Romagna of Emilia-Romagna
If you know the regions of Italy, you will be familiar with Emilia-Romagna. This territory spans from the Adriatic Sea below the Veneto and above Marche, across the Apennine Mountains, south of Lombardia and north of Tuscany, stopping short of the Ligurian Sea on the Mediterranean Coast as it comes up to the thin strip that is Liguria.
The region is called Emilia-Romagna and is traditionally divided into Emilia, the northern part of the region that encompasses the cities of Bologna, Modena, and Parma and Romagna, the southeastern portion that takes in the Adriatic Coast south of Ravenna, and the parts of the Apennine Mountains.
Emilia tends to be more urban, with historic cities and famous culinary specialties such as Parmigiano-Reggianno, Proscuitto di Parma, and Balsamic vinegar of Modena.
Romagna, on the other hand, is more rural, with maritime and agricultural ties.
Brothers Aldo and Paolo Rametta spent most of their lives outside Italy, growing up in the United States and Switzerland. In 2016, they started a project together that became Poggio della Dogana.
Poggio della Dogana in Terra del Sole
Terra del Sole is a town that began in the Middle Ages, and developed into a “town-fortress”, a Renaissance citadel. Cosimo de Medici had this fortress built in 1564 to guard the border with the Papal State. Of course, the Medici influence means this design is not just practical, but beautiful.
Poggio della Dogana sits 2 km from the fortress, covering 20 hectares in Romagna, in the hills of Brisighella and Castrocara Terme-Terra del Sole. On their website, they speak of the soils here:
“The characteristics of the soils are decisive for the unique style of our wines: the brown and ochre clays of Castrocaro rich in bromine, sulphur and calcium, and the sea breeze that blows from the Adriatic a few tens of kilometres up to the calcareous soils of Brisighella which provide the unmistakable sapidity.”
The vineyards sit between 180 and 300 meters above sea level with the Adriatic just 30 km away. Both vineyards, Castrocaro and Brisighella, are farmed organically. Working in harmony with nature is essential to the brothers. Bees are raised on the property under the care of a local beekeeper. Not that the vines need bees, but the bees serve many of the other biodiverse plant life in the area.
Belladama Romagna Albana Secco DOCG 2022
Belladama Romagna Albana Secco DOCG is made in the dry style from the 20-year-old vineyards of Castrocaro Terme and Brisighella.
This wine is 100% Albana. It is pressed off its skin in a vertical press and fermented in stainless steel. It then aged for 10 months in concrete on the fine lees (dead yeast cells) with periodic battonage (stirring the dead lees into the wine).
They mention in their notes that the concrete is “non-vitrified” and not being familiar with that term, I went to look it up. “Non-vitrified” concrete has a high water absorption rate, typically more than 10%. This concrete is porous and, as such, lends itself to micro-oxygenation of the wine.
Micro-oxygenation helps to stabilize the wine. It will also reduce oxidation and increase the fullness of a wine. Of course, this can be done in oak, but oak adds flavors to the wine. Concrete is neutral, allowing the wine to age and evolve without imparting additional flavors and aromas.
Of course, aging on the fine lees and the battonage also add texture and fullness to the wine.
This wine was rich in color, almost gold in the glass, with aromas of wood smoke, spice, and savory salty notes. There was orange zest, dried orange, and the tanginess of blood orange. There were also heady notes of fall herbs like rosemary and sage. It did not come across as a “neutral” grape at all.
There was a caramelized note here, without the sweetness, like grilled white meat, which seems as if it would go very well with this wine!
13.5% abv – $30 SRP
Belladama – the label and the name
The label is a beautiful sketch from Silvio Gordini of a flower akin to a snapdragon.
The name comes with a story. Their mother, Rosanna, remembered this as the name of a horse her father owned when she was a child. The family-owned horses until the Second World War, when they lost everything. They named this, the first of their white wines, in honor of this memory.
Albana
Albana is an ancient Italian grape considered native to Emilia-Romagna, although it can be found in Liguria, Lombardia, and in tiny amounts on the French island of Corsica, where it is called Riminèse.
It has been traditionally viewed as a neutral variety, good for making sweet wines as its thin but sturdy skins make it suitable for drying. (You will note that the Belladama was made in a dry style)
Albana di Romagna was promoted to DOCG status in 1986, the first Italian white wine to receive this status.
Ronchi di Castelluccio
A bit more history on Ronchi di Castelluccio
I mentioned in my last article that the winery was founded by Italian filmmaker Gian Vittorio Baldi. He did not do this alone; Enologist Vittorio Fiore and agronomist Remigio Bordini worked to choose the proper clones and get the winery underway. Later, the Fiore family purchased the winery and eventually sold the Castelluccio estate to the Rametto brothers.
The history is maintained by Remegio’s son Francesco, who works with the brothers to restore the old vineyards. None of the old vines were torn out, but they worked hard to restore them.
The Farming of Castelluccio
With the focus of these wines is on “single vineyard,” it is important to keep the biodiversity around the vineyards, which impacts the wines.
The Ramettas acquired an estate surrounding Ronchi di Castelluccio to protect this biodiversity. The Fontana farm breeds Limousin cattle and is certified organic.
Modigliana
These vineyards are on wooded slopes that were thought too cold to grow grapes when they were first planted.
Learn more here
Sottovento Sauvignon Blanc – Rubicone IGT Bianco
Sottovento di Castelluccio
These Sauvignon Blanc grapes come from the highest part of the vineyard at Ronchi di Castelluccio. It might seem odd to have Sauvignon Blanc planted in this region at such an altitude, but it was a variety that Baldi loved.
