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Albana di Romagna
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Classification: DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita- Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin)
Colour: straw yellow, tending to a golden colour with age
Region of production: Emilia-Romagna, at the foot of the hills in the provinces of Bologna, Ravenna and Forlì-Cesena
Minimum alcohol content: 11.5%
Grape varieties used: Albana |
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Albana is a noble wine held in high esteem since Roman times by princesses and emperors. Legend has it that Galla Placidia, the daughter of Emperor Theodosius, was passing through a village in the Romagna region when she tasted the wine, drinking it from an earthenware cup upon which she exclaimed: "You should not be drunk in so humble a container: you should be drunk from gold to render homage to your suaveness". From that moment on Albana was served in golden cups at the court of Ravenna, and the village in which Galla Placida had stopped took the name Bertinoro (from berti in oro, or drunk from gold), which it maintains today. Even the Emperor Federico Barbarossa, while a guest of the Countess Frangipane of Bertinoro, loved to drink this wine. It was mentioned for the first time in the XIII century in the "Treaty on Agriculture" by the scholar of medicine, philosophy and law Piero de' Crescenzi, who thus described it: "It is another type, which is called Albana: it develops late, and is of a white grape. Its wine is most strong and noble in flavour, and the very best of this type of grape is to be had in Furlì and all Romagna".
An important wine then, which is capable of seducing even the most demanding and refined palates. Its name derives from the Latin "albus", meaning clear or white in the noble sense, thus revealing its ancient origins. In 1987, Albana was the first Italian wine to obtain Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin) status, after having received DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata- Controlled Denomination of Origin) status twenty years earlier.
Today it is produced in four different types: A Dry variety, Suave with a fruity taste, Sweet and Passito (raisin wine) with a higher alcohol content (15.5%) and a velvety flavour.
The delicate and characteristic nose and its dry, slightly tannic flavour that is warm and harmonious make the dry variety suitable for accompanying the entire meal. It is particularly well suited to a fish and seafood-based menu, but also with broths and creamed vegetable soups. The Suave type is recommended for those who like a sweet wine even with their meal, whilst Sweet and Passito are dessert wines. The best glass for these two types is the small chalice; the others however should be served in the classic white wine chalices. All the varieties should ideally be served at about 10-12°C.
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