Region Of The Week: Emilia-Romagna
Located across the top of the Italian peninsula, Emilia-Romagna is the third largest wine producing region in Italy. With roughly 53,000 hectares of vineyards, it’s the only Italian region that has both an east and west coast. The terroir vastly differs from rolling hills and Apennine mountains to grassy and coastal plains, with moderate temperatures and cool breezes. Emilia-Romagna produces more white than red wines, with their primary varietals being Trebbiano, Lambrusco, and Sangiovese, as well as some international grapes like Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
One of the older Italian wine regions, dating back to the 7th century BC, Emilia-Romagna is a combination of two historical areas. Located to the west, Emilia is named after Via Emilia, the road that Romans used to transport wines between cities. Emilia mainly produces sparkling wine, specifically sparkling red wine made from Lambrusco grapes, which can be sweet or dry. Whereas Romagna is located to the east and is named after Rome because of their domination over the area. Romagna tends to produce still wines using both well known and native varietals. Together they produce about 68 million cases of wine a year.
