After looking at Friuli in Italy, I’m continuing in Northern Italy. This time I’m checking out some Emilia-Romagna wines.
Emilia-Romagna
The Emilia-Romagna region is roughly the area between Milan and Bologna, north of Tuscany and south of Lombardy and Veneto. Within it there are several DOCs like Sorbara, Modena, Reggiano, etc. Oddly, the actual Emilia-Romagna DOC used to be called Pignoletto DOC and only refers to wines made with the Pignoletto grape since 2024 because of naming disputes. It’s the Emilia-IGT label which covers the whole region.
This region is most famous for its Lambrusco, which is both the name of the grape (or more accurately a family of grape varieties) and the sparkling reds made from this grape variety. Although some are made in the traditional method, most are now made in the Charmat method with various levels of sweetness: Secco, Semi-Secco, Amabile and Dolce (from driest to sweetest). White sparklings here are usually made with Pignoletto. As far as other whites, you can find Malvasia, Trebbiano, Albana (which has its own Romagna Albana DOCG), the revived Rambèla (Famoso) and some international white grapes. Besides Lambrusco, the reds are typically Barbera, Sangiovese, and Bonarda. I’ve run across some rare local grapes like Uva Longanesi (Bursôn) too.
Although every Italian region has amazing food and wine traditions, Emilia-Romagna is often considered the heart of Italian cuisine with many recognizable Italian products/dishes like Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, Modena balsamic vinegar, lasagna and pasta with Bolognese ragu. Its wines are perfect compliments to them.
I decided to get a sparkling red and white plus two dry, still reds to explore.
Tasting Notes
NV Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Metodo del Fondatore Sorbara Spumante Rosso Brut
Essentially Champagne Method with 6 months in bottle aging. 100% Lambrusco di Sorbara. Hard for me to rate this because I don’t drink much sparkling reds, but it’s a lot more enjoyable than some sweet Lambruscos I had in the past. The color is light, clear purple. The nose is not so different from a rose sparkling with yeasty notes mixed with berries. The palate has moderate to low amounts of fairly fine bubbles. There’s more red and purple berry fruit with medium acid and a salty back-end of moderate length. Dry. It’s not super-complex but it should be a versatile and refreshing food-wine to drink in warm weather. 88
NV Cleto Chiarli Moden Blanc Spumante Pignoletto Modena Brut
Charmat method made from the Pignoletto grape. The nose is lemony, biscuity and a touch floral. The palate is dry but still more on the fruity, lower acid side. I like the nose more than the palate, but it does its job as a cheaper alternative dry sparkling. 88
2010 La Stoppa ‘Barbera della Stoppa’ Colli Piacentini
This is one of the top low-intervention producers in the region. Seems like younger vintages since this 2010 are now called Camporomano. Based on information from other vintages, which may vary from this vintage, this is 100% Barbera from a parcel called Camporomano with clay soils. Organic. Native yeasts. No added sulfur. Non-filtered. For the 2015 vintage, it said no malolactic, but I’m not sure that’s the case in every vintage. It’s likely aged in a mix of used barriques and larger Slavonian oak barrels. This is an interesting wine. The nose starts off sort of like a lightly oaked Merlot or Syrah with a bit of age because of the darker fruit profile but the palate doesn’t have the same round, silky texture a Merlot might have. Rather, it’s medium-bodied but more watery texturely on the palate. It’s also more Italian with dark red fruit, a touch of VA and rusticity. Tannins are resolved. With more air, the nose starts to get tertiary notes of leather, mushroom and dried fruit. I like the nose. The nose is more appealing at the moment while the palate I’d still rather have with food. On the second day, there’s more leather and it’s touch barnyardy. 91
2021 Chiara Condello Predappio Romagna
This is from the local version of Sangiovese called Sangioveto dal Cannello Piccolo Predappio. Fermented and aged in a mix of stainless steel and Slavonian oak casks. Destemmed but not crushed (whole berries). The overall impression is like a blend of Tuscan Sangiovese with Merlot because in addition to spice and sour red fruit you typically get from Sangiovese, there’s a round, fuller feel to it along with plummy purple fruit. There’s enough tannic and acidic structure to age another 5 years, but it’s good to go now with food. This is a great gateway to Sangiovese to introduce to casual drinkers who may not be used to acidic wines to have with pizza or meaty pasta. 92