Romagna – the capital of Italian gastronomy – home to the prestigious Sangiovese vine whose roots are deeply rooted in the historical past of the peninsula. Some say that it was already known at the time of the Estrucans, others say that it was the Romans who brought about its fame, calling it ‘The Blood of Jupiter’ or ‘Hallowed Zeus’. However, what is almost certain is that it was to be found in Romagna at the end of the last years of the Western Roman Empire. It was the time when many wealthy Romans decided to abandon the capital and move to where the land was more fertile and the crops were abundant, to the Apennine hills in the area where the Po Valley meets the Adriatic Sea.

Maybe, also thanks to the wine that was already being cultivated there, albeit in a very primitive way, settlements began to spring up. During the Byzantium era that followed, as Romagna was one of the last outposts of the Eastern Roman Empire in Italy, this vine probably became more refined. It later found its way to the table of many notable humanists, one of whom, Gianvettorio Soderini, praised it in such minute detail, no less eloquent than that which, Bartolomeo Bimbi (1648- 1730) would depict a century later in one of his still life paintings.

Even today, at Artusi week, the event which takes its name from founder of Italian cuisine, Artusi, the Federation organizes an Italian sommelier tasting entitled “Sangiovese meets Sangiovese” where six Sangioveses from the region of Romagna are compared with six from Tuscany. This event is limited to Romagna and Tuscany as these are the areas where this wine is produced solely from the Sangiovese grape. Apart from the wine producing areas in Sicily and Sardinia, there is no other area in Italy where a vine is cultivated to be bottled without being blended with another grape like in the hills of the Romagnoli Apennines, in particular Rimini, Faenza and Imola. Whatever its origins, Tuscan or Romagnolo, the fact is that Romagna is the area where so much, at least until at least a few decades ago, is produced and is used to fortify Tuscan grapes found on the other side of the Apennines.

The Sangiovese grape is grown in about 11% of the country’s vineyards and can be found blended with other grapes in many Italian regional wines like Tuscan Chianti. Furthermore, the ‘Sangiovese Grosso’ grape is blended with other grapes to create one of the most outstanding Italian wines, Brunello di Montalcino, while the ‘Prugnolo Gentile’ variety of Sangiovese is used in the production of that other noble Italian wine, Montepulciano.

Brisighella

So, if you are in the Romagna area, take the opportunity to visit the areas where this wine is produced. Follow the food and wine trails which have been organized by individual producers. For example, Imola where you can find a 150 km gastronomic trail running through the valleys into the hills. Or Faenza, where among the ancient castles, farmhouses and historical palaces, you will come across the vineyards of Brisighella, Casola Valsenio and Riolo only then to find yourself in Faenza, itself. If, on the other hand, you want to stay near Rimini, you can make your way to the hills nearby to discover, among the palaces which once belonged to the Malatesta family, the golf courses and fortified hamlets , the vineyards of our Sangiovese flourishing in the sea breeze blowing in from the nearby Adriatic Sea.

We would like to wish you a pleasant stay in Romagna, accompanied by a bottle of our intensely red, full bodied Sangiovese.