagna is often known for its
red wines, it is not particularly known for its white wines,
with an unfortunate exception, the DOCG wine Albana di Romagna,
discussed above. And now to the actual wine.
The first time that I drank this wine I found that its taste was
one of green apples, dominating everything else but still light
on flavor if not unpleasant. It didn't really accompany the
food, a breaded chicken cutlet in sweet and sour sauce with
potatoes cooked in chicken fat. As the wine aged a bit, (it
takes a long time to finish a liter if you don't care to drink
very much at a time) it got better instead of worse. I have read
that 3.5 million bottles of this type wine are produced yearly.
I understand that it is popular in fish restaurants along the
Adriatic Sea. I'd love to find out for sure. Final verdict, not
bad for the price.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is a cooked, unpressed semi-fat hard cheese
made from raw cow's milk. It is encased in a thin, yellow rind.
This cheese is finely grained and very flaky. Its taste is
delicate and fragrant, and frankly wasted with a wine of this
quality.
About the author:
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers
and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink
fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He
teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language
community college. His wine website is
www.theworldwidewine.com
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