The Albana Romagna Docg 2024 by Palazzo di Varignana makes its debut, a sunny shade of native white and a new challenge in the glass for the winery that is a symbol of refinement on the hills of Bologna.
The debut of a new native shade of white on the hills of Bologna
Among the many panoramas of the Emilia-Romagna wine region, there is a corner that tells a unique and singular story. We are a few kilometers from Bologna, on the hills traditionally suited to Sangiovese, Malbo Gentile and Pignoletto. It is here that, at an altitude that varies between 150 and 230 meters above sea level, inlets and gullies shaped by time and nature favor with their peculiar conformation the circulation of fresh currents coming from the mountains. The vineyards, then, embroider the slopes of a natural amphitheater, whose confirmation in summer gives benefit to the bunches, guaranteeing a slow and balanced maturation, during the winter protection to the vineyard.
Man, however, does his part to enhance these gifts: this is how the winemaking project signed by Palazzo di Varignana was born, which is alongside the one dedicated to the cultivation of ancient varieties of native olive trees, for 265 hectares including Brisighella, for the production of an Extra Virgin Olive Oil among the most awarded in the world. The gaze, however, also ranges when it comes to grapes within the over 650 hectares of land colored by 57 hectares of vineyards. The wine, on the hills located between the Vena del Gesso and the Via Emilia, where the ridges of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines face north, in the direction of the Po Valley, then takes on unique shades.
In Palazzo di Varignana, in fact, the language of Sangiovese is spoken, but not only that: because here, in the heart of Emilia, the celebration of the main grape variety at these latitudes is accompanied by the international character of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and native varieties such as Malbo Gentile and Albana. The most representative white grape variety of Romagna reveals the authenticity of these hills. What emerges is a harmony that enhances the sunniest of characters, between bewitching aromas and a wealth of native flavors.
Albana Romagna Docg according to Palazzo di Varignana
In the amphitheater of Palazzo di Varignana, Albana grapes find their ideal habitat on the western slopes, where the soils are defined by mixtures of yellow sands with the presence of skeleton.
“For us, Albana represents an elected interpreter of our territory and a protagonist of its history, allowing us a special interpretation of these values,” explains winemaker Umberto Marchiori of Uva Sapiens S.r.l. “Its name probably derives from the Latin Albus, which means White; legend has it that, in 400 AD, Galla Placidia, daughter of the Roman emperor Theodosius the Great, was offered a terracotta cup containing the local wine, Albana, during a trip to Romagna. This latter is a testimony to the thousand-year history of this vine.”
Deep roots and unique characteristics, those of Albana, the first Italian white to obtain the Docg in 1987. “The golden color of the bunches, its warm and enveloping aromatic notes, fully express our concept of hospitality”, continues Marchiori. Hence the choice, at the beginning of 2025, to launch the Albana Romagna Docg 2024 signed Palazzo di Varignana. A sunny and spontaneous wine that brings to mind the country atmospheres in which all the nuances of the territory in which it comes to life are enclosed.
“It is a bewitching, welcoming and enveloping wine, of great pleasantness and spontaneity, versatile and sunny, like the territory in which it is grown and the people who take care of it”, explains Marchiori. “Its color is golden, it presents notes of peach and apricot, broom and sage, the palate reveals breadth and depth with fruity and balsamic scents, in a balanced reverberation between acidity, freshness and flavor, making this white truly special”.
Authentic and intense, it reflects all the sunshine of Romagna. “Albana finds its maximum expression on soils characterized by the presence of sandstones, rocks resulting from the cementation of ancient sands”, highlights Marchiori. “In Varignana, the Torretta estate was chosen to grow Albana because it has unique vocational characteristics that allow this vine to express the best of its potential. We are, in fact, on a calcareous sandstone terrain with cemented formations of yellow sands close to the vein of Bologna chalk and the gullies of the Abbadessa”.
All elements that can be read in a glass called to accompany traditional dishes and specialties, such as Salame rosa di Bologna, Squacquerone and piada or Tagliatelle verdi alla bolognese with ragù di cortile, but also refined raw fish or preparations such as a Guazzetto di scampi, up to original creations such as Risotto leeks and parmesan with Olio Evo Pandesco Bio.
“Abana is the reddest of the white wines we produce”, concludes the winemaker of Uva Sapiens S.r.l. “Due to its characteristics, it also lends itself to being left to rest, so that it can express itself and surprise us with its potential even after years. Each vintage will be a fantastic discovery”.
