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I Love Italian Wine and Food series - Emilia-Romagna Region
An article by: Levi Reiss
If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the
Emila-Romagna region of northern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I
hope that you’ll have fun on the fact-filled wine education tour.
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. You
can reach him at ital@mail.theworldwidewine.com.
Wine Italy |
