Winelightenment > Wine Blogs - GWL Day 9 - Rimini-Dozza (EMILIA ROMAGNA) (197 km)

Emilia Romagna: wine, food, women, cars...

Today is cloudy and rainy... good, because I am planning to leave the coastline and move inland, so I won't be spreading many tears during the sad "arrivederci" to the sea. I will not see the sea for a while. I am going to travel west in the heart of one of the best Italian culinary heritages: the region of Emilia Romagna. My trip is getting more and more exiting! Emilia Romagna is really 2 regions in one. Romagna spreads from the Adriatic coast to the city of Imola and Emilia is from Imola to Piemonte. Locals here like to say that this is the region of wine, food, women and cars: here is the reason:

Today's first tour of Emilia Romagna touched the hills above Forli and Cesena. I went up and down hill several times surrounded by beautiful scenarios of steep vineyards and mountains: the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano which is that section of Appennino dividing Toscana and Emilia Romagna. Toscana is a few kilometers away, just over those mountains and yet... so many differences! The Sangiovese grape is the most important variety grown here, as much as it is important in Toscana, however it produces a fairly different wine. Another important grape variety is Albana. Albana di Romagna was the first white wine in Italy to have the DOCG.

I am in Dozza right now, a small beautiful medieval town near Imola. And I am back with my routine of writing my day's notes in a restaurant while waiting for dinner! And guess what? I want to tell you what I am having for dinner: (only a dessert plate)

Here is today's list of producers. The visits were intense, long and worthwhile. Following the description of each wine is the cost in Euro (1 Euro = 1US $) and the score I assigned to the wine, based on a maximum of 100 points.

Fattoria Paradiso (Bertinoro)
A big estate that includes a restaurant and "agriturismo". I went for a long tour of the structures, cellars and their beautiful and old wine collection. I tasted 10 wines ("almost" their entire production). Here is some wines that caught my attention (and my taste buds!):

1) Mito 2000 Rosso IGT
Merlot 60%, Cabernet Sauvignon 35%, Syrah 5%.
Deep and complex bouquet. Pepper, tobacco, liquerice. Long finish.
E40 90/100

2) Barbarossa Il Dosso Riserva Speciale 1999 Rosso IGT
Barbarossa 100% (Fattoria Paradiso is the only estate producing Barbarossa)
Very ample bouquet and particularly elegant on the palate. Long long finish.
E18 88/100

3) Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Castello Ugarte Vigna Lepri Riserva 2001
A LONG NAME for a superb wine!!!!!
First Riserva made only of Sangiovese.
E16 88/100

4) Albana di Romagna Passito Gradisca 2001 Bianco Dolce DOCG
Albana 100%
A late harvest beauty, rich and complex.
E24 (0.500 lt) 92/100

5) Albana di Romagna Passito Frutto Proibito 2001
Another meditation wine made of Albana 100%.
Albana is a grape that is prone to late harvesting or a mature ripening.
E33 94/100

Giovanna Madonia (Bertinoro)

1) Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Ombroso Riserva 2000
Sangiovese 100%
E19 84/100

Castelluccio (Modigliana)
I did not taste any wine here however I went for a tour of the cellars and vineyards. This estate is certainly located in one of the nicest spot of this region. We are at the maximum altitude where a vineyard can grow successfully (500 mt). The owner showed me the land, describing the soil and the main differences with the neighbor region of Toscana.