In Emilia-Romagna: Feasting along Via Emilia

How is it possible to encapsulate three days of feasting in Emilia-Romagna, specifically along Via Emilia, in merely a single post?  It would be an overwhelming, sumptuous read and to ensure it goes down easy, this is part one of three posts on a weekend of fine food and wine in Emilia-Romagna.

So what and where is Via Emilia? 

Via Emilia is a Roman road that was constructed in 187 B.C. and extends from Piacenza to Rimini, where it would then connect with Via Flaminia to Rome.

Covering 260 km (160 miles), today it correlates to SS9 on the street map. Our weekend along this route would take us largely to Parma, Modena, Bologna, Dozza, and Forlimpopoli.

Let the feasting begin

Our weekend started with taking the train from Rome, and in about 2 hours we got into Bologna. Together with a group of international bloggers, we were chauffeured away to the town of Dozza, just south of Bologna. While we have traveled extensively throughout Italy, I’ve never heard of this town before and this just proves that there is still so much to see and do in Italy.

Dropped off outside the walls of this medieval town situated on a gentle hill, we walked towards the main entrance and a familiar board caught my attention. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Dozza is considered “one of the most beautiful villages in Italy” and immediately upon entering the town, you understand that it is unique.

The town is renowned for its Biennial of Painted Walls, which took place last month, and it is an event to mark on your calendar, especially for art lovers. Even if you aren’t, Dozza is still worth visiting as it has a particular flair.

Slowly making our way up to the imposing fortress of Rocca Sforzesca, I was struck by the plethora of intriguing paintings on the town’s walls.  As we were there the week prior to the Biennial, we also came across a few artists that got a head start on their paintings.

However, our mission in Dozza laid inside Rocca Sforzesca, home to the Enoteca Regionale Emilia-Romagna. Setup in 1970 in Dozza, as the town is perfectly situated right between the two areas Emilia and Romagna, its intention was to host the best wines in the region.

In 1978 that the Enoteca gained recognition by the Emilia-Romagna region as a place that promotes the region’s wines and today, the cellar boasts over 1000 wine labels from 260 producers and also offers wine tastings led by sommeliers. And that was why we were here that afternoon – we would be participating in a guided wine tasting led by a sommelier to learn more about the rich diversity of wines in Emilia-Romagna.

The sommelier, Patrizia, chose 5 wines that she believed would give us a 360-degree view of the wines in the Emilia-Romagna region. With very little knowledge about wine in general, I appreciated the detailed insights she shared on each one, where we first observed, then used our nose to identify the aroma, and finally, tasted the wine.

Here are some of the insights that I learnt on the 5 wines we tasted and to check the array of wines they offer, visit the Enoteca Regionale Emilia-Romagna website where you can also purchase them online.

5 Wines from Emilia-Romagna

1.  Pignoletto Frizzante DOCG Colli Bolognese by Tenuta Santa Cecilia alla Croara, an organic wine producer.

We started with this distinguished certified organic wine using the Charmat method. While the Pignoletto Frizzante is ideal for aperitivo and paired with typical food from the region such as mortadella, it can also be served at a meal featuring flavorful and spicy Mediterranean dishes. The color is straw yellow with golden hints, and revealing fine and persistent bubbles. On the nose, it’s fruity with scents of peaches and apricots.

I particularly enjoyed this wine as it was refreshing and easy to drink. As for the particular shape of the bottle, Patrizia mentioned that it is the standard bottle used by all vintners producing the Pignoletto Frizzante DOCG Colli Bolognese.

2. Rosato del Campanone by Cantine Lombardini

A sparkling wine made from Lambrusco it pairs well with salami. It has an intense red hue, with fine bubbles and the delicate fragrance of wild berries. Patrizia also mentioned three other renowned Lambrusco wine in Modena include Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro, Lambrusco di Sorbara, and Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce. This is another wine for me that was pleasant to drink.

3. Le Carrate Colli Bolognese Sauvignon DOC by Tenuta Bonzara 

Light yellow in color, this wine has a pungent smell and is well-structured. It would pair well with asparagus risotto in spring and also curry. The aroma of the wine put me off slightly and this was not one of my favorites.

4. Fondatori Romagna Sangiovese Superiore Riserva DOC by Merlotta

A dark red young wine with hints of vanilla and cinnamon and aged in barrique barrels. In order to be labeled “riserva” it must be aged at least 18 months. This dry, full-bodied wine pairs well with game, beef and aged Parmiggiano-Reggiano.

5. Carpe Diem Romagna Albana Passito DOCG by Spalletti 

Amber yellow, intense and shiny, this dessert wine has the aroma of candied fruits. It’s very pleasant to drink and intensely sweet. The grapes are hand harvested and left to dry for a few months until they have lost 50% of its weight. Usually by December, the vinification process would take place. Very smooth and thoroughly enjoyable to drink, this was hands down my favorite.

Vendemmia time at Poderi delle Rocche

After generous glasses of wine (so much for the “tasting”), our next stop would be to get a behind-the-scenes of glimpse of the wine making process, starting with the vendemmia (grape harvest). This year, due to the scorching summer, vendemmia started a few weeks earlier than usual.

While we didn’t have the chance to get our hands dirty by helping out with the harvest, we were able to see the processing of the harvested grapes at Poderi delle Rocche. With a part of their 30 hectares of vineyard situated below the town of Dozza, they produce 23 different types of wine.

And if we didn’t have enough to drink earlier, we tasted two of their acclaimed wines, Artemisia – Colli d’Imola Bianco Superiore and Signorello – Romagna Sangiovese Superiore Riserva, before heading to our accommodations for the night.

Getting a night’s rest at Ca’ Monti

Immersed in the tranquil countryside and surrounded by verdant landscape, Ca’ Monti is a family-run farm stay (agriturismo) near the town of Fontanelice, which is situated close to the Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna border. Ca’ Monti, which means the house of the Monti family, dates back to the 18th century where the family has been growing produce and raising animals before it established itself as an agriturismo in 1995.

Today, in addition to their agricultural activities, they offer 4 rooms in rustic style in their main building and there are an additional 6 rooms, in another location 2km away. At the main property, they have a restaurant with a menu that features ingredients from their farm and they also produce a variety of jams ranging from peaches, prugnes, apricots to green tomatoes and red onions, which are for sale to tbe public. As they raise a particular breed of pig from Emilia-Romagna known as Mora Romagnola, they also make their own cured meats and sausages.

And with all that said, there was no doubt that we were in for a treat for dinner, accompanied with wines from Poderi delle Rocche. The menu featured produce in season such as a soup of mixed mushrooms, tagliolini (fresh pasta) with funghi porcini and garganelli (another type of fresh pasta) with truffles. We had a second course of roast pork and some how found just enough space for the wild berries jam tart served with gelato, which is made with eggs from the farm.

This was just the start of our feast along via Emilia and a preview of things to come for the next two days in Emilia-Romagna. Stay tuned for more delicious reads.

Many thanks to Emilia-Romagna Region Tourist Board for inviting us to experience the food and wine along Via Emilia.