Planted in 1989 at 390 meters above sea level (1279 feet), the grapes are hand-harvested, get a soft press with no time on the skin, and fermented in steel. The wine then ages 9 months in wood and another 9 in bottle before release.
There is a brightness to the Sauvignon Blanc with a savory undercurrent. It brings to mind a fresh green garden warming in the sun on an early summer day.
I found notes of wet stone, lime blossom, lemon, white flowers, citrus pith, chalk, saline, green apple, and citrus fruit, with a bit of spice, which probably come from the time spent in wood.
The color of this wine is also much richer than you would expect from a Sauvignon Blanc.
This wine is enormously intriguing and captivating. I’ll say a thank you to Baldi for deciding to plant it here!
13% abv
Pairings for these white wines of Romagna
I wanted to find pairings that would capture some of the region’s essence. After scouring the internet for Romagna recipes, I settled on Zucchini Rupine and a fresh pasta with seafood. The pasta dish seemed almost like a throwaway to me, just fresh pasta, homemade pesto, and shrimp, but it turned out to be a dish that punches far above its weightclass.
Zucchini Ripene
Traditionally, these are hollowed out boats of zucchini filled and baked. I wanted to make the presentation a bit more elegant, so I cut tubes of zucchini to stand on end.
Fresh pasta with shrimp and pesto
I have been in a pasta-making mood lately. I made a batch of pasta and cut half into fettuccine-sized noodles.
This recipe is simple. Cook up some shrimp, add the fresh pasta, and mix with fresh pesto. The thing is, the fresh pasta soaks up all of that shrimp flavor, adding depth to the dish that a dried pasta could never hope to compete with.
Zucchini Ripene
Traditionally, Zucchini Ripene are hollowed-out boats of zucchini, filled and baked. I wanted to make the presentation a bit more elegant, so I cut tubes of zucchini to stand on end.
Ingredients
- 3 zucchini
- Olive oil
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 egg
- ¼ lb Italian sausage meat
- 4 tbsp pecorino romano + 1 tbsp for topping
- 2 tbsp panko bread crumbs + 1 tbsp for topping
- 1 tbsp basil, freshly chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cut the zucchini into 2-inch pieces.
- Hollow out the center to fill. I used a cannoli form to punch out the centers. (Next time, I think I will try to leave a bit of the bottom on to hold in the filling.)
- Save the zucchini from the center and chop it fine.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet, cook the shallot, then add the sausage and brown it.
- Add 1/3 cup of the chopped zucchini centers and cook for another few minutes.
- Let this mixture cool slightly, then add the egg, pecorino romano, bread crumbs, and basil.
- Fill the zucchini tubes with the mixture and top with additional bread crumbs and cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Notes
Options:
You can make this without the meat. Use
You can stuff these with almost anything. Add more zucchini and perhaps some fresh red pepper! You can also use pancetta instead of the sausage.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 251Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 90mgSodium 358mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 17g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Fresh pasta with shrimp and pesto
This recipe is simple. Cook up some shrimp, add the fresh pasta, and mix with fresh pesto.
The thing is, the fresh pasta soaks up all of that shrimp flavor, adding depth to the dish that a dried pasta could never hope to compete with.
Pair it with a Sauvignon Blanc or an Albana from Romagna!
Ingredients
- Fresh fettuccini
- 1/2 lb Peeled and deveined shrimp
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Pesto
- 1/2 cup of pine nuts
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
- 2 cups of fresh basil
- ¼ cup EVOO
- ¼ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- Add the pine nuts, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a food processor, and then microplane the garlic into the mix.
- Add the basil and pulse until it is blended in.
- Drizzle in the EVOO to emulsify and mix
- Add the parmigiano-reggiano and thin with additional EVOO if necessary.
- Cook the shrimp in a large pan or Dutch oven with a bit of olive oil until pink. Add freshly cooked pasta and the pesto and mix, adding a little additional pasta water if needed.
- Garnish with fresh basil and additional Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Notes
Microplaninggarlic! I'm never going back!
So Trevor, at work, was proselytizing on the wonders of microplanning garlic. The man was not wrong. It turns your garlic into a jelly-like spread that blends magically into dishes. No more biting into a chunk of garlic in your dish, just beautiful garlic flavors spread evenly throughout the dish.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 515Total Fat 36gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 28gCholesterol 245mgSodium 1340mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 32g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Check out our book series, “Tempting Spoonfuls” available through Amazon!
Inspired by the flavors and aromas in wines, these books create “tempting spoonfuls” of flavors to pair with wines.
“Tempting Spoonfuls – Pairing single bites with glorious wines” – Our first book paired wines from boutique wineries on the west coast, in California, Oregon, and Washington, with delicious spoonfuls.
This book is 60 pages, 18 recipes, lots of beautiful photos, and insights into some fantastic small wineries!
“Tempting Spoonfuls – small bites paired with wines from around the Globe” – This book takes us around the globe to explore 12 wine regions, a wine from the region, and then gives you a recipe for a pairing!
A slightly larger book at 104 pages, this time you learn about pairing with a type of wine from a region. Rather than a specific bottle, you can look for a style of wine from a region and feel confident that it will go well with the recipe pairing we provide. We give you 12 recipes, each to pair with a wine.
The goal is to make your mouth water and encourage you to create your own “Tempting Spoonfuls.”
Leave a Reply