Albana di Romagna is a white wine from the south-western part of the Romagne, northern Italy. The heartland of the Albana grape is a diverse area, expanding from the coastal zones of Rimini and Riccione to east of Bologna, with an area of gentle hills sitting between the two.
There is much history and legend associated with the Romagna area. One story from 435 AD concerns Galla Placida, the astonishingly beautiful daughter of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II. She arrived in a small village on a white donkey, and the villagers were so overcome with her beauty that they offered her some of the area's sweet and excellent wine (Albana) from a simple terracotta jug. Completely enamored of this delicious, unctuous nectar, Galla Placida exclaimed, "You should not drink this wine in such a humble container. Rather it should be drunk in gold (berti in oro) to render homage to its smoothness." From that day on, the village was called Bertinoro and the wine was drunk from refined goblets at the court of Ravenna. Even now Bertinoro remains important, as it is the main area for the production of Albana.
This wine was also described in the 13th century by medieval wine writer Pier de Crescenzi as being "very strong and of noble taste, well suited for long maturation and at the same time quite subtle … the best of this type of grape can be had at Forlì and throughout the Romagna".
Today, Albana di Romagna’s claim to fame is that it was the first of the area's white wines to receive its DOCG classification (in 1987). However, there has been much controversy surrounding this ranking; the general opinion is that this wine does not deserve such a high-quality ranking, as this label should be awarded only to wines of outstanding caliber. Another factor which disputes its status is the maximum yield per hectare, currently standing at 140 quintals; this high limit appears to discredit the DOCG law for making quality wine.
Production is concentrated mainly around Spungone Romagnolo, extending from Bertinoro to the Imola hills, a strip of the Apennines that extends east from Bologna as far as the Adriatic Sea. The area’s terroir is an excellent home for the Albana variety: the hillside sites offer a mixture of rocky, limestone and chalk soils; and the hot, dry Mediterranean climate is tempered by cooling breezes from the Adriatic Sea, resulting in cooler summers and a wider diurnal temperature variation. This all encourages higher-quality wines. The best vineyards are located on the well-drained foothills of the Apennines.
The DOCG covers four styles of Albana di Romagna: secco, amabile, dolce and with varying degrees of alcohol (11.5–15.5%). A sparkling version, Romagna Albana Spumante, can also be made but may only use a DOC classification. The Albana variety is fairly light bodied with good acidity and contains considerable residual sugar, resulting in its noteworthy ability to make a sweeter wine. It is usually produced in a dry style, with distinctive underlying peach and almond notes, a strong line of refreshing acidity and some complexity.
However, the passito is the area’s biggest star. Albana di Romagna may not be considered world class and the quality may be variable, but in the hands of expert wine producers who choose to keep their yields low, this wine can achieve distinction. Creating passito is quite an art form. Grapes are dried in on the vine, in small boxes, on wooden grates or using air indoors; vinification occurs in wooden barriques or in stainless steel. The passito version of Albana di Romagna must be available for sale by September 1st of the year following the harvest for the standard wine, and as a riserva by December 1st. With its quince- and apricot-rich intensity, and nuances of magnolia, honey and spice, it is the only style that has a minimum ageing time of ten months, or 13 for the riserva designation. This is arguably the finest passito in Italy.
