The good sangiovese

Romagna, land of good wines

Italy is one of the most important wine producers in the world. All of its 21 regions, even the smallest one, produce their own wines and this has a very practical historical reason: romans loved wine. And when they conquered a region, they searched for local wines or just settled vineyards with grapes coming from Rome or arriving from Greece.

Romagna and the Romans

So it happened in Romagna, a very hostile land occupied by the Gauls, when the Romans decided to send a military presence to occupy the area. The cultivation and production of red and white wine here, has a very long history and still now it's a very important part of the food and wine culture. Valleys but especially hills are covered by extended row of grapevines and offer an amazing landscape and also nice suggestions to live Romagna in a unique way.

Portico di Romagna and its valley, where the Montone River flows, offers a very interesting selection of little vineyards that goes from the flat crossing the boroughs of Castrocaro and Terra del Sole up to the hills of Rocca San Casciano.

Sangiovese and Albana

These two wines are the symbol of Romagna: intense, fruity, spicy and very fresh. The origin of Sangiovese, the red grapevine which is also used to produce Tuscan Chianti, is not very certain. A legend tells that it was produced by some monks in Santarcangelo di Romagna, and when a bishop drank a glass of Sangiovese, asked about the name of the wine. Blood of Jupiter, was the answer, and from that, Sangiovese.

Albana, on the other hand, come from a Latin word, which means white. Even if the legend tells the history of Galla Placidia, the daughter of Emperor Teodosio, who, drinking this wine, said it should be drunk in a golden cup. From this came also the place where the best Albana is produced, Bertinoro.

Most of the vineyards in the surroundings will be happy to let you taste their wines. If you want to start in the best way, try some of the wines of the Vecchio Convento cellar, which gathers a very good selection of Sangiovese and Albana. Than let Massimiliano advice you and then you can go and visit the local vineyards. A unique experience of Romagna.