Emilia Romagna - a region of Italy located in the north-eastern part of the country, with an area of 22 124 square kilometers. Its territory consist of mountains with the range of the Tuscan and Emilian Apennines (25%), hilly areas (27%), and plains (almost 48%), marked by the course of the Po river.
Actually, there are two
subregions
, which formerly were two historic regions, Emilia with the cities of Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena and Bologna, and Romania with Ravenna and Rimini near to the Adriatic sea. The area destined for winegrowing covers more than 55 000 hectares, which every year give six million hectoliters of wine. With such a large production, Emilia Romagna is one of the largest wine-making regions of Italy. Apart from wine, Emilia Romagna is also renowned for Parmesan cheese, Parma ham, and well-known tortellini, stuffed pasta in small rings, and egg-made pasta, tagliatelle. Of course, should be also mentioned Balsamic vinegar of Modena produced by the traditional method and aged for many years in casks made of five different woods. The culinary wealth of the region is really impressive.
It is interesting to note that the first propagator of Italian cuisine, Pellegrino Artusi, the author of a book named
The science in the kitchen and the art of eating well
being the first collection of recipes published in the 19th century, was born in Forlimpopoli, the town located in Romagna.
As for wines , Emilia Romagna has two DOCG appellations, Albana di Romagna, a white wine from Albana, and Colli Bolognesi Classico Pignoletto, also a white originating from the surroundings of Bologna. The hilly and mountainous Emilia produces mainly sparklers, while Romagna provides still wines, and that is the main difference between wines coming from these subregions. The most famous among them are wines made from Sangiovese and Trebbiano grapes.
Moreover, there are 18 DOC appellations, among which 4 appellations of Lambruso. This sparkler, very popular in Italy and throughout the world, was already known in the 18th century. Unluckily, a vine disease ravaged almost the whole oenological wealth of the region in the following century. With time it was revived and only after many years the wines of Emilia Romagna became popular and worth mentioning again.
Mario Soldati, an Italian writer and wine lover, wrote that Lambrusco was a modest Champagne of Emilia Romagna. Indeed, thanks to its stunning foam and bubbles
, the wine can be jokingly compared to the famous Champagne. However, the charm of Lambrusco really lies in its modesty
. A crisp and fresh Lambrusco, with fruity aroma notes, is the most popular Italian wine, willingly bought to drink every day.